Topic 3 Flashcards
What is fashion styling and what is a fashion stylist?
Read the introduction to the prescribed book by Dingemans (1999:x-xii) on why the author wrote the book and her professional background.
The author talks about her personal experience as a model and having a mentor. She later went on to develop a Fashion Promotion curriculum.
The stylist plays a key role during a photo shoot and/or a major fashion show, helping to convey what theme must be adopted, ensures the right ambiance, finds the right accessories, studies proper placement and is in charge of fittings. The stylist is in charge of the “image” of the collection.
The stylist is also in charge of visual merchandising and/or works with magazines to decide what to display for the upcoming season. Stylists work with various heads of fashion, magazines, showrooms, press agencies, fashion houses and also freelance stylists for various agencies.
What is a fashion stylist? (chapter 1)
A stylist is a person who performs, writes about or otherwise acts with attention to style (Dingemans 1999:1). There are many categories of stylists (clothes, hair, make-up, loca- tion, props and food) and each category of stylist has a specific job in a chosen area. Not only are there different specialisations, there are also different fields.
Dingemans (1999:2-6) also includes the following important tips on being a successful stylist:
being a team player working to a brief keeping within a budget building up contacts doing work to gain experience checking out agents testing sourcing clothes (learning to dress different people) training your eye (learning to identify what works, what doesn't) learning to edit tempering eccentricity practising eclecticism curbing your ego encouraging empathy learning to extemporise being full of energy and enthusiasm
Editorial styling (chapter 2)
Editorial styling (chapter 2)
If possible, begin this section by watching the DVDs “The devil wears Prada” and “Cake”
to give you an idea of the workings of a fashion magazine in America.
Pay special attention to the planning and the different and varied types of skills that the team members are required to have in order to collectively publish a fashion magazine.
Do you think that these DVDs reflect the general theory contained in chapter 2?
Most magazines are produced by the editorial team three months in advance of publication. As a stylist, you need to be able to interpret the latest fashion trends. To do this, you should be able to conduct research and gather important information. You should know where to obtain this information and how to compile it into a format that consumers can relate to. Also there are some skills such as note-taking and picture analysis that you will need to develop.
Sources
Read Dingemans (1999:7-9) on sources for trends, directions and new season information. Keep the following in mind:
Seasonal shows enable fashion editors to see the main influences and directions for a season.
Trade shows are not for the general public.
The stylist must keep his/her target market in mind when taking
notes.
Stylists will be looking for visual trends and directions.
Shows are a starting point for the specific season’s look.
Note-taking
Stylists need to take notes and make sketches to put ideas together for their “fashion sto- ries” over the following six months (one season). Some big magazines call in clothes for a shoot, but this can be an easy or more trying experience.
Read Dingemans (1999:9) on note-taking. Read Dingemans (1999:10) on call-ins.
Fashion stories
A fashion story is the editor's choice of trends, directions or seasonal musts for that specific month. Study Dingemans (1999:10 -11) on fashion stories.
Picture analysis
Study Dingemans (1999:12) on how to analyse a picture/photo. Read Dingemans (1999:13-15) on monthly magazines, "who is who" in the fashion industry, and editorial meetings. For 3.4.3 and 3.4.4 above, find different issues of any popular fashion magazine. Look at the different fashion trends, the editorial pages, the pictures/photos and the colour themes. Do you think that every issue "tells an editor's story" or are all the issues for the different months of the same magazine similar? What about other fashion magazines for the same months? How do they differ?
The shoot
Study Dingemans (1999:15-23) on preparing for a shoot. Summarise this in your own words using the following headings:
photographers
hair stylists
make-up artists
models: choosing and booking a model
There is much preparation before the start of a shoot. The shoot is where it all happens. You will either be shooting in the studio or on location. The organisation for shoots differs according to the place. The three types are a studio shoot, a shoot on location, and a shoot abroad.
It is important to note that for a studio shoot hired studios come in various conditions and sizes. It is therefore important to note the type of picture that you are taking. The location shoots are usually done in a fully equipped location van. As regards the shoot abroad , foreign locations add glamour to the fashion pages. Trips abroad take place throughout the different seasons.
Other types of styling
Study Dingemans (1999:33-35) and in your own words write down the differences between styling for a newspaper and styling for a magazine. Read Dingemans (1999:36-39) on makeovers. Read Dingemans (1999:40-42) on catalogue styling.
Newspaper styling (chapter 3)
The rules for editorial styling in newspapers are much the same as those for monthly magazines. The main difference lies in the fact that a newspaper contains news and many of the fashion pages must reflect this.
Makeovers (chapter 4)
The important element of doing a makeover is to communicate with the person you are making over. If you are doing an editorial makeover, the approach will depend on whether it is a peripheral or an “occasion” publication.
Catalogue styling (chapter 5)
This is normally for mail-order catalogues. The aim of producing the catalogue is the “sales” that it will generate. Therefore catalogues show many photographs of a wide range of garments. The photographic team usually has a fixed brief and a fixed page layout to work with, and very little creativity is involved.
Show productions (chapter 6)
This is a highly skilled area of expertise. Organisation is key. Show production is where fantasy meets reality and retouching is impossible. You have to make an impact. The show must be entertaining as well as a showcase for the talents of the designers, retailers, models, make-up artists and production team. The average show lasts 25 minutes and the preparation that goes into it can take months.
So let us define a fashion show and then break it down into essential elements. There are five different shows, namely the event, the charity event, the retailer’s show, the manufac- turer’s show and the student show.
Who makes up a show production team?
Designers cannot put on a fashion show on their own. They need a team of people to help them produce their vision for that season. Read Dingemans (1999:43-45) on these different shows. Make sure you know the differences and are able to discuss each type. Study Dingemans (1999:46-62) and summarise the jobs for a show production team in your own words
