Saturday 26 February 2011

Things I've learnt about styling.

Faye Sampson, myself and Eve @ Oxygen behind the scenes on a shoot (photograph by Hannah).


Things I've learnt about styling //


1 // Always bring more than what is required. No matter how much planning goes into the wardrobe, it will never fall magically into place on the day, or match the lovely iPhone snapshots you took of yourself modelling the outfits. Even if this means bringing more outfits than planned, make sure there is enough material to improvise and allow strokes of inspiration at the shoot.

2 // Don't stand around like a plum whilst the photographer is in action - the appearance of the model is the stylist's responsibility, and it's essential to make sure the garments are tucked in the right places, free of wrinkles and looking good in general. Contribution from the entire team is vital, and if the stylist's level of participation is the same as a dresser's, it won't send out passionate vibes. There probably won't be much further contact for future shoots; others generally don't like working with passive people.

3 // Pack the styling kit well in advance of the shoot - there is nothing worse than wondering where to buy  masking tape or panty liners at 10am on a Sunday morning. Make sure everything is ready days beforehand, and always have a physical list of things to include, as it is very easy to forget obvious things such as lint rollers or tit tape. Whilst on the shoot, if anything that could've come in handy springs to mind, write it down immediately and make a note to buy it when topping up the kit. If it's not written down, it will be forgotten by the next trip to Poundland/Rymans/Morplan.

4 // Write down every amount spent on the wardrobe, keep receipts all together in a safe place, and write down everything received in refunds. Even if refunds are done straight after, it can never be assumed that all of the money has been returned, as there will always be one inadequate sales assistant who will refund the current selling price rather than the paid price, or make a blunder with student discounts.

5 // In regards to items that need to be returned: look after them. Do not assume that a polished floor will leave the soles of those £100+ shoes unmarked. Never use shoes outdoors without twenty layers of electric tape on the soles as well as a layer of cardboard (don't stick anything over the sticker, only around it). In terms of clothing, apply rules of basic hygiene and remember that these items (if successfully returned) will be purchased and worn by others, and this must be respected. Do not let any sweat or make-up reach the clothing: this will require constant monitoring of the clothes whilst on the model, so as above, never assume that the job is over once the model has been dressed.

6 // Believe in the importance of the stylist's contribution to a successful shoot. Don't assume that the job of a stylist is easy or pointless, because it needs to be done by someone, and done very well. Make a good impression, and people will be calling up. Most importantly, have fun whilst collaborating with others and you'll not only make contacts, but friends. Cherish them, because you'll need them with you once you're in the big bad fashion industry.

Monday 21 February 2011

Mulberry A/W 2011


Images courtesy of marieclaire.co.uk

Yesterday I had the pleasure and honour of attending the Mulberry A/W 2011 show at Claridge's, all thanks to my new friend Style Petite, who organised my very exclusive ticket. This was my first ever catwalk show, and it couldn't have been a better first experience: not only is Mulberry one of my favourite brands (the only brand I would really consider splashing on), the show itself was absolutely amazing. Being in the third row, I unfortunately missed the cute little dogs trotting alongside some of the models, but still had a fantastic view of the outfits.

What really captured me was the shining gold hardware that adorned the jackets and bags, blinding when caught by light: comparable to the light of an angel for a self-confessed junkie for anything gold and shiny. Other highlights were enormous scarves wrapped above slim silhouettes, and tight trousers tucked into knee high boots, a classic favourite of mine.

I also fell madly in love with one of the bags, and will definitely be on the front line when it hits stores: unfortunately I only have a blurry screen capture from my iPhone videos, but the beauty is evident.

Saturday 19 February 2011

Business cards / Fashion Week


I've had quite a busy and tiring week consisting of university, work, hauling things around to return and falling asleep at inappropriate times. However, the week has had it's upside: I spent today having a wonderful day out involving shopping (not for myself, for once), and a lovely dinner at the Lotus Floating restaurant in the Docklands.

Also, yesterday evening I attended the Stylist Magazine event at the Swarovski Crystallized store in West End. Ten S/S11 looks were modelled to us by some gorgeous and very charming models whilst commentary was provided by Stylist's Acting Fashion Director, whom I had a lovely chat with in between. I've probably mentioned a few times that working at Stylist Magazine would be a dream come true for me, so I've been trying to get an internship sorted for the near future...not holding my hopes to high as I know I have a lot of competition, but a girl can dream!


