(Photo: Patrick McMullan)

A week into his Condé Nast career, New York Ranger turned Vogue intern Sean Avery hadn’t yet had to fetch a cup of Starbucks. “Today I went to a Steven Klein shoot for a little bit in the morning, then I had lunch with Michael Bastian, a men’s designer,” he said at the FiFi fragrance awards on May 20. “Hopefully no one asks, but if they do, I’m definitely there to get the job done.” What does a hockey star do on a photo shoot? “A lot of the times it’s just helping out wherever,” he said. “If it’s with clothes or lighting or whatever, I’m there just to learn it all and help anywhere I can. I’m certainly learning a lot, and I’m learning from the best, obviously.” Overall, “It’s a little bit more work than I expected,” but Vogue hasn’t lived up to its Devil Wears Prada reputation. “It’s a real tight-knit family there,” he says.

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• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Table of Contents: Jun 2, 2008 issue of New York | Subscribe!