[Scott]

you know i am totally late in the conversation of earlier posts but to weigh in with my own opinion,well i agree wholeheartedly that the emphasis on personal style's of stylists has got much too out of hand. and it's not even as personal as it once was. i think for me in so much of today's emphasis,we've lost what was so intensely personal and dynamic about a style. before when stylists would become a focal point in terms of how they expressed themselves it never took anything away from the work they did because firstly it often correlated or had a consistent vein in how they worked and secondly as mullet stated,it was never pose-y. i'm talking specifically about melanie ward,jane how and haidee findlay-levin....they had/have such dynamic,intensely personal styles that you sort of never lost that spirit of their work.

i think now,with the alts and roitfield's of the world,the focal point isn't so much about what is so personal for them but what is fashion...status. maybe too because,what they do in their work is much less interesting than the way they dress?

as far as the work,why is it we've become so obsessed with how they dress themselves as opposed to the balance? you see,i've often been interested in both. and also when you think of great stylists like a melanie ward you often see a duality...you see her incredible sense of expression and you also see her tremendous work. and with panos,specifically,on another point,i never necessarily see him as i don't always relate to how he dresses but his work is always so outstanding and inspiring.

[ponytrot]

I'm kind of in awe at the amazing discussion in this thread.

I was thinking about this issue, and I wonder to what extent this rapid interest in the personal style of stylists/editors is simply an extension of the general streetstyle trend? The Sartorialist less so, but bloggers like Garance and Tommy from Jak and Jill have definitely heightened the profile of many fashion professionals by featuring profiles on their style (ie. Garance and Anna Dello Russo), or simply by the act of naming the people photographed. It helps to create a sort of celebrity status, because now there is a name to attach to someone who dresses well, and if that person is photographed many times, its easy to develop a fan-dom about her (or him, but most often it's her).

This happened not only with actual fashion professionals but even with random girls! Ie. that girl (I honestly cannot remember her name) with the red hair and wayfarers who was featured constantly on blogs until eventually her name became known and she had a style (either on starstyle or behind the lens - can't remember which). I think this demonstrates the power of streetstyle blogs to mobilise audiences in creating a image and a market for a specific personal style.

While I very much enjoy the personal style of the more public fashion figures, Kate Lanphear, Vanessay Coyle, Giovanna Battaglia, Christine Centenera and yes - Anna Dello Russo . I am primarily interested in their work - Vanessay Coyle for example, produces beautiful eds (though on second thoughts, it is perhaps so great because its very reminiscent of her personal style...hmm), Anna is doing a fantastic job at Vogue Nippon, and Christine Centenera's editorials are by far some of the best in the Australian fashion industry.

I've always myself, been more interested in the actual creative products and less in the style of the creator - I think Alaia is a genius for example, but I could not care less how he dressed, and for that matter, I appreciate my favourite stylists and editors for their work first and foremost before considering their style. However I think that personal style (in the voyeuristic streetstyle sense) is perhaps one way for the public to short-circut the creative process, instead of:

audience --> product (ie. editorial) --> analysis of style elements and inspiration.

you get:

audience --> style elements in a digestable form (streetstyle).

which seems more emulatable (is that a word? ).

I think though that overall it undermines the point of the behind the scenes forum, expecially when a thread is filled solely with streetstyle and speculation rather than showcasing work. I don't think its entirely the audience who is responsible though, imo its a combination of the actual person and the way they have presented themselves, blogger/public coverage, and of course the general trend towards streetstyle.

Barbara Martelo is an interesting example, despite already having a large body of (pretty high quality) work, she came into prominence a couple of seasons ago as an..."Emmanuelle Clone" ( to put it frankly). Her streetstyle, with the OTT amounts of Balmain has kept her relevant and in the public/blogger eye, and that is why 90% of her thread is just streetstyle. However when you look at her website, she has a huge amount of editorials and work that never gets posted and seemingly no one is interested in.

Martelo, to me is an example of:

person portrayal + blogger attention --> setting agenda for public perception, and hence the direction of her thread.

[ponytrot]

ETA:

ah, did some digging, the girl I was talking about is Louise Ebel, and who has this thread:

http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f71...lam-77506.html

as Berlinrocks points out (in the thread) it may as well be in starstyle, because there is close to zilch examples of her work either on the thread or anywhere else.

[Manuva]

I'm so glad I found this thread, because this is something I have been thinking a lot about recently. Going back to Panos Yiapanis as an example I'm sure alot of you have read his interview in Industrie magazine, and he makes some very interesting points. Especially considering he is a stylist at the top of his game, and he too can recognise the problems with alot of other stylists.

This quote in particular stood out to me:

"The idea that stylists have assumed this position where what they wear to Fashion Week is more important than their work is kind of comical. I hope that changes."

I still believe the majority of stylists are known more for their work than their personal style (I can't remember ever seeing a style snap of M.A Sauve), it just so happens that the ones who are known for their personal style happen to be among the most powerful.

