what it's like to work at vogue, a talk with vogue's sergio [video]

Emma Chamberlain
In honor of my favorite fashion event of the year, the Met Gala, I've decided to come to the Vogue office here in New York City to speak to Sergio, the global entertainment director at Vogue magazine. He oversees all celebrity bookings for Vogue, US, UK, Latin America, and Mexico. Over the course of his career, Sergio has worked at Harper's Bazaar, Women's Health, 17, Cosmopolitan, Annemarie Claire. He's produced the World Music Awards and worked at numerous record companies including Motown, Sony, Arista, and Virgin Records. I'm excited to talk to Sergio today because I feel like we all have our assumptions about the fashion world, what it means to be in the fashion world, what it means to work in the fashion world.

We've seen movies like Devil wears Prada, we've read articles about it. We all have our assumptions. But I want someone to come in. And tell us what's really up. And so that's why I'm excited to be speaking to Sergio today.

We're going to be discussing what it's like to work behind the scenes in fashion, as well as details around the Met gala, because obviously it's the biggest fashion event of the year and there's a lot to uncover. So I present to you Sergio from Vogue. This episode is presented by Haagen Daz. It's love at first bite with the new Haagen Dazs dulce de leche bar featuring rich caramel dulce de leche ice cream swirled with thick, milky dulce de leche ribbons and dipped in milk chocolate. Indulgent?

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And so little tools and tricks that I can add into my routine that make me feel more confident, really help in front of the camera and just in my normal life, it's a great way to give yourself an extra confidence boost and live life to the brightest. Colgate optic White. Find it at all major retailers. I do want to know about you as a child. Were you, like, were you a fashionable kid?

Like, I was obsessed with little costumes. And it was weird, but, I mean, I'm not a fashion guy to begin with. Like, I was born in the former USSR. Mm hmm. And I was obsessed with music.

Sergio Kletnoy
So, like, the fact that I am working in entertainment and UC Vogue cover so much music, it's because I'm obsessed with musicians. Every time there's somebody music on a cover, it's probably because I have stressed everybody on our team about putting that person on the COVID Like, I have such passion for musicians because, like, ever since I remember first time watching a music video on my grandmother's couch when I was, like, five years old in Russia and it was Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, I did not speak a word of English, could not understand what Michael was singing about. But I had such a strong reaction, and I wanted to work behind the scenes in music. And somehow it all just came together. Yeah.

Emma Chamberlain
How did you get from being music obsessed to now working at Vogue? Well, we moved to this country when I was twelve, and I didn't know anyone. There was no connections. There was no, like, hey, I know this person. They will hook you up with a job.

Sergio Kletnoy
I went to a community college in West Chester, and somehow I got an internship at. Do you know Arista Records. Do you know who Clive Davis is? Mm hmm. So Clive Davis is a big time record executive.

He, quote unquote, discovered Whitney Houston and Carlos Santana and Janis Joplin and all these, like, iconic musicians. And I got to talking to somebody at this label, and he was like, well, do you want to intern? We have internships available. And I literally started, like, ditching school and going in, like, two, three times a week, no pay, 12 hours a day. I wanted to be a sponge.

I would walk in every day. And from the moment I was there, I just wanted to observe and take everything in. And somehow it led me to this. I spent three years as an intern at Arista Records working for free, didn't finish college, got offered my first job in my last year of college, and my first job was, like, Motown Records, working in radio promotion, and I spent a year working at Motown. We all got fired because someone, like, another company bought out this label.

Everybody got let go. I got my second job working at Sony. My third job working at back at Arista Records, the place that I interned after Aristai went to Virgin Records, spent two years there, got so burnt out and took a year off. And in that year, I saw Devil wears Prada. And somehow I realized that that is the one thing in my career that I haven't done yet, like, work in the fashion industry.

Interesting. And it's that film that made me want to work here, really. I mean, here, like, in fashion in general in magazines. And I remember seeing that movie and realizing that Vogue is basically, like, at the top of the food chain. Yeah.

Sergio Kletnoy
And that was my goal all along. Like, hopefully one day I get to work at this magazine. So then how'd you get to Vogue? I worked at six different magazines before working with Vogue, so I spent five years at Cosmo. While I was at Cosmo, I got my own magazine.

They gave me 17, so I was booking 17. And after 17, I did, like redbook and women's health. And my last job at that company was working for Harper's Bazaar, which you obviously know as well, of course. And this job at Vogue somehow became open because the previous booker, who was here for 20 years, was leaving. And my friend works at GQ, and she was like, you should come and interview for this job.

I'm like, there's no way in hell Anna Winter is gonna hire me. I drop more fuck words, like, more fucks in a single sentence than probably anyone she knows. Covered in tattoos. I'm not polished. I am just a worker.

I go in, I have a vision, and how do I get it done? And I don't even know how to explain it. But I walked into her office. The first person I interviewed with was Anna. There was no human resources.

There was no number two. My first interview for this job was with Anna. And I had a broken foot. Oh, no. Three broken toes.

Emma Chamberlain
No. And I refused to wear my boot. I was going to say she would not like the boot. I mean, she probably would have been fine with it, but I was like, there's no way I'm walking into an interview at Vogue limping with a boot. I was in so much pain wearing this Valentino boot that I barely squeezed my foot into.

Sergio Kletnoy
And I never dress up to go to work. Like, you're not gonna see me in a sweater or a tie or a jacket. I walk into Harper's bazaar that day in, like, a really nice sweater, really nice pants, these Valentino boots, and someone I work with goes, do you have an interview? Like, why are you dressed that way? I'm like, no, no.

I have an event after. He's like, no, I don't believe you. There's no way you're coming into work looking like this. Yeah. I go to the interview here, and I've heard before that usually interviews here take five to ten minutes at the most.

We ended up talking for maybe 20. And I was only supposed to meet with Anna. I got to meet with two other people that day, and walking out of here, I kind of had an idea that I was maybe the frontrunner. Yeah. And it all just happened so quickly.

I think within two weeks, I was hired. Wow. And it's been almost six years. Wow. That's a journey.

Emma Chamberlain
I feel like most people would think about working at Vogue, and it's like, okay, well, it's a fashion job, but I feel like it's so much more dynamic than that. Like, you have to be up to date on pop culture, because the fashion piece of it is absolutely crucial. But it's also, like, for the mainstream. Not everyone's into fashion, but you want everyone to be into vogue. Is that something that comes naturally to you?

Are you just, like, naturally soaking up pop culture in a way, or are you sort of someone who wants to go out and seek it out? Like, obviously, it comes naturally for you with music and musicians, but what about, you know, when it comes to the broader industry? Like, what is that sort of experience? Like, how do you stay in the know? Everything has to do with pop culture.

Sergio Kletnoy
Right? Like, I remember growing up, and Vogue had a tagline before. It's anywhere, it's in Vogue. Right. And it always stuck with me.

Like, I was obsessed with supermodels back in the day. Like, my walls were covered in, like, photos of Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington, apart from music. Like, supermodels was, like, my obsession. Yeah. So I always paid attention to what fashion magazines were doing.

And now, like, everything I do, I pay attention to what's happening in theater, to what's happening in film and television, in music, with influencers, with TikTok. It has to make sense for a Vogue. At the end of the day, it is a fashion brand, but you don't want to miss out on something that's happening in pop culture that has nothing to do with fashion. Yeah. Working at so many different magazines.

Emma Chamberlain
How has it been different curating for Vogue in all things? Cause I feel like Vogue is the top dog. So it's like, that must be terrifying in a way. Like, there's this weight, because it's like, it must be taken so seriously. And, like, how do you, is it a gut feeling?

Like, this feels right. Always a gut. Okay. Like, listen, this is how it works at every single magazine. I remember being at every magazine I worked with prior to Vogue.

Sergio Kletnoy
They all paid attention to what was happening at Vogue. However, every single brand had an identity. Like, something that works for Cosmo may not work for Marie Claire, or Elle, or Harper's Bazaar or Vogue. Something that works for Harper's Bazaar is not gonna work for all those other brands. However, once you're in vogue, you literally could go anywhere.

And I knew that when I started out working at Marie Claire. That is the epitome of what's happening in pop culture here. It's all about your. Like, it is your personal opinion. You are curating these ideas.

You go into a meeting with a big staff, and you make pitches. Yeah. Like, every single publicist, every agent, every manager, they pitch ideas to us. We speak to them on a daily basis. Like, every single booker from every single brand, from every single tv show, you kind of have to know, but you don't always know, because there's not enough time in the world to watch every tv show, to watch every film, to listen to every single album or single that's sent to you.

So you kind of have to have a gut reaction to this person. Yeah, and there's always a buzz. Like, someone will be the first one to discover it. I'm not the one who's going to discover it. I'm going to ride the wave, but I have to pay attention to what's happening in pop culture.

And it's my job to walk in every single day and say, I heard about this. We should look into this person, or we should pay attention to this or what's happening here. Maybe they're not ready for Vogue yet, but maybe in two months they will be. And that's how every single magazine works. We all function in the same way.

We all want to be the first to put somebody fresh on the COVID who no one has had before. But then you don't want to risk it and put somebody on the COVID who no one is going to click on. So it's this double edged sword. Every time you do a cover story or a feature or put somebody in a video or invite somebody to the med or bring them to an event. It's always a 50 50.

You never know. Yeah. How do you feel? Like the overall strategy has changed post social media explosion? Social media changed everything.

Yeah. For every single industry out there. Right. For fashion, for entertainment, for every single movie and tv studio. We all have to follow what's happening on social media because talent has even more influence now than ever before.

Sergio Kletnoy
Because they have anywhere from 10 million to what, Kim K has 400 million followers? Something like that. Yeah. Talent has more power than ever before, and they have their own platform where they can do anything they want. So how is this gonna work for both of us?

Right? Like, yes, everybody still wants vogue, but is it going to be the right thing for both the brand? And just because you have 300 million followers doesn't mean that we need to cover that project. Yep. Yep.

And if you're doing every single thing under the sun, what's the gain in us? Yep. Featuring someone. If you live your life on social media, how is that going to be interesting for our audience? Right.

Like, if you already put everything out there, what are you giving to us? Or w. Or vanity Fair? Or, like, if you're doing 17 covers, what's the point? That's a great point.

It's almost like it becomes diluted. Like, you literally just, if you give up everything on social media every single day. Yeah. Why do you need a cover? Like, you don't even need it.

Emma Chamberlain
That's so true. Because it's like, there's no story to tell. I've never even thought of it like that. It's almost like, I think that is probably what makes a cover story so interesting is when you're uncovering something about a public figure that you couldn't really access otherwise. Well, everyone is so guarded nowadays.

