Fashion stylists work around the public for most of their day. You have to have training, knowledge or experience in dealing with the public if you are interested in this type of career. Fashion stylists often work with groups of people such as photographers, designers, technicians (especially lighting ones) and set builders. A good knowledge of fashion trends, clothing brands and how to put together outfits is a plus for having a career as a stylist. A stylist is responsible for creating the total look (the clothing, accessories, hair, etc).
Other responsibilities for a fashion stylist include:
- Speaking with public relations such as PR companies, manufacturers and retailers
- Shopping for the best merchandise and accessories to use on the photo shoots
- Deciding which best outfits, props and location works best for the shoots
- Packing and returning any borrowed outfits or accessories that were used during the shoot
- Having access to popular celebrities or model's clothing wardrobes
- Getting the models dressed and ready for photo shoots
- Creating a network of contacts
- Staying up to date with each fashion trend
- Helping people learn about fashion trends and how to dress more fashionably
There isn't any specific type of educational background to become a fashion stylist. It is helpful if a stylist has taken classes on public relations and art. It would also be ideal to find courses where one can study about how to put outfits together and learning about fashion trends. If you are interested in making a fashion stylist your professional career, you might think about getting a two-year associate's degree in fashion designing, fashion merchandising or the visual arts.
Some places that an emerging fashion stylist may want to contact for a possible job include fashion magazines, newspapers, retail organizations, media design companies, music production companies and advertising agencies. It is best to receive some training through a temporary job or as an intern before officially applying with a professional company. Build contacts and relationships of your own so that you can use them as references on your resume.
Most stylist jobs will be found in large high-profile cities. Once a person has graduated from college and has had an internship, it is best to start looking in bigger areas. It will be hard to find a fashion stylist job in a rural or suburban area. Some cities that you could check out include New York City, Los Angles, Hollywood or Nashville. Think of areas where there is a lot of media, possible star sightings and places where popular magazine publishing companies reside.
Once you have established an educational background, taken specific courses and have had some experience as an intern or temporary job, you can begin searching for that special stylist job of your dreams. If you were one of those kids who enjoyed dressing up your dolls, siblings or even your friends, then you just might have been on the road to becoming a fashion stylist.
