Part 12 (1/2)
SURVIVAL INSTINCT.
”I know when to shut up and step back and listen.”
WHAT:
Clothes stylist, hair stylist, makeup artist, art director, photographer, graphic designer, model.
DEGREE OR STUDIES:
No degree to MFA.
TRAITS:
Visual, creative, versatile.
ESSENTIAL ABILITIES:
Natural charm. An ability to collaborate with your fas.h.i.+on family. An ability to see the next thing in fas.h.i.+on.
ROLE:
To generate the creator's desired image via fas.h.i.+on, accessories, hair, makeup.
WORKs.p.a.cE:
As various as the many jobs in this diverse category.
PATH TO POWER:
Apprentice with the best, have a good agency represent you.
MOST COVETED JOBS:
Super stylist, super model, top photographer, super hairstylist, super makeup artist DOGGIE JOBS:
Cleaning toilets, lugging trunks, taping bottoms of shoes, fetching who knows what for whom at all hours of the day or night, searching 24/7 for the perfect prop, be it a rare vintage car or kitsch blow-up doll.
KEY ALLIANCES:
Editors, celebrities, other photographers, stylists, models, hair stylists, and makeup people.
MODERN SUCCESS STORIES:
Patrick Demarchelier, Mario Testino, Rachel Zoe, Steven Meisel, Bobbi Brown, Kate Moss.
MISCONCEPTION:
That because you're creative, you don't need to be organized.
LANGUAGES:
English or French.
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:
Not easily fazed by last-minute trips to far-off places. Long, unpredictable hours and loads of downtime. Pa.s.sports always current.
STARTING COMP:
You'll gladly work for free.
POTENTIAL COMP:
$ to $$$$.
PERKS:
Hanging with supermodels and superstars; making your living in a relaxed, nonoffice atmosphere; rarely having to dress up; traveling to cool locations all around the world; teaming up with like-minded people and, in time, forming a professional ”family” that can last your entire career.
Walk onto any fas.h.i.+on photography set-be it Mario Testino's, Patrick Demarchelier's, or Steven Meisel's-and you might think it was a c.o.c.ktail party: The music is groovy and loud; there are lots of interestingly dressed characters who seem to be friends with everyone else; the atmosphere is relaxed, lively, and fun; there are no raised voices or barked orders; no hurry; there's a lovely spread of food and drinks. And they call this work?
Probably the coolest people in fas.h.i.+on and definitely the ones that seem to have the most fun are its visualizers-the image-making stylists, art directors, photographers, makeup artists, hair stylists, and models who bring fas.h.i.+on to life and populate fas.h.i.+on photography sets on a daily or weekly basis. As much as designers themselves, visualizers are at the heart of the fas.h.i.+on business.
I've broken down the visualizer world into three groups: Stylists: The stylists hold the hottest jobs in fas.h.i.+on today.
Photography team: The photographers and hair and makeup artists, together with the stylists, form a fas.h.i.+on family, the members of which trust each other implicitly and work together beautifully. The photographer gets the a.s.signment from an art director who, together with a graphic designer, creates the finished editorial story or ad campaign.
Models: Models are the focus of everyone's attention before and during the shoot. If you are a supermodel like Natalia Vodianova or Lily Donaldson, you are likely to have worked with pretty much every top stylist and photographer around. If not, you will be building your fas.h.i.+on creds, which, little by little, amount to insider status.
Visualizers comprise the most diverse cross-section of jobs, and because they can be so different, mini crib sheets for each of these main components follow.
Stylist
WHAT:
Stylist, personal shopper, fas.h.i.+on editor, artistic director, creative director, or merchandising director.
DEGREE OR STUDIES:
Art school or liberal arts degree.
TRAITS:
Visual, practical, patient, watchful, organized, unflappable, creatively flexible, ingenious.
ESSENTIAL ABILITIES:
To generate the desired image via fas.h.i.+on, accessories, hair, makeup, props; to be clever and versatile.
WORKs.p.a.cE:
Fas.h.i.+on closet or wardrobe trailer to darkroom or photography studio, TV or movie set.
PATH TO POWER:
Apprentice with the best.
MOST COVETED JOBS: