STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

kenzie · Chanel

Fashion Consultant/Wardrobe Consultant?

Karina · Chanel

One of the classes I took at FIT was for fashion styling... I really liked it, and considered getting into it, but it involves a LOT of time and work (unpaid). You have to build a portfolio before anyone will even consider taking you seriously, which requires a lot of unpaid photo shoots, and then get an agent who will hook you up with gigs. The pay is good, but you will not get anything worthwhile when you first start out. This is an ideal job for someone who is financially secure and has the time to do this on the weekends, or someone who has been in the game for a while, and knows she is going to get a gig at least once or twice a month.

If you move to NYC, you can post an ad on craigslist about this, and look for photographers and models who are looking to test, and tell them you would like to style for them.

PM me if you have anymore questions.

kenzie · Chanel

Karina, you have pm.

CarrieS · Marc Jacobs

This is so my dream job, it's not even funny. I recently got the chance to style my bro for another website; it was so much fun!

Sorry, didn't mean to butt in

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

are you talking about a fashion stylist like karina was describing? i'm not sure if that is what you mean by fashion/wardrobe consultant but...

i've worked with fashion stylists on photoshoots both locally and nationally and it seems that the best way to break into this field would be to latch onto a stylist with a few years experience in the business and work as an assistant to that person. you'll make your own contacts faster if you assist someone with a fat rolodex and you'll learn the in's and out's of the business faster too. most stylists work independently and are hired for a specific job or shoot so it's not a steady, go-to-the-office-everyday type job.

i can give you a few ideas on where you might find these stylists in your area if this is the type of thing you're interested in. like i mentioned previous, i'm not sure if this is the type of position you meant!

kenzie · Chanel

hotcocoa wrote:

are you talking about a fashion stylist like karina was describing? i'm not sure if that is what you mean by fashion/wardrobe consultant but... i've worked with fashion stylists on photoshoots both locally and nationally and it seems that the best way to break into this field would be to latch onto a stylist with a few years experience in the business and work as an assistant to that person. you'll make your own contacts faster if you assist someone with a fat rolodex and you'll learn the in's and out's of the business faster too. most stylists work independently and are hired for a specific job or shoot so it's not a steady, go-to-the-office-everyday type job. i can give you a few ideas on where you might find these stylists in your area if this is the type of thing you're interested in. like i mentioned previous, i'm not sure if this is the type of position you meant!

It's actually not exactly what I meant. I don't necessarily want to style photoshoots (that would be fun), but I'd rather style actual people in their day to day lives. Almost a glorified personal shopper, like, for lack of a better example, Rachel Zoe. I'll try to dig up the exact job description that I had, but I'm still open to your ideas on where to find stylists.

dc · Dooney & Bourke

You might want to PM dewdk. I know she's a personal shopper for Saks, and that might be a good way to start building a client base...

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

NylaBelle wrote:

It's actually not exactly what I meant. I don't necessarily want to style photoshoots (that would be fun), but I'd rather style actual people in their day to day lives. Almost a glorified personal shopper, like, for lack of a better example, Rachel Zoe. I'll try to dig up the exact job description that I had, but I'm still open to your ideas on where to find stylists.

well in that case i would take the same approach as i mentioned above, but find a personal shopper with some experience to latch onto instead of a stylist. offer to assist (although it may be unpaid work at first). learn the business. make contacts to build your own client base.

as far as where to find stylists i was going to suggest contacting publishing or media companies, even ad agencies. ask for the art or creative department and talk to someone who hires this type of talent. you may have to be persistant because this isn't going to be their top priority!

jj · Kate Spade

Another thing I think you would be GREAT at is - and I'm not sure what the correct title is - a person who does the window stylings/displays in stores.

Back in my JCrew days, there was a woman who came in once a month and redid all the windows and floor displays. She was responsible for a region (in this case, the midwest), and got to travel around. She also worked with the corp. office to develop what each display would be.

Anyway, just something else to think about!

Karina · Chanel

Oh I forgot to mention - I went for an interview a few months ago for a clothing company, and they were looking for a full time salaried stylist for their catalog, but it wasn't paying great.. i think they are still looking. let know if you want me to pass along your info.

poptart · Coach

NylaBelle wrote:

hotcocoa wrote: are you talking about a fashion stylist like karina was describing? i'm not sure if that is what you mean by fashion/wardrobe consultant but... i've worked with fashion stylists on photoshoots both locally and nationally and it seems that the best way to break into this field would be to latch onto a stylist with a few years experience in the business and work as an assistant to that person. you'll make your own contacts faster if you assist someone with a fat rolodex and you'll learn the in's and out's of the business faster too. most stylists work independently and are hired for a specific job or shoot so it's not a steady, go-to-the-office-everyday type job. i can give you a few ideas on where you might find these stylists in your area if this is the type of thing you're interested in. like i mentioned previous, i'm not sure if this is the type of position you meant! It's actually not exactly what I meant. I don't necessarily want to style photoshoots (that would be fun), but I'd rather style actual people in their day to day lives. Almost a glorified personal shopper, like, for lack of a better example, Rachel Zoe. I'll try to dig up the exact job description that I had, but I'm still open to your ideas on where to find stylists.

I don't know if this has been answered, but I think the official title is "image consultant." I had a friend who was an image consultant, and she worked at a high-end department store to build her client base, so I think DCs suggestion is a good one. There is also an association that holds trainings, etc. If you became a member they might have some referral resources or client-building ideas. This is their website: http://www.aici.org/.

kenzie · Chanel

jj wrote:

Another thing I think you would be GREAT at is - and I'm not sure what the correct title is - a person who does the window stylings/displays in stores.

Thanks, jj. The position you're talking about is a visual merchandiser. I actually have a decent amount of experience in that from all of my retail jobs, specifically the last one where we merchandised our own stores. I kind of got burned out b/c I was also managing the store in addition to doing visuals and another issue was that a lot of in-store visual merchandising takes place in the middle of the night (though I'm sure this varies from company to company). I would, however, love a corporate visual merchandising position.

Lisa, yes, the article I read called them image consultants, but said that they are also called wardrobe or fashion consultants. Thanks the info you posted!

Karina, I would love to hear more about that position you were talking about. I have been car shopping all day (got a car!!), so I haven't been home to do my resume or send it out. But, that job sounds like a good fit. I'm also looking into a design consultant position with a furniture company. We'll see. I think I really need a second degree in some kind of art just to back up my experience, etc.