Another mini highlight of the week was receiving my business cards, pictured above. I wasn't expecting the quality to be amazing, as I ordered them from what seemed like a budget website, but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I do think I ordered to many, so my plan is to give a handful to each contact I already have, with the hope that they will pass them on to anybody looking for a freelance stylist.

I have yet to make a post about my new make-up, as I want to wait till I have a free day to photograph it all, but wearing my new pink lipstick and filling in my eyebrows has become an obsession for me. This post will come later on this week, as I'll have two important things to update about before that: the Mulberry A/W 11 presentation I'm attending before work tomorrow, and Fabryan's A/W 11 show and after party I'll be attending on Monday. My excitement for both is very high!

Tuesday 15 February 2011

Ballet fashion & rambling


Last Friday I collaborated on a shoot with photographer Sophie Ellen (www.sophieellen.com) at Adrian Pini studios in North London (www.adrianpinistudios.com). It was my first ever shoot in an actual studio, and the comfort and ease whilst shooting was great, though I will never lose my fondness of scampering around on location, even in extreme weather conditions. The theme of this shoot was ballet fashion, and Sophie had been planning it for months, so as the beautiful Spring collections began flowing into stores in the form of pleats and bright florals, I started gathering the wardrobe early and picked up more pieces along the way, until I had accumulated eighteen outfits. I lost count of the amount of outfits we actually got through (collection pictured above), but it was over half, and we definitely used the best ones. I was lucky enough to get dresses from two fantastic designers: Omar Mansoor (www.omarmansoor.com) and Fabryan (www.fabryan.com), whose show I will be attending next week during London Fashion Week - I'm extremely excited as she's not only a lovely person, but an extremely talented designer.

The ballet shoot was a huge success, as the model Katy is a trained ballerina as well as being absolutely stunning. There were a few wardrobe malfunctions during the shoot, including the re-pinning of a size 14 dress after every single shot (the pin escaped after every movement), but even seeing the unedited pictures on the LCD screen of Sophie's camera was enough to send me into a frenzy, so I'm very excited to see the final outcome of the shoot.

I've come to the conclusion that I need to do more test shoots and build a website: how I will do this in between university, work and my very exclusive (but not often) free time is yet to be decided, but it's something that I'd definitely like to get up and running before the end of summer. I ordered a set of a hundred business cards a few days ago, and am looking to distribute them like crazy, especially during any shows I attend at London Fashion Week.

On a lighter and less professional note, I have spent almost £90 on make-up this month, so my next post will be all about that. I may also drop in all the clothes I've purchased too. The fashion world is a tough place to be, but I think I've passed the Spending More Than I Earn test.

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Fashion business

My updates have become rather fragmented lately; it seems that as soon as I flop down on my bed after a long day of university or work and open up my MacBook, I either have something to do on inDesign for a project, or some sort of mass order to make on ASOS. I'm pretty sure they are on to me now, as I've made roughly ten orders this month, but I've started putting in some orders for myself now as well as for shoots (the NARS collection has tickled my fancy), so hopefully I won't get arrested by the ASOS police any time soon.

Anyway, I have a shoot on Friday with a fantastic photographer called Sophie Ellen, it's my first time working with her and I'm very excited. It'll be my first shoot in an actual hired studio, and whilst it will be lovely to be in a hopefully warm and comfortable environment, it will feel unusual to not be scavenging about in the cold with my suitcase, as I've been doing over the past few months. However, I do have seventeen (SEVENTEEN!) outfits for the shoot, all which will need serious steaming, so the shoot will be anything but relaxing. I have high hopes for the day though, and will definitely update once it's over.

Next week is London Fashion Week, and I have one definite invite to the show of the lovelyFabryan London. I am currently in the process of creating my first ever business card, and intend to go on a networking frenzy. I generally suffer from shyness in social events, especially as I'm only just starting out as a stylist, but I've come to realise that in certain situations, it's all about doing a 180 personality flip, putting on a pair of sexy wedges, locking down the hair and make-up and really releasing your confidence to be noticed. And with a convenient shopping trip planned with my favourite make-up artist on Monday, NARS Orgasm Illuminator in the post to me, and the wedges below on my shopping list, I think I'm ready to venture out there with my fresh business cards and make things happen. A fringe trim is also on the agenda, because I need to be able to see to do all this.

Topshop, £70