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A wardrobe stylist, also fashion stylist, is a consultant who selects the clothing for published editorial features, print or
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
advertising campaigns,
music videos
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
,
concert
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...
performances, and any public appearances made by
celebrities
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
,
models
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure.
Models c ...
or other public figures. Stylists are often part of a larger creative team assembled by the client, collaborating with the
fashion designer
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
,
photographer
A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs.
Duties and types of photographe ...
/
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
,
hair stylist
A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...
, and
makeup artist
A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions incl ...
to put together a particular look or theme for the specific project. A wardrobe stylist can also be referred to as a fashion stylist,
fashion editor
A fashion editor is a person that supervises the process of creating, developing and presenting content for the fashion department of a magazine, Web site, newspaper or television program.
The work of a fashion editor can be quite varied and may ...
, or celebrity stylist. According to one view, "Stylists are the people who push each celebrity to make the best dressed list," and assist with editorial photo shoots.
The job description varies greatly depending on the assignment. Stylists in the editorial and celebrity fields work primarily with designer samples, which are shown during fashion presentations and are lent to members of the fashion press during the 4–6 months before retail sales begin. High-level stylists may collaborate directly with designers to produce custom clothing for celebrity clients or editorials; this is common for celebrity stylists whose clients attend awards shows and for fashion editors at top magazines. Stylists may also provide services such as personal shopping, restructuring a client's entire wardrobe, reorganizing a client's closet, or other duties relating to the client's personal lifestyle.
A wardrobe stylist is distinct from a
costume designer
A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...
, the person who clothes characters in film, television, or theater. A wardrobe stylist is also distinct from an
image consultant or a color consultant. A person can be a color consultant without knowing the basic principles of line or style. An image consultant is an expert in both color and line, and may work with business professionals or individuals, as opposed to celebrities in particular. A color consultant's aim is to identify the most flattering colors for their client, while the goal of an image consultant is to tell a story about the client through clothes, shapes, and colors.
Business arrangements
Wardrobe stylists can be paid an hourly
wage
A wage is payment made by an employer to an employee for work done in a specific period of time. Some examples of wage payments include compensatory payments such as ''minimum wage'', ''prevailing wage'', and ''yearly bonuses,'' and remuner ...
, a day rate, or a project rate. Editorial assignments tend to pay less money, while advertising campaigns, commercials, or
spokesperson
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
campaigns tend to pay the most. Some freelance fashion editors, that is, stylists who work exclusively in producing editorial content, may receive a rate per page in a given publication; fashion editors typically negotiate this rate on a yearly basis, during which time the publication will assign a certain number of project pages to be completed. Stylists may also be paid a flat fee for the length of a project, usually called a buy out. Some stylists can be put on a monthly
retainer
Retainer may refer to:
* Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth
* RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship
* Retainers in early China, a social group in early China
Employment
* Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for ...
, in which they are paid a set fee for a period of time and are on call for the entire time period.
Wardrobe stylists are sometimes represented by
agencies that specialize in representing wardrobe stylists, hair stylists, and makeup artists. When a wardrobe stylist is represented by an agency, the agency usually books all of their work or assignments for a fee, usually ranging between 10% and 20% of the stylist's fee. The agency ensures that the stylist's needs are met, typically guaranteeing that transportation and travel and accommodations are all taken care of before the wardrobe stylist takes an assignment. Agencies usually expedite the client's payment and make sure that the wardrobe stylist is paid in full within 30 to 60 days of completion of the assignment.
Training
Most stylists acquire professional skills and knowledge by assisting other glamorous, established stylists, in a system similar to
apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...
. Stylist assistants are typically hired at a rate between $150 to $350 a day. Assistants' responsibilities can vary greatly depending on the stylist and the assignment. Some are hired only to perform
physical labor
Manual labour (in Commonwealth English, manual labor in American English) or manual work is physical work done by humans, in contrast to labour by machines and working animals. It is most literally work done with the hands (the word ''manual'' ...
, such as setting up for a client fitting or returning samples to a press showroom; others may help the stylist with selecting wardrobe options, preparing clients for public events, or any other task needed to complete an assignment. According to one report in ''
Seventeen Magazine'', there were no specific education majors helpful for becoming a fashion stylist, but that degrees in
fashion design
Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...
,
tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
ing, merchandising, communications,
marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
, color harmonies,
art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
and
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...
, understanding of the human body - how it stores fat and ages,
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
and how women's perception changes to color, could be helpful, but overall it was helpful to read fashion magazines regularly to develop a "great eye for fashion".
See also
*
London College of Fashion
The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, in London, England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, study abroad courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therap ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wardrobe Stylist
Fashion occupations
Fashion stylists