Styl'ISTs (KY)

I finally have a respectable reason for a fashion entry! I recently had the opportunity to hang out at the 10th "rooms 20" tradeshow, thanks to the wonderfully talented Asli Filinta. There I had the chance to meet a handful of designers, buyers, tradeshow organizers, fashion journalists, PR folks(or "attache de press" if you want to be fancy), and topic of the day: stylists.


So what does their job entail? In the age of stylists-turned-celebrities (epitomized by the ubiquitous Rachel Zoe) and celebrities arguably better known for their own styling/designing than their "careers" (Chloë Sevigny, Nicole Richie, the Olsen twins, Alexa Chung, to name a few--I will not get into whether I like them or not, BUT I MUST point out the much deserved and belated recognition Chloë is getting for Big Love--it does not take a genius to take note of her screen presence as Jean in American Psycho), what a not-so-celeb stylist actually does on a day-to-day basis is something of a mystery.


According to Wiki, "a wardrobe stylist is the job title of someone who selects the clothing for published editorial features, print or television advertising campaigns, music videos, concert performances, and any public appearances made by celebrities, models or other public figures...The job description varies greatly depending on the assignment."


In a recent reality series Styl'D, MTV followed the "real" lives of five junior assistants competing for a contract with the Margaret Maldonado Agency. The contestants worked with/trained under the Agency's senior stylists on their assignments (Jen Rade is my favorite and rather well-known for her appearances in Project Runway, TV Guide's Fashion Wrap, etc.), pulling clothing and accessories for "A-listers" by MTV's somewhat questionable standards these days. Featured clientele included The Veronicas, Ashley Tisdale, Keri Hilson, Sean Kingston, Nicole Richie, Pete Wentz, Josh Henderson, Kim Kardashian (whom I have at least seen/can recognize visually), and the likes of Alex Meraz, Brenda Song, The Paradiso Girls, Chester French, Soulja Boy, Tyga, Tyler Hilton, Colbie Caillat, and V Factory (whom I already forget what they look like, and should you recognize more than three of them, you should accept the hard cold truth you are a pop culture junkie...).


Based on these two very reliable sources, I am getting a clearer picture..! Stylists basically

borrow a whole bunch of clothing for a few days

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bring and show them to the client

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if lucky, one or two things work for the client/occasion

if really lucky, CLIENT WANTS TO KEEP (=BUY) IT!

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scurry back to the store/designer

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return 99-100% of the items on lease

On occasion the client does hang onto the dress or shoes, which means sales revenue for the store/designer. And it goes without saying that whole ordeal is for publicity. But for new designers (at tradeshows) looking to win bulk orders from potential buyers/shops, stylists bring pretty much nothing to the table. Especially with up-and-comers with press coverage already under their belt, you are not going to be the list of "popular persons at the party" if your job is to borrow, not to buy.

Just some mindless musing on different players in the business of fashion, following my previous entry on fashion writers vs. bloggers (which has totally taken off here).