Sergio Kletnoy
I mean, like, every single video you see on Instagram or TikTok, people take, like, ten different versions of that video and post the best one. I mean, I don't want to sound like an old man, but I remember I loved picking up interview magazine because Madonna just revealed something she hasn't said anywhere else. I love picking up Vanity Fair and reading a story about a cover star where Courtney love literally admitted to taking drugs during pregnancy. And, yes, that backfired on you, and it was a horrible experience for her, but celebrities back in the day weren't that afraid to speak up. That's so true.

Emma Chamberlain
Do you feel like the media training of today, like, everyone's so media trained, has negatively impacted the industry? I mean, everything is controlled. Like, at the end of the day, even if you are guarded, it's gonna take an amazing writer for you to open up. And if you don't wanna open up, you shouldn't do press. If you have a publicist who says to me, don't ask this person these three topics.

Yeah. Why are they doing an interview? Or guess what? It's our job as a journalist to ask the questions, and it's your job to say, you know what? I don't want to answer that.

Sergio Kletnoy
Can we move on? Why does your publicist have to tell me in advance? That's true. Don't ask that question. If your talent doesn't know how to pivot, then maybe you should do some more media training.

Emma Chamberlain
That's a really, really phenomenal point. I think people look at press in this industry as maybe less of a. I think talent, especially maybe looks at it less as, like, a mutually beneficial thing. And I feel like a lot of people get really too big in their purchase. They're like, no, you need me.

Vogue. You need me. You know what I mean? Which is obviously not true. We both need each other.

Emma Chamberlain
We both need each other. Like, it's like everyone needs each other. And that is very fascinating. People are just so scared because it's such a witch hunt sort of time that everyone's like, so maybe it's always been a witch hunting sort of time. Well, it was always a witch hunt the moment paparazzi's became a thing.

Sergio Kletnoy
Which was what? In the 1950s, celebrities were being followed, politicians were being followed. Anyone who in some way was famous was being followed, and you wanted to know their secrets. And there was Star magazine and National Enquirer. So there was always that witch hunt.

The moment you become famous, regular people feel like you don't have feelings as a celebrity, that you are prepared for anything that comes your way because you chose that life. Sure. But at the same time, there are boundaries for everyone. Yep. Nowadays, you are afraid to speak about anything.

Yeah. Because social media will tear you apart. Yeah. All you have to do is don't go on social media. I know.

Sergio Kletnoy
Don't pay attention. Guess what? Yeah. It's just a bunch of people who tried to start shit. So what about strategy that, like, Vogue does YouTube so well?

Emma Chamberlain
So well. Like, I. Everyone loves the Vogue YouTube channel, and it's such, like, a genius sort of focus. I feel like YouTube is a huge focus for Vogue. Well, we definitely get more access than, I think, any other brand.

Sergio Kletnoy
And at the end of the day, it all is because of this brand. That's been built over what, like 130 years now. It means something. Yeah, it's a status for a lot of people. And once you get Vogue, you like these fashion brands and just brands in general look at you in a different way and you will probably get bigger jobs.

So it is that we need you and you need us. Moment. We have an amazing video team and we literally will brainstorm and pitch ideas. Like, we have quite a few series that we do on the regular, from the getting readies to 24 hours to the cooking series that you did for us. Now serving 73 questions.

Life and looks. And it is a curation. Every single time we have to do an episode, we go through a list of names of who would be the best person for that video tied to a project. It is all connected and we get access like no one else does, which I'm incredibly grateful for, because at all my other magazines, I was, like, struggling. And look, not to say that we get everyone we want here, but, yeah.

Emma Chamberlain
I mean, I feel like almost everyone. It's nice to work at a place where for the most part, I can go to most people and they will at least hear me out 1000%. But I think it's interesting because this industry was at one point, so just physical paper. It was just paper. And that was the industry as a whole.

That's it now, controlled. Yes. So every single page, and there was no social media. There was nobody talking about, like, we don't like that cover, we don't like that person, we don't like that interview, we don't like the COVID line, we hate that tiny part in the video. It just.

Sergio Kletnoy
It disappeared into the abyss. Yes. Now every single thing is under a microscope, and we are under microscope for everything. But by the way, I don't feel, I'm not going to feel bad for us. Everyone else goes through the same thing.

Every single brand, from fashion to entertainment to publishing, we all experience the same problems. I mean, it's even more interesting though, too, because now being a magazine, you have to do more than just the print, you have to do the date. Like, there's 360, there's the YouTube. Now there's like, oh, are we gonna do like a merch collection or are we gonna do this? Are we gonna do it like, there's.

So much TikTok video, social media videos, behind the scenes videos, interviews, cover stories, features.com. I mean, there's so many layers to every single thing we do. Yeah. That sometimes it could be a bit overwhelming. Well, it's like, it must be harder to maintain this sort of vogue identity when there's so much fucking happening.

Emma Chamberlain
Like, you're doing every category all the time, and it's like, how do you maintain a strong identity as a brand when you're being spread so thin? We all wear like 20 hats. That's like 20 jobs. Yeah. And look, you don't get into publishing because you're like, I'm going to become rich.

Sergio Kletnoy
You get into publishing because you're passionate about pop culture and fashion and music and whatever field you work in in publishing, that's your passion. And if you're not passionate, you're going to hate your job, you're going to be annoyed, you're going to be agitated about every single thing that's happening. It's not an easy job, but we're also not saving lives. We don't have to take ourselves seriously. We have to take our job seriously because we get paid to do a job.

And if you don't want to be here, you don't have to be here. You always have a choice. But if you're doing this, I mean, my parents taught me from when I was a kid, if you sign up to do something, you have to finish it. We have to make it work. I don't know how to explain it, but we have to figure it out, because if we don't move with this ever changing industry, we're going to get left behind.

Emma Chamberlain
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It is the fashion event of the year. Of course. How did it get that title? I don't know how to explain the power that Matt Gala has now, but like most people don't realize, it's a fundraiser. Yeah.

Sergio Kletnoy
It's a fundraiser for the museum, for the costume institute, which Anna is obviously heavily involved in. And its main job is to raise money. Every single seat is paid for? Every seat is paid for by designer or a brand. They're the ones who are bringing talent in support of the museum.

So every single seat has to be paid for. Yeah. Somehow it became the event to go to every single year. Yeah. Usually it starts the day after the Met gala ended.

So, like, this year's Met Gala is May 6. On May 7, I will get an email from Anna asking me to work on next year. Next year's event. I may not know what the theme is, but she's going to ask me for ideas. Uh huh.

The theme comes later. Interesting. I mean, she knows what the theme is. I don't know what the theme is. Oh, I found out about this year's theme.

I don't know, maybe six months before. Okay. Everything is kept under a lock and key. Wow. So the day after, she'll say, you know, I have some ideas.

I want to hear yours. Let's meet. And it literally takes us maybe a few months to brainstorm ideas, then a few more months to figure out who we want to go after for co chairs. And then the last part of it is music. It's always a surprise.

This is my 6th met, I think. I can't tell you. I am like a kid in a candy store every single time I get to work on the metal. It is so much fun, even when it's like the most hard job on the planet, because there are so many details. And there's a huge team.

Like, we have a huge vogue team working on the met every year. And every single detail is thought of. Like, every single napkin, knife, florals, arrangements, chairs, every single detail is thought about way, way, way in advance. Even the way your name is written on a placement card is thought about. And there's a reason for it.

It is so fascinating to watch from the sidelines because I'm not really involved in that part. Right. Like, I'm involved in the co chairs. I'm involved in the performer, and I'm involved in the last month of preparation, and, like, I help with some of the guests. But towards the end, once our team literally places almost everyone, I can't even tell you how many emails and phone calls we get every single day leading up to the Met.

Like, four months prior to it will be 50 to 100 requests for the Met on a daily. Again, it kind of goes back to, this is fashion. We're not saving lives here. It's almost like throwing a big birthday party for. You know what I mean?

Emma Chamberlain
It's like planning a party. It's fun. But do you get nervous when you get on that red carpet? I do get nervous. You don't show it, though.

The one thing I can say that I'm good at is my poker face. Like, no one will ever know. I'm not afraid of the interviews. I'm afraid of the carpet. That's what's scary, because it's like, everybody puts so much effort into making you look good, and now it's up to you to stand there and make it come to life in the face.

And you get. It's like a performance, even though all you're doing is, like, standing there like that. But, I mean, I think now I'm not afraid anymore. Maybe, like, maybe this year. I don't think I'll be afraid at all this year, but, I mean, I think my heart will be.

I'm not going to be afraid, but I'll be exhilarated. I mean, I'm sure you watched enough episode of America's Next Top Model. You know what's crazy? It's been so many years, and my stylist, Jared, keeps being like, Emma, you need to watch more America's next top model because it'll take you to the next level. Like, you're going to really, like, you're gonna learn how to do things with your face that you didn't even know you could do.

Sergio Kletnoy
Maybe Zoolander. Ooh. Have you ever seen Zoolander? No. Do you know what Zoolander is?

Emma Chamberlain
I'm, like, vaguely familiar. It's a Ben Stiller movie about being a male model. Oh, it's pretty brilliant. It has all these cameos from every celebrity you can imagine. Fun, all these fashion designers, and it's basically.

Sergio Kletnoy
It's poking fun of Zoolander, but it's absolutely brilliant. And he had this look called blue steel. Maybe you should adapt that for the Met. I'm gonna adapt blue steel for this met? Yeah.

Emma Chamberlain
So that's my homework. I totally see it for you, I. Think it's gonna be really, really handsome. Does everything. Everything.

Like, I'm thinking of being Anna, and I'm like, there's no way that she's. Signing off on everything she does on everything. And on top of that, she is at everything. We have rehearsals with the performer. We have rehearsals with dancers.

Sergio Kletnoy
We have fittings. We have, like, we go through, like, once we're at the Met, preparing in that one room. Everything is kind of like, it gets laid out days in advance. She's there to oversee it all. She's literally there at 10:00 p.m.

At night when we were rehearsing with the performer. Wow. Like, I remember my first year, and, like, my first year, I literally was like, I don't know how I got here. I hope I don't get escorted. I don't know how I fooled people into thinking that I belong here.

But, like, poker face was on ten that time, and Cher was the performer. Wow. Which was so, like, unreal. This is a, like, icon and legend get thrown around about every single person nowadays. Like, that is a fucking legend.

Yeah. And I remember seeing, going to see Cher the night before her rehearsal at either Barclays or MSG. She was on tour at the time and going backstage with her publicist and being, it wasn't my first time meeting Cher, but it was just like, you're in such an awe of this woman. The way she talks, she makes jokes, and the way she looks. She's just so brilliant.

Sergio Kletnoy
And I was like, I'll see you tomorrow at the rehearsal. We get to the rehearsal, of course Anna's there. Cher gets on stage, does her thing, comes off, and she was like, how was it? What do you think? I'm like, are you really asking me?