In the case of VP in particular I think it's been going down hill for years now, and maybe that's because we, the consumer are so aware of the stylists own personal style influencing editorials that the magazine seems to have become sloppy. Every new issue just seems to be a rehash of the last issue.


scanned by frachini

[nyc_art_style]

Quote:

Ohne Titel Skips The Models, Shoots The Insiders June 16, 2010 1:17 pm When it comes to advertising campaigns, what you say is (almost) as important as the magazines, billboards, and street corners where you say it. So when Flora Gill and Alexa Adams set out to shoot a campaign for their label, Ohne Titel, they skipped the usual mags (the shots will run primarily on their Web site) and the usual models, tapping Visionaire’s Cecilia Dean, L.A. boutique owner Zainab Sumu, and Interview’s Christopher Bollen for posing duties. “Instead of having a celebrity for the sake of name value, or use a model solely for her looks, we wanted to have people who we could connect with our brand because they’re doing something groundbreaking or unusual,” says Adams. (They’re just the latest groundbreakers to sit for the label—a previous campaign featured the Boston socialite and eccentric Marilyn Riseman and artist Tauba Auerbach.) Adams describes the new shots, lensed on location at the Eldridge on the Lower East Side, as having a “dated glamour.” And as for the models, they had plenty of praise for their outfitters, too. Dean (who posed sans extensions, by the way!) called the collection “creative, sexy, a little hard, very functional and versatile—not an easy combination.” —Marcus Chang

style.com

[XxXRedRubYXxX]

I think it's said best in this quote abut Camille Bidault Waddington in relation to alot of stylist today..

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheneveriwakeup I find Camille's work a bit irrelevant. It isn't horrid by any means but her overall 'coolness' seems to be derived from her personal life rather than her work as a stylist which in turn inflates the true nature of the work at hand. She is like Sofia Coppola in that respect, imo. Completely dire but not horrible in the least as an auteur, but her personal style and innate coolness elevates her otherwise lackluster work into a realm of unwarranted sublimation.

[nyc_art_style]

Quote:

Anna Dello Russo T-Shirts Sold Out in a Day on Yoox.comYesterday, a new collection of T-shirts bearing pictures of Anna Dello Russo wearing her top ten outfits over the years went on sale on yoox.com. The tees, which are pretty great, have already sold out! Yoox is unsure whether they will restock. [Yoox.com]

the cut blog

I'm not sure what surprises me more. That Anna Dello Russo has a t-shirt, or that it sold out in a day.

I knew that editors were becoming celebrities of sorts. However the rate at which editors are becoming famous is startling. Movies, TV shows, and now t-shirts? Not even models get this much attention anymore. What's next?

[Fiercification]

I do think that a stylist loses their mystery once they become as public as Carine and Emanuelle...however I don't know that they personally can be blamed for that. With the rise of style documentation, mainly blogging I'm sure they are just taking advantage of this new status that has been given to them and why not?

I personally prefer the work of stylists like Grace Coddington, Karl Templer, Alex White, Edward Enninful, Marie-Amelie Sauve etc. What's funny is that we rarely see style snaps of them out and about at Fashion Week (although they are definitely there). There is a real diversity and variety in the pieces they choose in their work although there is still a nice little signature that makes it recognisable. Personally I find it exciting when a stylist puts together looks for a story that are far removed from their own personal style IRL. In particular I know that Grace only wears black and I think this does wonders for her work because you can seperate the person from what they do...you can still admire them as people but the work comes first and foremost.

What I find tiring about Vogue Paris is that there is predictability...I never get this feeling of fantasy or imagination when I look at the latest I&V/Emanuelle ed...it always feels too connected to their own personal style as Panos mentions and becomes less exciting than what it should be. It'll be interesting to see whose work remains interesting and unpredictable as technology and our knowledge of insiders increases.

[BerlinRocks]

Quote:

I'm not sure what surprises me more. That Anna Dello Russo has a t-shirt, or that it sold out in a day.

We don't know how many tshirts they produce ...
Probably 1,000 samples ... that's basic fashion business ... Produce small amount, so the product is gonna be quickly sold out, and then people who didn't get it / were hesitating to get it will get it, since the "sold out" makes people crave for the item in question !

But, geez ....
I never thought this phenomena will go that far ... that more and more streetblogger-styehunter will mostly focus on them, that an entire magazine will be dedicated to "insiders" etc.

Fashion 2.0 is sometimes sick !
Don't go that fast ... Take your time !

[style_expert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiercification I do think that a stylist loses their mystery once they become as public as Carine and Emanuelle...however I don't know that they personally can be blamed for that. With the rise of style documentation, mainly blogging I'm sure they are just taking advantage of this new status that has been given to them and why not?

Well if you change your outfits 3 times a day during the shows and willingly pose for every photographer there is, I think it's a choice they personally make. They don't HAVE to do that. Emanuelle doesn't have to wear the latest Balmain collection before anyone else, in a way it's a cry for attention as well because she knows she's going to get photographed.
It seems to me they're all concious decisions.

