All About Becoming a Fashion / Wardrobe Stylist

[fashionrage]

i look forward to seeing them smashin.

my biggest problem when i test is finding a photographer that will have my vision. i decided to stick to photographers who are more eccentric like myself.

[Lena]

I've done styling for major fashion magazines, tv spots & fashion catalogs. I've also designed costumes for dance groups and i've done wardrobe design for the cinema. When i started this, there was no need for a formal education in order to be a stylist, you just needed some cool style of your own and to know people around (my first jobs were for the biggest models agency, they actually asked me to be a stylist and i was like.. what does a stylist do? i was so clueless)

In between i did design & history of costume studies so that helped me develop.
Tip: styling is quite a hard job that can get quite boring with time..

Currently i'm fashion consultant for a huge fabric manufacturing factory that exports for H&M, Top Shop, Zara, etc. It's fun, i love this. I also consult two young designers and two boutiques

Regarding photographers, try to ask collaborations with photography students and get models for free, just by contacting local agencies for new faces (they always need some new looks for their books )
Doing your own photography is clever, but it might create few practical problems once you try to do both for fashion magazines.. photographers might end up hating you if you do both.. since they might take this as if you are 'stealing their post' you understand what i mean right ?

good luck to all, feel free to ask me for any tips etc,

[kate]

I never knew there were so many on this board! Well silly me..this is The "Fashion" Spot. Anyway, this is all very interesting. Thanks to you all for sharing and I am looking forward to hearing more about your careers.

[purplelucrezia]

Lena- your job sounds absolutely fascinating! I would love to do something like that. Also, I do have a knowledge of historic costume and some experience in that field. (I have worked as a docent in a historic house, have participated in several historic reenactment activities and often research historic costumes in my free time.) Although I am only beginning, I have already had several people at my university recommend me to the costume design field. Next year, I plan on taking the historical costume course in my school's theatre department. Also, one of my dreams is to work for Zara one day. A job like yours sounds ideal for me and may even become my future field. I hope so anyway!

[TrailerCouture]

wow lena you have the coolest job in the world!!! Ive always dreamed of styling photo shoots for editoral lay outs or runway shows! I think style is something you are born with and cant necessarily aquire it from formal education, either you have it or you dont!

[Lena]

Originally posted by TrailerCouture@Dec 19th, 2003 - 9:47 am
I think style is something you are born with and cant necessarily aquire it from formal education, either you have it or you dont!

absolutely

purplelucrezia, Zara is constantly looking for new people to work on their windows or as buyers (i even thought of applying for a buyers position in Zara myself at some point) it could be quite cool working with them.

wishing good luck to all future stylists out there

[fashionrage]

i aspire to become a buyer or even an asst. buyer, but i know that is some ways off. any advice on what my next step should be after building a strong portfolio?

[Lena]

i'd say try interning for a while, to see if you really need to take a course, buying is a very important section but i'm not sure one can do this without a degree

still you've got nothing to lose trying intering or assisting, you might be real good
and move on straight up, these things happen too you know... if one is real gifted

good luck, give it a try, got nothing to lose right?

[fashionrage]

thanks Lena -- I actually do have a degree, but I have been working as a graphic designer and web developer before, during and after college. but i take any assisting opportunity i can find lately. its just very hard because i also work full time - and i HAVE to work fulltime.

[Meg]

I put this in supporting cast because I think stylists are behind the scenes people as well. Anyway after watching TLC's Faking It (where are girl from Ohio had to become a fashion stylist) I'm all revved up and I asked softie and she suggested a topic (like a month ago) and I forgot to post so here I am now.

I know with all the different types of people that hopefully someone can answer my question. I've often considered becoming a stylist and I was just wondering what one takes at school (would one go to Parson's or a fashion design school?) or if one just immediately goes into being a stylist asst. what all a stylist is responsible for, how to become a stylist for a person versus a stylist for a movie versus a stylist for a magazine shoot.

Any ideas, thoughts, (base salaries?! eek I dare to think how low they could be ) would help me tremendously!!

[wyatt.]

i have a friend who's a stylist and she started when she like 13. and because of lack of funding she dressed herself with whatever she could find and a photographer or art director approached her and gave her 1,000 dollars for a shoot to go buy clothes and the price just went up and up and now she's the stylist for a bunch of bands like the foo fighters etc.

maybe you'd take like fashion merchandising?

[wyatt.]

i guess i never really made my point. point blank.

she got up there by sheer dumb luck.


encouging huh?

[softgrey]

someday i'll have enough energy to aswer this...

but luck has a lot to do with it... ...and you really need to be based in a city where there is work available...

are you sure you want to know the truth...it's really not pretty...it's hard work...and very competative...

i think being a personal shopper at a store like barney's is probably more fun...and that pays surprisingly well...i think... ...those girls love their jobs and get to work with all the celebs and all their stylists on all kinds of projects, from tv shows to ad campaigns and personal wardrobes...

more later...

[softgrey]

and of course it's in the right section...editors/stylists are the ones who come up with most of the ideas that you see in the magazines...along with the photographers...everyone takes direction from them...at least on an editorial shoot...that is...a fashion story for a fashion magazine...

they select the models, the hair and make up team, the locations and very often ...the photographer...as well as all the clothes...

oh yeah...and then...depending on their realtionship with the photographer and the mag...they may even have a say in the final edit of the film and what image gets selected to be published...as well as making recommendations for re-touching...if necessary

[ingenue]

to be a stylist? you can start apprenticing for magazines-- like for fashion editors. theyd ask you to go along and help out with fashion editorial spreads where there are stylists.
its a very glamorous SOUNDING job but its not something id like to do. ive done it on certain occasions for fashion magazines here, but NOT for celebs.
to be stylist for a magazine:
1. you coordinate with the editor as to what kind of look they want the editorial fashion pages to evoke
2. you coordinate with photog as to composition of the photos and where they will be shot so you have an idea what clothes to use with what accessories
3. unlike the US which i assume gives the stuff to the magazines, here in asia, you need to have your magazine write authorization letters to "pull- out" products for the shoot and likewise be responsible for their condition and whereabouts.
4. you have to return everything afterward to each store

its a lot of hassle although resulting spreads on the mag would be great. you need to have rapport with your fotog as well. if you dont have that w your photog and model, the result? flat photos bec subject looks lifeless. it has happened a lot of times.

as for being a celeb stylist, well you get to basically befriend a lot of personal shoppers to give you the heads up on the latest stuff coming into their stores.

it takes a lot of work although yes it is very rewarding financially, not to mention the perks of being one.

hope that helps.