Like, how was it? I was like, you literally? This is what I said to her. Yeah. I go, you literally could sing the phone book.

And I will fucking listen and say, it's the most brilliant album on the planet. I don't care what you sing. I'm like, you on that stage is enough. Yep. And Anna was there for every single rehearsal.

Emma Chamberlain
Wow. And, like, she loves being a part of this. That's amazing. She's raised something like half a billion dollars for the museum in her. I want to say, like, what, 25 years that she's done the Met, so it's pretty fucking cool.

I think that is why it's such a special and culturally sort of significant event is because so much love goes into it. Like, there is a lot of human in it, which I think a lot of people look at something like the Met, and they're like, this is just a big event. It's like, no. We're like a bunch of pretty people dressing up. Like, why do we have to pay attention to it?

Sergio Kletnoy
You don't have to. People are just having fun. Our world is so fucking dark. If this is the one time of year that everyone gets together and have fun and you get to watch it from home, it doesn't mean anything. It's just people having a good time.

We've all been through some shit in the last few years, like, coming to the Met, seeing what people are wearing. Like, it's fun. I don't care what anyone says. I have fun. Yep.

And even if I wasn't there, I still would want to see what people are wearing. I would be watching you on live stream. Yeah. I would be watching you on Jack Harlow on live stream. Yes.

Emma Chamberlain
No, I mean, it's really, honestly heartwarming to hear that it's fun, because I feel like coming into this interview, I was like, there's no way that this is fun. Like, I was expecting you to tell me, like, this is actually the worst, like, six months of my life before the Mac. I mean, I can imagine there are probably some challenging moments when preparing. I mean, listen, of course there's gonna be challenges. Somebody falls out 24 hours before, and you have to find a celebrity for a designer because they ran out of ideas.

Sergio Kletnoy
I literally pulled talent the day of the Met. Like, I would call everybody I know and I would say, is anyone available? And do they have a look that they can wear to the Met? Like, I remember calling someone at SNL knowing, like, the entire cast is in yours multiple times when somebody would fall out. Wow.

And I would be like, can we please get so and so to come? Like, yeah, they're challenges, but, like, again, we're not saving lives. Like, placing my first year, we got to bring so many people that have never been to the Met. Like, RuPaul's first time at the Met, it was Themos camp. Who's better to come to the Met than RuPaul?

It was the first time RuPaul got shot for American Vogue in his 30 year career. I love nothing more than having somebody for the first time. It makes me as happy as it probably makes them. Having a first man on the COVID Yeah. Anna and I talked about that for a long time.

I think for, like, a year, I was told, you know, it's a women's magazine. Yeah. So, like, you know, a guy solo. Like, why would we do that? Let GQ do that, let another brand do that.

Then we saw everything that was happening with Harry as far as his style and how he was embracing fashion, and, like, it just made sense. Yes. And it became, I want to say, like, if not the biggest, probably, like, top three biggest of all time, cover wise, social media cliques. There were essays written about Harry Styles being on the COVID of Vogue. And whether it's positive or negative, the point is that people are reacting.

You don't want people to just not care whether it's a positive reaction or negative reaction. People care about what we're doing. And I'm not gonna sit here and say, I take everything so seriously. This is, you know, I am the word. If it's not in vogue, I don't care.

No, that's not like when I worked at Marie Claire, I gave as much passion to what I was doing there as I did at 17, as I did at women's health and redbook. And I do it. Vogue now, for me, again, it goes back to my mom always telling me, if you start something, you have to finish. So everything I do here, no matter how hard it is, at the end of the day, I don't have a real office job. I get to work with creative people.

We get to put cool people in clothes. We get to shoot them. We get to bring them to events. We get to do videos with them. We get to in some way, be a part of this pop culture train, and I have to enjoy it, because if I started hating on every single thing that in some way agitates me or annoys me, I'm going to be a miserable fucker.

I don't want to be that. Yeah. Hell, no. But then gummies help, too. Oh, my God.

I have to get home and have. To pop a gummy, obviously. One time I popped a gummy, though, and I had a full freakout, like, a little camino gummy, you know? Oh, Camino are my favorites. Oh, well, don't.

Emma Chamberlain
The Yuzu ones. I had two of them once and went into, like, a ten milligram or five. I think I took two fives. That's nothing. That's what I thought.

Full. Oh, maybe they were ten. They were probably ten. I had a full spiral, man. I had two caminos at a Taylor Swift and then two caminos at Beyonce, and it was the best experience I've ever had at a concert ever.

Sergio Kletnoy
Like, I literally thought I was flowing on a cloud. It was incredible. Like, especially during Beyonce, because Renaissance is literally fucking perfection. Yeah. And every single song.

With a gummy. With a gummy in heaven. Oh, my God. I'm so jealous. I, like, traumatized myself with the gummy.

Emma Chamberlain
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And that is very important to the event. However, it seems that that tends to be where the drama is. Did people. No one understands the theme. No one understands the theme.

Also, though, too, a lot of brands, I think, don't really want to do the theme. Like, I feel like there's this sort of. Or they, like, they're like, we love this. You know what I mean? How important is the theme to Vogue and how important is it that people follow the theme?

Because I feel like a lot of times the Internet will get mad on Vogue's behalf when people don't follow the theme. Cause Anna approves looks somewhat. I wouldn't say it's approves. Like, she is involved, especially with, like, our co chairs and our performers and, you know, the people that we do have relationships with, they'll ask her opinion. Yep.

Sergio Kletnoy
And I'm sure, like, look, I'm not in those conversations. Don't ask me about fashion. Cause I don't care. Like, I know I work at a fashion magazine, but, like, you're wearing a dress. Amazing.

Yeah. You either look good or you don't for me, yes. However. Yes. I think in my.

Sergio Kletnoy
This is my 6th year here, the only time that I saw pretty much everybody on theme was camp. Yeah. Because it's easy to interpret camp broad. It's somewhat fun. It's a little cheesy.

It's a little over the top. And for the most part, I've seen camp now every single year since camp. I know it's true. Like, everyone wants to be camp now. And my favorite story.

Okay, another. Going back to share. Yes. So the night before at the rehearsals, I was like, what are you wearing? She's like, well, I'm not doing red carpet.

I'm like, well, why not? She's like, I don't. She's like, obviously, nobody knows that I'm coming, that I'm performing. I don't need to dress up. I'm like, well, you probably don't need to because so many people are coming as you.

Yeah. And she goes, what do you mean so many people are coming as me? I'm like, your Cher. You are the definition of camp. Like Bob Mackey camp.

Sergio Kletnoy
Bob Mackie is an incredible designer. He's a master. But, like, definition of camp. Like, when I think of camp, I think of Vegas over the top. Like, feathers and jewelry and blingy.

Like, it is. You are camp. Yes. She goes, bullshit. She literally goes, bullshit.

The next day, I see her. Like, she arrives, I see her, and I go, did you look at the carpet? She goes, I did. Quite a few people dressed as me. Like, literally dressed as me.

She goes, that's why I changed my mind. She goes, I'm literally gonna perform in jeans and my puffer. Cher is not in camp, but she's wearing jeans and a puffer because she saw so many that year. Was literally like, jennifer Lopez came in inspired by Cher. Emily Rotojowski came in inspired by cherry.

There were literally, I think, like, six or seven people. My brain doesn't work well, clearly, because of the gummies. But there was so many people dressed to share. And it was just so funny to see this woman, who literally is the epitome of the word, was like, no, I'm gonna let you all have it. Yeah, I'm gonna wear jeans.

Emma Chamberlain
That's so good. It was kind of amazing. That's so good. The performers do go on the carpet. Or sometimes they do.

It's up to them. Like, Lizzo was the performer last year. She was on the carpet. Lenny Kravitz was on the. Was the performer two years ago.

Yep. He was on the carpet. Yeah. It depends like, if you wanted, you can. If you don't, you don't have to.

Yeah. I mean, it is kind of interesting. Like, it's a dinner, but it's. Nobody eats. Come on.

Emma Chamberlain
But no one eats. I know, except for me. I am not kidding. The first year. The first year, I remember so vividly.

I come in and I'm starving. I'm like, I'm so hungry. Like, we've just been. Well, I also do the interview, so it's like I'm there for like 5 hours just interviewing and like, whatever. So I'm like, okay.

Sergio Kletnoy
You making it sound like we make it work for that long. You interview for 2 hours, but you're around for like five. Yes. You do have to be there early. Yeah.

Emma Chamberlain
So they make me interview for 24 hours straight. Oh, my God. We are horrible. No. And it's the best joy of my absolute life.

Yeah. Cause you and jack have this thing we just have you created. That we created come for Jack. For. I know that.

Emma Chamberlain
Well, now it's like I can't. I can't leave him hanging. Like, if he walks up and it's not me, he's gonna be heartbroken and it's gonna be so sad. It's like Billie eilish for Vanity Fair. We have to get that video.

That's so. I think this is the fourth. This is your fourth year hosting, or third? This is my 12344. I think it's the fourth.

Sergio Kletnoy
And have when we had him on all three years with you or. No, the last two. Okay, so we need a third. So this will be our third. I think the third is gonna be the best.

Emma Chamberlain
You know what I mean? What's the week of the Met for you summarized? It depends. This week I have a cover shoot literally like a few days before the Met. Actually, two cover shoots, one in LA, one in New York.

Sergio Kletnoy
And I have to go to both of them. Oh, ouch. Like, literally four days before leading up. I'm telling you, it is like clockwork. Somebody will fall out and it will be anywhere between four to ten people.

Someone will get sick, someone's schedule will change with their production, and you either have to replace a person or figure out what to do with that seat. Yeah. So there's always those issues to deal with rehearsals, we always have a pre party. We get an insane amount of emails for after parties, which we have nothing to do with. But we still have to answer those questions because you can't ignore people.

I literally respond to every single email. Day of the Met is insane, though. Yeah. I usually get anywhere between 200 to, like, 600 text messages as people are arriving, or publicist will be like, so and so is on their way. Can you look out for them?

I'm like, yes. I'm at the top of the stairs. I will see everyone who arrives. Yeah, you don't have to tell me that. Yeah.

Like, I say hi to everyone. Yep. I usually work with Lala at the top of the stairs pulling talent for all of her interviews. Yeah. So I'm Lala's bitch for the night.

Yeah. And that's a pretty cool thing to do because I know most people that come up, and a lot of them don't want to be on camera and talk. They just want to go inside and have a good time. And I literally have to force some people to do interviews. It literally happens every single time.

Sergio Kletnoy
Like, J. Lo last year did not want to be on camera, and I was like, jennifer, please, you cannot not do this. Yeah. And it took, like, good convincing. Yeah.

