FM 228 Chapter 1

Fashion Styling:

The process of orchestrating clothing and other fashion products to be photographed, filmed, presented, or worn

• teaches consumers how to dress according to their lifestyle

Effective Image:

 An image that successfully conveys the client’s message to the target audience

Client

the person or company that hires the stylist

Fashion stylist:

• the person whose job involves using clothing and accessories to help create an effective image that successfully conveys the client’s message to the audience

• Skilled in choosing the right type of clothing – personality type, send a message, enhance reputation, reference a certain era, advocate for a cause, or incorporate important current or up-and-coming trends

Pulls

An item that a stylist has borrowed from a retailer, showroom, designer, or public relations agency through a special arrangement, also the process of pulling

Credit

information that is published alongside editorial images to help a viewer identify all of the merchandise visible in an image

Fashion Calendar:

An official schedule of fashion shows and presentations for buyers, press, and select clients and celebrities which takes place across Western Europe and the United States but includes designers from all over the world

•  Dictates what clothes are available and when

Fashion Weeks:

An series of events across a period of time taking place in a particular city, during which designers show their collections – New York, London, Milan, and Paris (held twice a year in this order)

Ready-to-wear (RTW):

Referring to clothing that is manufactured according to standard sizes and is sold in a store

• not unique

• not high fashion

couture 

• still to one individual client and is not mass produced 

• brands are careful on what is produced 

Market Week:

Held the week after Fashion Week when buyers place their orders for upcoming seasons

Brief history of fashion styling

• when the world began to modernize and clothing became more accessible, the style influence shifted

• fashion magazines began to increase in popularity

• first fashion stylist was named in 1980s

• by 1990s, fashion stylist popularized and started becoming more of a demand as fashion designers felt more need to produce faster

• as paparazzi becamse more intense for celebrities, they started demanding more fashion stylist to ensure they were always lookign their best no mater what

the first named fashion stylist

Ray Petri in 1980s

• Known for Buffalo style (mix of urban uniform, ethnic dress, sportswear, highend fashion) 

• used real people to style instead of models 

• contributed to The Face magazine and worked with Jean Paul Gaultier and Giorgio Armani 

4 Areas of styling 

1. print (magazines and commercial)

2. entertainment industry ( costume and wardrobe)

3. image management (celebrity, personal shopping, image consultant)

4. Other (off-figure, runway, food)

Editorial Styling

• Helping create images that are considered editorial because they are informational or artistic in nature and not intended to promote a product, service, or person for the purpose of making money

•   Magazines are informational or for the artistic nature and therefore do not have to be considered wearable by the average person

• Stylist are responsible for the clothing and accessories as well as the information about their items

• Considered prestigious because of the artistry involves

• The downsides to these shoots is that there are tight budgets and timeframes

• The pay for this type of work is very low and maybe even nonexistent

Commercial Styling

• Styling that involves the creation of promotional images meant to sell, market, or publicize

• Examples: advertisement, catalogs, lookbooks, e-commerce sites, and corporate social media platforms

• Commercial styling pays well so most editorial stylist are happy to take commercial jobs

Celebrity Styling

• A type of styling that involves creating looks for celebrities to wear while interacting in the real world

• The client is often a movie studio, production company, or record company

• Celebrity styling can become difficult because they are all different shapes and sizes

• Celebrity stylist often closely with fashion designers to customize clothing and negotiate exclusive access to runway looks

Personal styling

• Stylist who help their clientele build and manage wardrobes, dress for events, and pack for trips. Their work is similar to celebrity styling but their clients typically aren’t famous

• Also called: image managers or personal shoppers

• Must have understanding of body shape, silhouette, construction, color, fabric, fit, and even how daylight and cameras affect clothing

Runway styling

• Involves consulting with a design house on how to best present its collection during fashion show or presentation

• creative consultant

creative consultant

stylist who works primarily for one designer, making creative choices across the creation of a collection

Understanding the Fashion calendar 

• 2 major ready-to-war seasons are Spring/Summer and Autumn/winter

• The S/S collections in the fall (NYFW starts early September; Paris wraps in early October)

•  F/W shows are in the spring (NYFW starts in February; Paris wraps in March)

• The timing is based on production

• There are other fashion weeks about every week across the globe

Other major runways

• Miami swim week

• NY bridal Fashion Week

• Men’s Fashion week

Style Inspiration

• art, cinema, culture, history, economic value, technology

Inspiration - Art

fashion is an art of design by sharing the themes of geometry and scale, graphic form, social space, volume and voids, construction, surface and space, and dynamic structures

Inspiration - Art 

• Audrey Hepburn is a big fashion inspiration and it has grown since her death in the 1990s 

  • breakfast at tiffany’s, charade, funny face

  • “the little black dress”

inspiration - culture and history 

• culture, history, geography 

Inspiration - Technology

• new fibers and fabrics

  • advanced information ( Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)

• greater access

  • eBay, Amazon

• 3D Printing

  • from AI to 3D Printing, boundaries between technology and art are being blurred

Inspiration - Economics 

o   The fashion industry branches out to many other industries such as home products and beauty

o   Ralph Lauren – home is illustrated in their products

o   Marc Jacobs – Santa Monica Pier shoes his perfume Daisy with fun items

What does styling entail?

• A business that combines teamwork, creativity, people skills, artistic collaboration, and networking

• A stylist’s job is to provide the proper clothing for a shoot

• This includes sourcing (finding), preparing, and returning garments after the shoot is finished

• Key players at a photoshoot: The client, the art director, the photographer, the stylist, the talent

Salaried Stylist

• Often work for magazines or catalogs as part of the full-time staff

• Pros

  •   Steady paycheck

  • Benefits

  • Job longevity

•   Cons

  • Stylist doesn’t always choose the jobs

  • There is often less variety of work

Freelance Stylist 

• Choose the job they want and network with it

• Pros

  • Scheduling flexibility

  • Variety in day-today routine

  • Not answering to a boss

  • Constant potential of getting hired for a great job

• Con

  • No steady paycheck

  • Long lapses between jobs

  • Worrying

  • Struggling to make a name in the industry

How to Spot Trends

o   Trend reports and runway reviews are easily found on the internet

o   Picking out trends involves looking at runways, retail, street fashion and all the sources of inspiration mentioned earlier

o   Observation, note-taking, and sketching can help consolidate themes, silhouettes, and color

o   Knowing how to wear trends is equality as important as spotting them