In the fashion industry, your image is an important factor in your career. In some fields, such as modeling, a certain "type" is required. In other fields, such as public relations, good looks are preferred. Evidence of fashion's obsession with appearance is everywhere. Many retail employees must sport the clothing of their company. Designers serve as walking examples of their work. Even employees at fashion magazines "dress accordingly." Appearance is more important for fashion professionals who interact with the public and who work for high-end employers. (If you work in finance or planning, your dress matters less. And if you work at Kohl's versus Bloomingdale's, being "fashionable" is not as important.)

The "beauty prerequisite" is a source of pride, but also of contention. "You're often judged by what you wear and what you look like," says a designer who specializes in women's couture. Noverto Gonzalez, who worked as an assistant buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue says, "You have to represent whom you work for. The industry can be pretentious. They look at your shoes, bag and watch to check out the label." Certainly, appearance alone probably won't make or break a fashion career. Most fashion employers are looking for traditional skills and abilities. Nevertheless, in the fashion industry appearance may count more than it does in other industries.

Read the magazines and follow celebrities if you want to keep up with the latest trends. Check the publication section in this guide for trade papers, but also consider magazine staples like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and W. You may also want to look at the French, English or Spanish editions of these magazines.

Do good and be beautiful

Fashion is home to glamour, beautiful people and of course, celebrities. Everyone knows the name of at least one supermodel; most people could name quite a few more. In fashion, namedropping and networking are the norm. But another common, if less known, aspect of the fashion world is philanthropy. "Philanthropy," designer Kenneth Cole said at a fashion charity event, "has been part of our corporate culture from the beginning."

This warm-and-fuzzy consciousness isn't simply motivated by the heart: the wallet has something to do with it. Specifically, mixing philanthropy with commerce is a sales tool called cause-related marketing. Since public service is an ideal conduit for sales, many famous designers embrace one cause or another. However, these causes are often as changeable as the industry itself. Points out one fashion insider: "Fashion may embrace fur-wearing one day and protest it the next. Its loyalties are superficial." There are drawbacks to here-today-gone-tomorrow activism. Nevertheless, public service organizations can benefit by the media attention given to "fashionable causes."

Melting pot

The glass ceiling is not much of a problem in an industry where "women outnumber men." "Race is rarely, if ever, an issue" and "a large number of the men in design are gay," says an insider at an upscale department store. In fact, an insider at The Gap is happy to report, "Gender and ethnicity are just not an issue." In almost all aspects of the industry, the pervasion of different cultures, races, religious faiths and sexual orientations is common. "I expected to see a lot of white upper-class yuppies," remarks one J. Crew insider, "but this wasn't what I envisioned. The proverbial New York City melting pot boils over into the [J. Crew] corporate office." L'Oreal is one brand that prides itself on its international flavor. In fact, it boasts that many of its employees are multilingual. Nike is also sound in the diversity department. At this company, different ethnic groups gather for "informal meetings." One member of the company's "Hispanic caucus" finds Nike "a fun place to meet other Latinos and network." Of course, not all employees are content with their company's heterogeneity. At companies like Lands End and L.L. Bean, some employees complain of a lack of diversity. But others argue that the predominately white demographics simply reflect the surrounding communities. "Maine and Wisconsin are not exactly known for large mixes of ethnic communities," says one. "It would follow that the minority headcount is proportional to the community and state." An Asian-American L.L. Bean insider agrees, "I have always felt that the employee makeup simply reflects the general population [in Maine]." As production continues to grow overseas, fashion industry employees are becoming more accustomed to a global marketplace. Companies may buy their fabric from Korea, cut and sew in Sri Lanka, pack and ship in Hong Kong, warehouse in the U.S. and sell in Canada and Mexico.

While the fashion industry is one of the most ethnically diverse around, insiders still complain of "a herd mentality." Complains one: "At my last job, everyone had a blonde bob. Fortunately, my new job is more diverse. It doesn't seem that race or sexuality is that important -- it's all about how you look. Class and style are what are most important." Speaking of blondes, one celebrity dresser "can't wait to dress Gwyneth Paltrow." Why? "Because everyone wants to dress her!" He continues, "I enjoy meeting celebrities on a personal level, although not everything about my job is glamorous. It's not glamorous running around buying shoes at the last minute and sitting around a seating chart at 3 a.m., guessing who will be happy sitting next to each other." An assistant designer agrees that the industry is, at best, unpredictable. "I'm not doing what I thought I'd be doing," she says. "There are some people [in this industry] with high profile jobs, but most of us end up working for other famous people."