Behind the Scenes of Fashion Part 2: Stylists

By Reagan Dellinger

Hi there! Me again, Reagan, with some behind the scene jobs in fashion, with this week being one of my favorites… a stylist. This past year I had the pleasure of working with Joseph Toronka, an amazing stylist based in London. Through him, I learned that a stylist is not just someone who dresses a person or puts together outfits. Being a stylist is often like being a psychologist. Before styling someone, you have to know them from the inside out. Everything from their personality, what they like and don’t like, what makes them comfortable, how they’re feeling and so much more. A stylist is very often a friend and becomes a client’s go-to for many things non-related to fashion; similar to how a hairdresser can feel like their customer’s therapist. Besides, a person in the public eye really has to trust someone to dress them perfectly.

Just like a stylist has to know their clients’ characteristics and personality, they have to know their appearance even more. Styling someone is not as simple as knowing what color looks best on them. It consists of knowing their body shape, hair and eye color, skin undertones, patterns and jewelry that compliments them. Stylists need to know what will look and make their clients feel best for the occasion they are dressing for. There are many rules to styling (see NFM/Seraphina Styling Guide) and one wrong color or shape of clothing can ruin a look. Like mentioned earlier, a stylist has to know A LOT about their client, alongside all of their other clients.

There are many different types of stylists in the world, and many areas within fashion need stylists. Some may do a handful of jobs, and some may specialize in one. Different types of stylists include personal or freelance, catwalk, photography, blogging/social media, film or television and so many more. Usually, a stylist works individually and serves as their own boss, or they work within a fashion agency or brand. But for the most part, all stylists have the same day-to-day jobs: keeping up with the latest fashion trends, providing fashion advice, coordinating outfits for models, actors, and others, as well as choosing props and accessories for different types of looks or shoots.

Being a stylist is not always an easy or considerably “fun” job. The hours are often very long and irregular, and travel is almost always required. In order to be a stylist, you have to be flexible and willing to hop on a plane the day or quickly pull something together for a photoshoot or catwalk the next day. In many cases, a stylist does not often get much credit, especially if they work for a fashion house or brand. Since they are styling certain designers' clothing, people usually only relate the looks directly to the designer and not the person who styled it. But being a stylist can be rewarding, especially if you love what you do. Not only can it bring many opportunities to meet amazing people, join in on awesome catwalks, photoshoots and film sets, but it can bring lifelong friends through clients. So the next time you see a photoshoot, film or are even looking through a magazine, search up the stylist and see how different and unique each and every one of them are. And even if being a stylist is nowhere in your interests, everyone has a little bit of stylist in them, because in reality, we all style ourselves every day and shop our own closets.

Reagan Dellinger is an editorial writer who specializes in all things Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle. Follow her on Instagram.