Styling Editorials vs Styling Celebs

[softgrey]

this is a question to all the PROFESSIONAL STYLISTS out there...

which do you prefer...
styling an editorial layout with a model.models...?
OR
styling celebs/real people..either for a magazine layout or an event..?
OR
would you rather be a costume designer for a TV show/Film...?


and WHY???...especially WHY.....

discuss...

 

[ChrissyM]

ooo great topic!

I'm no stylist but I would love to hear people's responses...

 

[BetteT]

Well ... here's my take on it.

First of all, I havn't done any major celebs so I'm just stating what I think I know.

I don't really want to get into "celebrity" styling for events and such ... like Rachel Zoe .... because I don't crave notoriety for anything other than my work and I don't want to be on call 24/7. I have a life beyond my work and I like to control when I work.

However, the minor celebs that I've worked with have been gracious and thankful for my help so those experiences have been good so far. I don't know if that changes when the celebrity becomes more famous, but I suspect it does. Most of the stuff I've done for them is either for their promotional stuff or for a magazine or web site. Not much event work ... just a smattering.

I love print and I love working with good pro models, who know their job, do it well and don't try to do mine. I don't care if it's an editorial or a catalog shoot. Things just go so smoothly and fast with skilled models. These are my favorite people.

But every now and then, usually with a rookie model, I get attitude and I'd like to smack them upside the head!

I'm not looking to get into films. The film industry is a different world and it usually means knowing someone to hire you to even get enough hours to get into the union. And then the work can be long hours and weeks away on location. Not something that I want to do, right now.

And I also like personal consultations ... they don't pay nearly as well, but the client is usually wanting to learn more about how to make themselves look better and it's just fun for me. I get wonderful feedback from those clients and it makes me feel like I've done something nice for them.

I guess you'd say I'm a sucker for a kind word and some appreciation.

 

[Xone]

hey softgrey...nice thread....i prefer of course working on editorial/catalog with models,models,models, lol....i worked with celebrities here in my country but its too much attitude and ego so i dot like handle with that....i prefer an unknown woman who could bring such energy and emotion to the pics and not someone who is caring only for her best side,bla,bla,bla...i think i could say more with a model....but softgrey it would b nice to know your answer as well...lol...

 

[*Happiness*]

this is a question to all the PROFESSIONAL STYLISTS out there...

which do you prefer...
styling an editorial layout with a model.models...?
OR
styling celebs/real people..either for a magazine layout or an event..?
OR
would you rather be a costume designer for a TV show/Film...?


and WHY???...especially WHY.....

discuss...

What a great topic SF!

My favorite is to costume design/wardrobe style for film. I am attracted to the entire creative process of taking words from a script and creating/collaborating with the director/production designer/art director to come up with the visual style of the film. It's fun and it's a lots of hard work.

I've worked with and for stylists who only style celebrities and for some reason or another it just didn't work well with me. I felt a void...like I was just pulling clothing, shopping, etc but the work really wasn't going anywhere (big screen/televsion). I've worked on editorials with models and celebs and the same thing....I just feel like working on films my work is eternal and there is a specific message being conveyed through the movie and my costume design speaks without saying a word!

 

[softgrey]

the answer is pretty easy- the WHY is a bit more complicated...
but basically what you said Xone
- i would prefer editorial ANY day...

i am just wondering really why ANYONE would actually prefer doing celebs???
i mean...is it just for the publicity...?
do celeb stylists really want to BE celebs themselves...
or do they just like hangin out with celebs, hoping some of that star status will rub off on them?...
i really want to know...
:huh...
of course there are SOME celebs i'd love to meet and work with...
but most...

as far as movies/tv..
it really depends on the subject matter...
it's still celebs and they and the director really have the final say- so i would just feel like the wardrobe mistress/personal shoppper/seamstress....
which doesn't appeal to my creative side...
...
but there are certain directors whose vision i share and would love to work for...

 

[LESider]

I'm a photographer and my girlfriend is a stylist and it seems that styling celebs is now a must for most stylists, (unless you have come up from under Grace Coddington then you can go the fashion route) even B list celebs give you more credibility with the PR firms/showrooms than the smaller cooler editorials. I'm really speaking about celebs in the editorial sense not about events. In dealing with celebs you also have a much more tenacious relationship going with the talents PR and management and the magazines. One slip up in their "opinion" always gets back to the client/magazine and you are most likely looking at an ex-client. We were having a discussion about it this morning a photographer my girlfriend was working with had equipment problems that were out of his hands and he was taking care of it as quickly as possible but there was a phone call from someone to the producer for the magazine and now things are tense.

