Saturday, 24 January 2015
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Fashion Stylist
Fashion styling is a fundamental element in Fashion communication. Not only do stylists help shape the image of the most stylish celebrities, they also provide direction to buyers, merchandisers and sometimes even designers. Their main role is to select clothing, shoes & accessories for clients but more successful ones will also organise fashion events and write articles about latest trends.
There are three main areas that
fashion stylists work in- Editorial/photo shoots, brand consultancy &
celebrity styling.
Editorial
In Editorial styling, the
stylist will choose the clothing, accessories and the overall aesthetic of the
shoot- they might even have some say in the photographer, hair & makeup
team etc. In a magazine shoot, the art director will give some direction for
the theme and what brands should be featured. Once the concept is finalized,
the stylist will pull the clothing. You never know what will work on camera and
what won’t so they will always pull more outfits than they need. For example,
if a spread is to have 5 outfits, then there should be at least 10 outfits so
there’s plenty of options. The stylist will browse through lookbooks, contact
PR’s and sometimes pull directly from stores. A lookbook is just to show what
the designers have put on the catwalk for the particular season, so sometimes
they’ll just look at the Vogue website for ease. Stylists will also contact PR
agencies and either ask for any items that are relevant to the shoot concept or
visit the showroom and have a browse. If they pull directly from the store then
they’ll visit the store and choose the item, then either leave a deposit or pay
for the item and then be refunded when the item is returned. On the day of the
shoot, it’s essential that the garments are photo-ready (ironed, clean, etc.) The
stylist is responsible for choosing the outfits the model wears and also how
the outfit is arranged on the model.
Brand Consultancy
Some fashion brands will hire a
stylist throughout the whole design process, however most will bring one in
when most of the collection has been designed but they need someone to help
bring it all together. If the stylist is involved throughout the whole process,
then they will attend some design meetings where they’ll be shown research, ideas
& sketches. Some will even bring their own ideas. Emmanuelle Alt was
brought in by Balmain to style their shows however she didn’t have any input
into the designs.
Celebrity Styling
Celebrity stylists will assist
in a variety of scenarios including red carpet events. Their main job is to
make their clients look good- taking into account fashion image, hair &
makeup, daily clothing and formal wardrobe. Many will have some sort of
background in fashion design and also hair styling and makeup artistry. When it
comes to everyday clothing, some celebrities will use their stylist as a
consultant, whereas others prefer them to select their whole wardrobe for them.
Their main concern is to make their clients look fashionable and to set new
trends. A lot of the time, they will customize items to suit the ‘look’ of the
celebrity. Many celeb stylists will receive free products & couture samples
to use on their clients as it makes excellent advertising to have a well-known
celebrity photographed in your product. Being a celebrity stylist does have its
downsides though, celebs can act unappreciative or be emotionally exhausting.
Some are as famous as their clients, i.e. Rachel Zoe, however most will always
stay out of the limelight and won’t get credit for their ideas.
Patricia Field is one of the
most renowned fashion stylists having worked on hugely successful titles
including Ugly Betty and The Devil Wears Prada, both of which she
won awards for. Field is perhaps best known for her work on the Sex & The City and has even been
credited with inventing 21st century New York City style.
Fashion stylist is a very
coveted job title, however it isn’t an easy sector of the industry to get into.
Paloma Faith’s stylist, Karl Willett stresses that experience and interning is
the most important factor however there are other skills which all add up to
success. It’s essential that you have passion, an eye for detail, keep up to
date with the latest trends, are familiar with a wide range of brands, know how
to conceal body imperfections, be able to use accessories & props to your
advantage, understand body & face shapes, have patience, think creatively
& innovatively, be well organised, able to work to a schedule,
self-motivated, be an overall nice person, work long & demanding hours, do
boring but necessary tasks, be willing to learn from other stylists, have a
well presented portfolio & professional looking website and be willing to
work for buttons in the beginning.
It may be hard work but it’s definitely
worth it. With many perks of the job, including travelling the world and
meeting celebrities, it won’t be a job just to pay the bills!
Friday, 29 August 2014
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
1950s Greasers
THE GREASERS
The Greasers were a 1950s youth sub-culture, mainly in the working-class neighbourhoods of North America. They loved hot-rod cars, Rock and Roll and Doo Wop music. The name 'greaser' came from their greased-back hairstyle which was inspired by James Dean, one of the main influences of the greasers (along with Marlon Brando). In the UK, the equivalent of these 'dirty trouble makers' were the Rockers who were pretty much the same except they loved motorbikes rather than cars.
MUSIC
Rockabilly and Doo Wop music was what the Greasers listened to. Stars of the music scene were Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Danny and the Juniors, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran and Dion and the Belmonts.
FILMS
Popular movies included:
- The Wild One, 1953
- Rebel Without a Cause, 1955
- Love Me Tender, 1956
- Jailhouse Rock, 1957
PLACES
Greasers were out constantly out whether it be with their friends or on dates. Popular hangouts were malt shops and diners similar to the one on Grease (1978). Drive-in's are also iconic of the greaser culture.
FASHION
In retrospective, the greaser look is probably the most iconic style of the 1950s. Black/white T-shirts with the sleeves rolled up, leather jacket and either boots or converse all stars were the uniform. Greasers' wardrobes would also consist of blue jeans, flannel shirts and denim jackets. They slicked their hair back with wax and styled it into the pompodour or duck's tail.Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Sixties Dress
Then, I cut out the strips of felt and pinned them into place before sewing them on with the machine across the straight edge. The scalloped edges were sewn on using embroidery thread to make them stand out. The daisies were also sewn on with embroidery thread round the edge of the petals.
My inspiration
My dress would have been worn in the mid-sixties. I chose to base my dress mainly on mid-sixties fashion because I think the clothes of this part of the decade were very fun and youthful, more so than the early or late sixties. I think if I was around in this time, I would have dressed like a mod because I love how they just played around with fashion and were experimental with shapes and materials. Unconventional materials like PVC and plastic became popular in the sixties because it was new and exciting as it hadn't been available during the war. Paco Rabanne used metal discs in his iconic dress of 1967.
Daisies were a key feature in a lot of Mary Quant's dresses, even her logo was just a simple daisy. I decided to make the daisies the main aspect of my garment with the scalloped strips just to separate the top row of daisies from the bottom.
Psychadelia was a massive trend which stemmed from the use of hallucigenic drugs like LSD and acid. Psychadelic colours are an iconic part of 60s fashion. My garment features vivid colours that clash with each other- orange, pink, yellow and green.Tuesday, 21 January 2014
1920s Fashion
The 1920s was a time of independence and freedom for women in terms of fashion. Hemlines rose and
silhouettes were baggy and almost boyish. It was known as the 'Jazz Age' and the time of the Flappers. Flappers were young women who, at the time, were not typical. They smoked, danced, drank alcohol- all things that were frowned upon for women. The dresses they wore were a lot more comfortable and allowed them to move more freely, this was important as the dances of the twenties were very energetic and lively.
The boyish look of the Flapper was kickstarted by Coco Chanel, who by 1920 was already a huge fashion leader. Chanel introduced the loose, jersey fabric into mainstream fashion which made everyday clothing more comfortable and easy to wear. The typical evening flapper dress was very opulent and heavily embellished with beads, feathers and often they would also have tassles which looked amazing when these women would dance. Waistlines dropped to around the hip which created the boyish figure. Short hair was the uniform for flappers and they would often wear a little hat or a headband to match their dress.
The Original It Girl, Clara Bow, was a huge film star of the 1920s. She is a perfect example of the flapper, with her wavy bob, thinner than thin eyebrows and cupids bow lips.
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