Book reveals tips for entering elusive fashion world

In "The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insiders Guide to Careers in Fashion," designer Karl Lagerfeld tells fashion industry hopefuls to ask themselves, "Are you sure this world is for you? And are you sure you are the right person to survive in this world — the world of fashion, a world with no rules, no laws?"

Many of today's teenagers seem to be answering his question with a resounding "yes."

Gobbling up anything and everything fashion-related, modern teens learn about the industry through Lifetime network's "Project Runway" and the hit Sundance Film Festival documentary, "September Issue."

This media exposure has upped interest in the fashion industry in the past few years, bringing along a host of other fashion-based movies, and reality and fiction books and television shows.

Teen Vogue fashion director Gloria Baume said she thinks the release of the Meryl Streep movie "The Devil Wears Prada" was a turning point for the fashion industry, revealing the inner-workings of a previously unexplored world.

As a result, Baume said, Teen Vogue readers who used to send mail asking how they could become a model or meet big-time celebrities are now probing editors with questions about scoring an internship at the magazine or starting a path toward becoming a stylist.

The tricky part is that there isn't a set-in-stone pathway to becoming a fashion designer, writer or photographer, Baume said.

"To become a doctor is easy — there is a specific road that directs you there," Baume said. "But fashion is more mysterious … It kind of happens in a serendipitous way."

For Baume, her fashion career took off when she was hired at Vanity Fair magazine, she said, presumably because she is Italian like the editor.

Still, Baume emphasized that she was able to keep her job and further her career because of her dedication, passion and hard work.

With stories from Baume and the rest of the Teen Vogue team, designer Marc Jacobs and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, "The Teen Vogue Handbook" focuses on unveiling the mysteries of diving into the fashion industry.

"You read the book and say, 'I can do it too,' " Baume said. "It's such an inspirational book because it gives you a guideline of how you can get into this world."