Emma Chamberlain
But they're always glad, I think, that they did it. Poor Nikki last year, she had a problem with her look. Uh huh. The top kept falling, and she did not want to be on camera, and she kept holding onto her dress. And I was like, I promise you, 30 seconds.

Sergio Kletnoy
That's all I need. I'm begging you. I'm like, I just, like, I love Nikki so much, but I also love Cardi, so I don't want people to be like, he picks people. He picks his favorites. You don't have favorites.

I don't have favorites. These are all your children. I love them all. And literally 30 seconds in front of the camera, she was so uncomfortable. But they do it, and that's where the charming Sergio comes out.

Yeah, I have to turn that on because, of course, it could be quite the asshole sometimes. So maybe you fit into devil wears prada. No, I'm kidding. You don't. Maybe the September issue.

Did you ever see that? No. Okay. It's the most brilliant documentary about making of a September issue for Vogue. Oh, you know what?

From, like, many, many years ago, I. Was gonna say I might, I think. Like, 15 years ago. Yeah. But maybe I watched half of that.

Yeah. Well, it's insane. I didn't know about the significance of the September issue until, I don't know, like, three. Like, you know, it is interesting how. It'S like, well, September and March are considered, like, the fashion issues.

Sergio Kletnoy
You always want to have someone super cool or someone with a big project or a big supermodel, and it's, you know, it's the thing. It's the thing. So we have how long until the Met? How are you feeling now? How are you sleeping now?

Emma Chamberlain
Are you like, is life pretty normal for now? No, it's a little stressful. It's already getting stressful because now is when I start to get frantic phone calls from people who have not gotten in yet. So it's like, hey, can you help us in any way? And I'm not in those conversations.

Sergio Kletnoy
Like, I don't talk to designers. I don't convince them to bring talent. Yeah. And I become the middleman between talent and our Met gala team. Well, yeah.

Emma Chamberlain
I feel like a lot of people listening are probably like, how do you even get invited? How do you get invited? Mostly it's relationships. Right. So, like, a brand has relationships with talent.

Yep. Just like, we know who's right for our cover and who's right for our videos and what people we want to put a spotlight on. Brands have their people. Yep. And those are the people they want to take to the Met.

Sergio Kletnoy
They will check on their availability before they go out to anyone else. Right. So if you have a relationship with the brand, that's the best way to go. But here's the kicker. Nobody ever knows which designers are coming to the Met.

So publicists will literally go to, like, 50 brands to see who's coming to the Met that year. And typically, it's not like every year. Different brands are like, we're going to. We're going to purchase a table. Everyone always says, well, they've been before, why can they come back?

And it's not about that. Of course they can come back. If a brand wants to bring you, absolutely fine by us. But at the same time, we also want to bring in different people every year. You don't want to have the same group of people every single time.

Even Rihanna doesn't want to come every single year. Beyonce doesn't want to come every single year. Just because you've been before doesn't mean that you have to come every single year. You want to have. You want to bury it and let room for new people to circle in.

When you think about it, it's not that big of room. 425 seats, maybe 450 seats, depending on a year. I think before I started, they met was like something like 600, 700 people. It has gone down significantly because that room is just so packed. Yeah.

And everybody wants to get in. Yeah. What's like a little secret, like a little met gala secret or a little met gala fact that you feel like people don't know, that would be interesting. To them, how much I have to fight to get certain people in. Oh, especially performer.

Right. Because so many people have ideas. Yeah. Like, we have a director. There's always gonna be, like, a brilliant director attached to the Met.

Most people probably don't know, but Baz Luhrmann has an amazing, like, this longstanding relationship with Anna, and Baz works on the Met. Baz is, like, a brilliant film director. He always has a vision. And for the last few years, like, it's a group of people that decide on who the performer is. And you literally have to do a song and dance.

Yeah, thank God I don't have a voice, because, like, that entire room would be running. But I do have a way of somehow convincing our team that we should lean a certain way. That's probably the hardest part every single year. Like, co chairs are easy because it's all Anna, the performer. Like, most people, there's, like, a group of people, and everyone has their own opinion.

Yeah. I don't know if that answers your question. It's not. No, that's a great fact. It's sort of, like, there's different ideas and a lot of different voices and a lot of different whatever.

Emma Chamberlain
And it's like, when it comes to making certain decisions that, you know, everyone's sort of. Everyone has their own kind of idea agenda. You know what I mean? Like, oh, I love this. I think this would be so good.

And then it's trying to find the. Best option, the best fit. Yeah, that's what it really. That's all it is. That's all it is.

I'm so excited for this year. Are you excited? Are you? Have you figured out what you're wearing? I.

Okay, it's. Have you had fittings? I've had one fitting, and we did sketches. I've had about two or three calls, and it's happening, and it's the most on theme I've ever been, which I know you don't care about as much, but it's. No, I love seeing people on theme.

This one's really on theme, which I'm stoked about. Cause I feel like in the past, it's maybe not ended up being as on theme. Like, it's been, like, great, and I love it, but I'm like, this is not quite on theme as much as I wanna be. Like, I wanna be on theme. I mean, look, it's hard to get there, though.

Great theme this year, though. This year's theme is truly, like, the most famous line from Devil Wears Prada. Right. Like florals for spring. Groundbreaking.

Yeah. Like, it's the only time you can literally use that as the theme for the Met. Yep. And I don't think anyone, like, I think people are either really thinking that it's florals for spring, which it really isn't. Yeah.

Sergio Kletnoy
Like, from what I understand, this is my interpretation. Yep. The exhibit features all these, like, incredible gowns and dresses that have been locked away for many years. Yep. And they're being reawakened.