I also don't see why a few people here seem to think that if you style celebs your on call 24/7, far from it, they have to book out your time just like any other client and the dealings with PR/showrooms is definatly easier then for editorial in that you are only looking for one look for an event you aren't telling a story there is a huge work load difference for a very good rate.
In this day and age if you dealing with fashion odds are you are dealing with celebs, my girlfriend has no problem with this but it drives me crazy.

Sorry if I went too far off the questions or am out of line since I'm not a stylist (though I live with one)

 

[BetteT]

Just so you know, when I said being on call 24/7 I was not talking about editorial photoshoots. I was speaking about personal wardrobe styling and becoming part of the celeb's personal entourage.

Yes, especially in L.A. .... I agree that even minor clebs do open "fashion" doors for us (stylists) that a lot of magazines don't. We have become a celebrity driven industry and it's no longer about the fashion.

What I don't care for when you are shooting a celeb, you have a publicist and other people in tow, all who seem to have an opinion about how to project the "proper" image for the celebrity. It's just not as pure as a real pro model just doing his/her job and making the fashion the star.

I prefer models to celebs in most cases but am aware that I must work with celebs often. It's a sign of the times.

 

[Xone]

yeah soft...i also would love to work with certain celebs but mostly dont...i liek to work not to worried to less important things....all the reasons u mentioned about why working with a celeb are true and the sad part is sometime the celeb work leads you to get another jobs...such a crazy world!!!...

 

[Xone]

soft...i posted some work like a month ago...did u check???...saturday ill get publish another one....yeahh!!

 

[softgrey]

hi LESider...and welcome......

i guess the difference between styling a celeb and styling editorial is creativity...

if that is not a big concern for you as a stylist..and you are happy to be someone's personal shopper...and enjoy that whole atmosphere...then i guess that's cool...
but that just isn't why i started doing this...

i WANT to tell stories...
i don't consider that EXTRA work...i consider it the entire POINT for doing the work...
otherwise i just don't see the point...i have never done this for the money...
and good thing too- cause it's VERY hard to get rich being a stylist...
...

having celebs in your book definitely does impress some potential clients...
but working as a 'personal stylist'-meaning EVENTS...doesn't even GO in your book...and it DOES get tricky- they do start blurring the line between personal and professional...and then it's gets tricky when you send them the bill...they take forever to pay because, as you may know, celebs are the CHEAPEST bastards out there......

 

[ultramarine]

EDITORIALS of course! Im a control freak .. do you have any idea of how much stress wud be working with those HUGE egos and hacing to struggle not only with the CELEB, as well with the PUBLICIST, AGENT, MOMAGER et al ... I know this seems like a no brainer but the real reason why I personally wudnt do it is simple CONTROL .. Im a control freak ... I want MY ideas on paper ... its MY concept, I came up with it ...

On a side note .. Im starting to feel drawn to styling for movies .. mabe because I see all the wrong stuff on the movie wardrobes ... like that girl who wins Oscars every year (whats her name? Colette something?) ... sometimes she kinda gets it ... but still is not enough for me ... she totally missed it with Memoirs of a geisha, and even on TV I find myself noticing more and more what people wear ... its like whenever you'd see a Will&Grace episode you could def. tell accesories, and clothes in a heartbeat!
I kinda like what's being done in the BONES tv series ... its very democratic and nice ...

 

[Cindus]

No doubt, editorials! You can get the look that you want, the models don't argue or have special items that they don't want to wear. And there's so much more space for creativity.
Most celebs look at the tag before they look at the clothes - and if it's something they don't know, they don't like it!

But bands / musicians can be really fun, a lot of them have a look but you still get a lot of freedom.

 

[Lena]

i do celebrities , like actresses, actors mainly but its just for the cover stories of the mags i work for.. not for 'events' etc

i'm really uncomfortable with celebrity styling and quite over editorial jobs as well..

sorry but to me, styling is just another 'regular/commercial' job
i'm certainly doing this for money, not at all for 'fame', there have been times when i need to style totally un-stylish but very commercial/succesful names, when i'd much prefer to work using a 'fake name'and not my own