Styling For A Living

 

Do you wish to choose the clothing that’s worn in advertising campaigns, music videos, red carpet interviews and other performances? Do you’ve an eye for outfits and colors and what matches what? Would you mind a little bit of grunt work for the famous? If so, you might want to consider becoming a fashion stylist.

Unfamiliar with the job title? They are everywhere these days. There is Rachel Zoe, for instance, star of the Bravo reality television series The Rachel Zoe Project. She has worked with Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson and Lindsay Lohan, among others. Then there’s Clinton Kelly, co-host of What Not to Wear on TLC. He began with a journalism degree and worked at fashion magazines before moving up to TLC.

The job of a fashion stylist — also called a wardrobe stylist, fashion editor or superstar stylist — is to work alongside other specialists like directors, photographers, fashion designers, hair stylists and makeup artists to create an unique look for each and every project. Fashion stylists aren’t to be confused with costume designers, who put movie, theater and television characters in costumes for performances, or image consultants, who focus on more non-fashion elements and may represent non celebrities.

The majority of the work of a fashion stylist is done using designer-label clothing shown during fashion shows. Often fashion stylists and designers work together to dress celebrity clients. Many also do personal shopping for customers, rebuild their wardrobes, or perform other personal services.

There’s no required training to be a fashion stylist, although some fashion design schools offer courses. There’re two-year associates programs and four year bachelor’s programs in fashion merchandising, art or visual merchandising, fashion designing, and associated topics. If you take an educational course apart from design school, you won’t find a college major that directly relates to the profession of fashion stylist, but merchandising, fashion design, marketing, marketing communications, photography and art history.

Rachel Zoe, as one example, didn’t have fashion background before becoming a stylist. Clinton Kelly’s just history in the sector was as a fashion writer. Personal experience, an eye for fashion and the capability to market your talents are the most significant qualities.

The most common way to enter the profession is by studying under another stylist. The income for a starting assistant is generally between $150 and $350 a day. Different fashion stylists’ assistants do different work. While some take part in event preparations an help chose wardrobes, others do just basic set-up for customers.

Fashion stylists could be paid in different ways. Some are paid by the hour, many by the day. Published editorial features often bring in the least money; ads and spokesperson campaigns bring in the most. Fashion editors — stylists who only work on editorial features — sometimes work for a per-page rate. Stylists may also work for flat rates or retainers under some circumstances.

Many stylists use agencies to book their work for them, paying the agencies 10-20 percent in return. Most, though, are freelancers. The pay for an experienced stylist may range from $500 a day to over $5,000 a day, depending on the client.