All About Becoming a Fashion / Wardrobe Stylist

[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.

 

[Meg]

okay I'm thinking more of styling people, not editorial shoots. or movies. And softie, how does one become a personal shopper?

 

[softgrey]

i really don't know anything about styling real people...i don't think very many real people use professional styling services...Those women who could afford it would usually come from money and probably not work full-time...so they have the time to shop for themselves...and they enjoy it...(what else have they got to do between tanning appts and hair appts and nail appts and waxing appts and surgery appts... )...and it seems that those women travel in packs...so the way to get in with them is to be one of them...find yourself an extremely wealthy husband who can get you invited to all the right places where you will meet these women and they will see your incredible fashion sense and beg you to help them shop...hahaha..

seriously though...i think there are a few women who use a stylist...anyway, it's not very fun to style people unless they have EXACTLY the same taste as you...which is very rare...otherwise...imagine if your client dressed like donatella versace but you liked audrey hepburn's style...that would be a nightmare...and they probably wouldn't be your client for very long...you know...most people think they have amazing taste...even when they look hideous...you really can't tell a client that they have bad taste...so eventually you'll just go different ways

to be a personal shopper in a dept store...you would just go and apply to human resources...find a store you like and go for it...i think you have to have a background in retail sales and a vast knowledge of the merchandise the store carries...a list of your own clients helps as well...clients you could bring to the store with you...very often a client will feel so comfortable with a salesperson that they will switch stores with them ...similar to how a client will follow a hairdresser to a new salon...

 

[Meg]

well thanks for the vast knowledge everybody. I just wanted info, and thats what I got. I think I'll stick with poli.sci. for now

 

[smashinfashion]

hey softgrey maybe you can help me with this one

i'm ordering my portfolio from brewer-cantelmo and i'm trying to decide on thickness/how many images i want to be able to hold in my book. in an ideal book, what should i have, about 10 double sided pages/20 images? more? less?

and also, i was thinking..not many people in ny have cars..so how do stylists lug all their stuff around?? taxis?

 

[softgrey]

10-15 pages sounds like a good start...just remember...quality over quanitity...
what you want to focus on is stories...you want 4-6 pages that go together to tell a story...a red story... a coat story...so work on your story ideas...

yes...we have to schlep everything around by taxi or subway...it's exhausting physical labour...my wrists are permanently messed up from carrying around too many heavy shopping bags and garment bags...not very glamorous... ...hope you're ready for it...because you will most likely be assisting for a while at first...and the assistants have it the worst...

you won't need a portfolio for that...just a good work ethic , a positive attitude and a working knowledge of the city and stores and showrooms and fashion in general...designers...etc...also ironing and steaming and being able to do minor alterations are a must...ie-hems, sleeves...etc...

hope that helps...

 

[giselakas]

I had no previous experience styling
NEver attended fashion school
Never even assisted a stylist

One day I just decided to reply to an ad posted by a photog who was looking for a stylist. Having no experience did not stop me.

From that point on I tested for months with different photogs. I finally found a great crew and stuck with them, and here I am a year and a half later with tearsheets in 7 different fashion magazines, check it out at www.abe3d.com/gc


What it takes? Talent, diligence and tenacity. Its not about luck, its about what you make of your opportunities. If you want it bad enough and work hard enough, you will get to where you want to be, guaranteed.

For a beginner stylist, standard rate is $250-300 per job. Once enstablished and signed with an agency, a stylist stands to make between $1,000-$5,000 a day for editorial work, campaigns, celeb styling, etc.

Hope this helps any of the readers thinkin about a career in styling..

 

[softgrey]

just to clear things up...NO ONE makes more than $150-$250 for an editorial job...not even gisele...

and there are about 15 stylists in the world who can command a day rate of $5000...

 

[smashinfashion]

gisela, your stuff looks great!

 

[ingenue]

our magazine usually pays $250 per project. (depending on the fame of the stylist) KINDA cheap huh?

 

[softgrey]

Originally posted by ingenue@May 28th, 2004 - 11:06 am
our magazine usually pays $250 per project. (depending on the fame of the stylist) KINDA cheap huh?

many magazines don't pay at all...especially the more independant ones...