Anna dello Russo must be the stylist who has taken the most advantage of the whole style blogging/ street photography thing. Which is probably why I have no clue what her styling work looks like. In fact, I have no clue what she's doing altogether. Her ridiculous (if I may say so) fashion circus overshadows her work entirely.

[mikeijames]

the world of fashion remains one of the most curious of niche subcultures in this entire world. in no other industry would its adherents decry the publicity the game-changers in their field receive. intellectuals, athletes, artists, lawyers, doctors, politicians. the world worships at the altar of celebrity and public recognition not only stands as a great measuring stick of one's success, but one of the ways one can expand their work and grow their influence.

i would never have glanced at a vogue nippon without anna dello russo. and i wouldn't miss an issue of american vogue for fear of missing a grace coddington fantasy. and should a seat come open at another fashion tome, t magazine, for example, you better believe that the relative star quality of second-tier editors, sally singer, for example, may play a role in clinching that new job.

[softgrey]

i have always been curious about what fashion editors and stylists wear...
and i still am...
i would really like to see what they are wearing when there isn't a camera pointing at them too...
like...market editors who run from appt to appt all day for work...
they cannot be sporting those sky high platforms in regular life that they all wear for shows...

THAT would be really intersting to see...imo...

and i would rather see what THEY are wearing than the MODELS or ACTRESSES that they dress...
so i am OK with it...

*even though it does get weird when someone isn't a very good stylist or barely has any experience, etc...
and they get so much attention and people who are SUPER talented don't get recognized because they choose to stay humble and in the shadows...

so- i like knowing what the most stylish people are wearing...
but i am not so interested in the 'attention-whore' behaviour of some folks...


imho
confidence is sexy...but humility is sexier...

[Fiercification]

I thought this was quite interesting.

Anna Della Russo's Top 10 Front Row Rules,

Quote:

" During the fashion week I have my rules to follow and I'm going to tell my top ten list for the FRONT-ROW " 1) YOU MUST WEAR OUTFIT ONCE. 2) WEAR GOOD SHOES. DON'T BOTHER WITH A BAG CAUSE WHEN YOU PUT IT ON THE FLOOR IT COULD BE ANYONE. 3) WEAR COAT AS A DRESS. ONE-SHOT IS BETTER. 4) DON'T WEAR SUNGLASSES, IF YOU NOT ARE VIP (VERY VERY IMPORTANT PERSON). IT'S IMPOLITE. 5) SOMEBODY WEARING YOUR SAME OUTFIT? WONDERFUL, YOU DID THE RIGHT CHOISE! 6) FLASHY JEWELS PERSONALIZE YOUR STYLE. 7) NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE EXCESS! 8) DON'T PEEK INTO THE CLIPBOARD OF WHO IS SITTING NEXT. 9) DON'T SAY HELLO SHOWILY AND WARMLY AT WHO IS IN FRONT OF YOU. 10) SHARE YOUR LOVE FOR THE SHOW ON TWITTER AS MUCH YOU CAN.

And then her Top 10 "Quotes" on Style & Fashion,

Quote:

1) If there is harmony between ITSELF and his own BODY, a STYLE will born. 2) When you don't feel to dress means that you are depressed. You need a FASHION SHOWER. 3) If you like to be relaxed, you will never get the LOOK. Fashion is always UNCOMFORTABLE! 4) NO matter the size of your body! FASHION to flatter every figure 5) Wear just NIGHT-CLOTHES in daytime. It is UNEXPECTED! 6) Color me! ACCESSORIZE me! shock me! 7) FASHION is such stuff as DREAMS are made on... 8) Fashion is a MUSE, you must seduce her. 9) Shall we dance? take your MUSE to dance, fashion loves music. 10) So between FASHION and STYLE? Absolutely FASHION... is less pretentious, is authentic. FASHION is declaration of own freedom.

annadellarusso.com via shrubrub @ fashin

[Meg]

In some ways, I find the gravitation towards stylists by designers not that surprising. Designers now have additional platforms to get their views/looks/clothing out there. Not only literally as in the ad campaigns above, but with all the street style and fashion blogging designers now basically have a free way to get their work in front of their ideal, fashion loving audience. I mean, it's only going to be those who really enjoy/love fashion who read street style or fashion blogs and look at what these stylists/behind the lens people are wearing. Plus, by further developing the relationship they get their clothes into magazines more by fashioning the 'stylist as muse' which is exactly what we saw happen at Vogue Paris with brands like Balmain.

On the one hand, I like to see people be adventurous with the way they dress and see how runway pieces or vintage or whatever are worn in real life but the problem is when it blends into a kind of 'meta-stylist' style - i mean, everyone in this thread knows what the 'Vogue Paris' style is. Like softie, I would prefer to see what people really wear everyday, not just during show season.

[jeremydante]

this one is simple; their personal style is their work. those two focus cross paths too often to even both seperating them.