Fashion Stylists

Want to change the way you look? Want some trendy clothes for the season? Never seem to know what to buy and what will look good on you? Hire the services of a fashion stylist.

Fashion stylist � a word unheard of till recently - is one of the emerging professions in the fashion world globally. Who is a fashion stylist? A �fashion stylist�, as the name suggests, works with fashion trends to create a distinct style for a particular individual. The individual can be anyone from a model or a celebrity to a pressed-for-time business person or just anyone who wishes to create a distinct image of himself or herself.

Tasks such as keeping track of the latest trends in fashion, maintaining a network of contacts, deciding what would look good on people, finding suitable dresses and accessories and either hiring or purchasing them, helping people build a wardrobe as well as dressing up people fall under the purview of a fashion stylist.

The services of fashion stylists are generally employed by newspapers, magazines and advertising agencies. In this case, they are required to dress up the models for shoots. A major part of the job involves planning what would look good on each model, deciding from where to buy or hire these dresses and accessories depending on the budget, bringing them to the shoot and actually dressing up the models. They are in charge of generating the kind of image that the newspaper, magazine or advertising agency wishes to portray.

Fashion stylists are also used by celebrities like actors, singers and television hosts. Such stylists are typically referred to as �celebrity stylists�. Their job is to create a distinct image for the celebrity. This may be related to just a particular movie or show or an image change in general. The Oscar-winning Hollywood actresses Meryl Streep and Halle Berry owe their glamorous look to stylist Wayne Scot Lucas. In Bollywood too, fashion designer Manish Malhotra turned fashion stylist for actresses Karisma Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee to give them a new look He worked with both of them and transformed them from just talented actresses to trend-setting starlets.

There is another class of fashion stylists, who are referred to as �personal stylists� or �image consultants�. They work with individuals who need a makeover, a complete change of image. Many businesspersons are going in for the services of personal stylists today to build up a different image. Personal stylists work in close proximity with their clients to determine which style would suit them the most.

Fashion stylists have been known to set new trends in the fashion world. A fashion stylist can give a different look or a hip look to a traditional garment, which can become all the rage in the fashion industry. A stylist can give a celebrity a certain fancy accessory for a certain event and it might become the most-wanted one.

Stylists can be employed by magazines, advertising agencies or celebrities or their services may be hired on a temporary basis, but most stylists work on a freelance basis.

Fashion stylists should have a genuine interest in fashion in order to succeed. They should have an eye for style and keep abreast of the latest trends in the fashion industry. Some stylists have a degree in fashion, while some just learn from experience. There are some fashion schools which offer courses in styling. Stylists should enjoy shopping. They should be detail-oriented. They should have an idea of different colors and shades, different body types and the fit of different materials. They should know what colors suit what skin tones and what material and style would enhance what body type. They should love to experiment and should have the ability to present traditional things in unusual and trendy ways. They should be able to bring out the best in their client. Over and above this, they should have excellent interpersonal skills as they are required to interact with a number of people from models to lighting technicians and photographers. They need to maintain relationships with a large group of people.