Yeah. So, yes. Sleeping beauty, florals in some way. But it's about rebirth. It's about florals to spring.

Yeah. I think when you're somebody who's into fashion, you're like, this is a great little challenge. It sort of puts, it changes what you're able to do in a fun way. I mean, I feel like you have really grown so much as a livestream host. I mean, I don't live stream like you a part of a livestream.

Sergio Kletnoy
You're a part of live stream. You're a live stream host. But you have grown so much. Cause I remember that first year and how nervous you were. Oh.

Like, you were freaking out. I was freaking out. Well, also. No, no. This was so bad.

Emma Chamberlain
This was so bad. It wasn't bad because you actually did a really great job with all of. Your interviews, except for the most important one. Who? With Anna.

Sergio Kletnoy
Oh, you had an interview with Anna? I didn't realize. Never got posted. It was. What happened.

Emma Chamberlain
The microphone wasn't quite working. Is that the excuse? Well, it was kind of me not knowing how to use the microphone. Listen. I was, like, having a hard time switching it back and forth.

That's before we mic'd me. And then I could just hold the mic like this, which we figured out we did that immediately after. Cause we were like, I can't. Cause people just don't talk like that. Like, I'm not used to this.

Even when you're like Ryan Seacrest. Well, you needed the two mics. Or. Yeah, it was just not right. So anyway, so that was that.

We fixed that immediately after, and then everything became way better. But I was like, she is going to never have me back. Like, I was certain of it after that. And I don't. And I couldn't have blamed her because, you know, I mean, in such a.

She was the first one of the day, the very first one, because she's. The first one to arrive. She's always the first one to arrive. So it was like, it was basically doomed. But she, you know what?

She was patient. With me. Listen, most people have a very wrong idea of Anna and how she is. No, she's Anna Craigs jokes and meetings. Anna is fun.

Sergio Kletnoy
Anna has brilliant comebacks. When you say something funny, like, I have. I've had incredible experiences over my career with so many really smart, brilliant people who have taught me so much. Every single day I leave here, I feel like I've accomplished something every single day. Like, this is not bullshit.

I don't stay at jobs that I don't need, that I don't want to stay in. I don't have that fixation on, like, what will I do without this? Like, I literally come from nothing. We came to this country with two pieces of luggage. Like, if somebody takes all of this away tomorrow, I'll be fine.

I'll start all over again. However, I do appreciate, like, I am the first person who's gonna be incredibly grateful for every opportunity that comes my way. Absolutely. I get to work with someone who literally changed the face of this industry. I get to learn from this person every single day.

I get to walk into that office every day and have any conversation I want with her, and she will listen because we've established a relationship now where I contribute to what she's doing. I am of help, and I've proven myself. I would think that I've proven myself in almost six years of working here. So I greatly appreciate every single thing she brings to the table, whether I agree with my boss or not. At the end of the day, she has been doing this much longer than I have.

And for the most part, she knows better than I do. And this job is about challenges. Like, she challenges me. And I hope that in some way I challenge her when she does not know someone. And it's my job to make her and the rest of our team see why this person is important to cover, why this person is important to come to the Met, why this person is important for a feature or a cover story or video.

And I appreciate working here because I work on a level that everyone else wants to work on as far as this brand, because I come from six other brands. Like, I've been here, I've worked at so many other companies, and we always talked about what this brand does. So, like, I am grateful for this opportunity, and I work my ass off because I actually enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor. Like, her work ethic is unlike anything I've ever heard about in my life. I'll get an email at, like, 530 in the morning.

Mind you, I'm not awake at 530 in the morning. But when I look at my emails in the morning, I'm like, oh, 05:30 a.m.. Cool. I don't understand how she does it. And she's here every single day.

She comes in in the morning, she leaves in the evening. Always available. She responds to every single email I send. She's somehow at every fashion show, too. I don't know how she, she does.

It every fashion show, every big event. She cares about this brand. So, like, if my boss cares and my boss has a lot more in her play than I do, then I certainly have to step up every single time I come into the building or I get to work on any event with her. We just got to work on the Biden campaign, on this massive fundraiser, the biggest fundraiser in history at Radio City Music halls. And, you know, if you would have told me as a twelve year old kid that I'm gonna be working on this mega presidential campaign with Clinton, Obama, and Biden, with all these performers, I would have laughed in your face, because, like, it is so outside of what I know, but I get to work on this because of Anna.

Yeah. So at the end of the day, I have to, like, admire and appreciate and be grateful for these opportunities. And the Met is one of them. Like, yeah, I used to watch it, like, literally every single day. Yeah.

Sergio Kletnoy
I mean, every single day, every single year. Yep. So to be able to work on here on the Met every year now is pretty fucking cool. So fucking cool. Oh, my God.

Emma Chamberlain
This was amazing. This is it. Are we done? Are you not gonna sing? Well, I guess.

I guess. You know what? I'm gonna sing at the Met. I'm gonna sing amazing. You're the performer, so this is my big announcement.

I am the performer, so I'm putting out my first album. It's similar to Adele. Just a little bit different. Yeah, I feel like we're good. That was amazing.

That was, like, incredible. I.

what it's like to work at vogue, a talk with vogue's sergio [video]

Primary Topic

Episode Summary

Main Takeaways

Episode Chapters

1: Introduction to Sergio

2: Path to Vogue

3: Vogue and Pop Culture

4: The Met Gala

Actionable Advice

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