come, lets brainstorm together...
Styling is a whole world of different options, whole palette of colours, Silhouettes, designs, shapes, ideas.Your personal style might be brilliant but that just does not mean you can become a Fashion stylist.
One needs to have an eye for colour, an eye for putting things together. Be honest with yourself, ask yourself if you are good at it or not!
Anyone with a passion & gift can be a stylist, the basic need is an eye for fashion & style. For, good taste is something you either have or not, it cannot be taught.
The best way to start will be to get an internship or do some test shoots with photographers & this is a must, it is usually unpaid. You need to be prepared to not earning for a while, atleast till u get substantial work to show or till you build a rapport with some of the photographers , editors or directors. You may get lucky depending on who you may know or you have a good network of contacts.
A lot of people think fashion styling is a cakewalk, but it is a lot of work, it does not end with selecting clothes , accessories, hairstyles...you also need to bring back the clothes in a good condition to the shop it came from or a fashion show.It is manual work & hard work, so having a passion for it is very important.
So now how do you get that first break or internship...like me & the way most people do..through someone you know or who knows someone in the industry. Keep in touch with them, keep reminding them, keep pestering them. Get it in your head that you have to work hard and push hard because once you get in, its going to stay with you for life.
If you want to get an internship target big fashion houses, fashion magazines, photo studios - the more higher up the name is, obviously better its going to look on your cv, but if you don't get it, do not fret. Get any experience and exposure you can get.
In your internship even if you are at the bottom you will still interact with a lot of people and will make a lot of contacts. You are still in this environment you want to be in and it is what you want and what excites you. You can dream of being in one of the top positions soon in future.
If you do a good work, work hard & are a nice person, people are going to like you & remember you.There could be a higher up person who might help out. Get as much experience as possible, be prepared to work for free.
Check out your local photo studio, anything that is happening locally, TVC, music video, short films anything; just check locally. Just ask, tell them you will initially work free and call you when they have a next shoot or test shoots, anything. Local magazines, window dressing,...you just need a whole variety of things. That way you build a portfolio, more to show & something to back you up; because you need that, you could be that best fashion stylist ever, you could have the best fashion sense, but when you go for an interview and you don't have a portfolio, nobody is going to listen to you or believe you even if you dressed well. Like I mentioned before dressing well does not mean that you are a good stylist, it only means that you have a good personal taste & style; it really does not mean you can dress somebody else with a different body shape, complexion; for someone who is getting ready for a photoshoot; because photos are going to be clicked, that is really different. Plus you might have to work within a theme that may be totally not acceptable as your personal style.
Once again - You need a portfolio to back you up. No one is going to hire you if you do not have a portfolio. Keep a part time job to back you up while you are still styling. Because it is not something high paying especially at the beginning.
Again, go for anything & everything you can get your hands on, anything that needs a stylist-just go for it. That is only essentially going to build up your portfolio.
If you cant get anything like that, don't worry. You can do personal styling - you can style your friends & family. Have a story to tell, take a lot of pictures. That is what most of us do; friends, family, friends of friends etc..and then you get paid.
This is something you have to work towards. You have to be prepared, because it so not something easy to do, but it is a rewarding one. You just need perseverance & something to fall back on at the same time.
It is a really nice job & if you are talented, then you should be able to do it. There are so many great designs out there and u get to play with it. All the different clothes, accessories.You keep producing new work, new look, new thought every time. So just hold on till you get that break-in. Then there is nothing that can stop you from showing the world your talent!
The best way to start will be to get an internship or do some test shoots with photographers & this is a must, it is usually unpaid. You need to be prepared to not earning for a while, atleast till u get substantial work to show or till you build a rapport with some of the photographers , editors or directors. You may get lucky depending on who you may know or you have a good network of contacts.
A lot of people think fashion styling is a cakewalk, but it is a lot of work, it does not end with selecting clothes , accessories, hairstyles...you also need to bring back the clothes in a good condition to the shop it came from or a fashion show.It is manual work & hard work, so having a passion for it is very important.
So now how do you get that first break or internship...like me & the way most people do..through someone you know or who knows someone in the industry. Keep in touch with them, keep reminding them, keep pestering them. Get it in your head that you have to work hard and push hard because once you get in, its going to stay with you for life.
If you want to get an internship target big fashion houses, fashion magazines, photo studios - the more higher up the name is, obviously better its going to look on your cv, but if you don't get it, do not fret. Get any experience and exposure you can get.
In your internship even if you are at the bottom you will still interact with a lot of people and will make a lot of contacts. You are still in this environment you want to be in and it is what you want and what excites you. You can dream of being in one of the top positions soon in future.
If you do a good work, work hard & are a nice person, people are going to like you & remember you.There could be a higher up person who might help out. Get as much experience as possible, be prepared to work for free.
Check out your local photo studio, anything that is happening locally, TVC, music video, short films anything; just check locally. Just ask, tell them you will initially work free and call you when they have a next shoot or test shoots, anything. Local magazines, window dressing,...you just need a whole variety of things. That way you build a portfolio, more to show & something to back you up; because you need that, you could be that best fashion stylist ever, you could have the best fashion sense, but when you go for an interview and you don't have a portfolio, nobody is going to listen to you or believe you even if you dressed well. Like I mentioned before dressing well does not mean that you are a good stylist, it only means that you have a good personal taste & style; it really does not mean you can dress somebody else with a different body shape, complexion; for someone who is getting ready for a photoshoot; because photos are going to be clicked, that is really different. Plus you might have to work within a theme that may be totally not acceptable as your personal style.
Once again - You need a portfolio to back you up. No one is going to hire you if you do not have a portfolio. Keep a part time job to back you up while you are still styling. Because it is not something high paying especially at the beginning.
Again, go for anything & everything you can get your hands on, anything that needs a stylist-just go for it. That is only essentially going to build up your portfolio.
If you cant get anything like that, don't worry. You can do personal styling - you can style your friends & family. Have a story to tell, take a lot of pictures. That is what most of us do; friends, family, friends of friends etc..and then you get paid.
This is something you have to work towards. You have to be prepared, because it so not something easy to do, but it is a rewarding one. You just need perseverance & something to fall back on at the same time.
It is a really nice job & if you are talented, then you should be able to do it. There are so many great designs out there and u get to play with it. All the different clothes, accessories.You keep producing new work, new look, new thought every time. So just hold on till you get that break-in. Then there is nothing that can stop you from showing the world your talent!
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