Things I Learned From My First Styling Gig
Last Saturday, I had my first shot at providing creative direction and styling for the March issue of Her Magazine. If you'll recall, my initial rendezvous with this line of work came in the form of Project Style. In that instance, I loved piling clothes onto a Saks rolling rack, but my favorite part was conceptualizing the look--creating a story for my muse to embody (which she did SO well). Of course, no fashion story would be complete without the clothes, as was true for this particular shoot. My concept revolved around the intersection between 'cool-girl street style' and 'authentic urban wear'--ideas that are by no means new, but will hopefully appear fresh and energized in this unique portrayal. You can judge for yourself once the issue hits stands in a few weeks, but until then, here's what I took away from the experience:
Be flexible and DON'T freak out.
I'll admit, I started to go slightly bizerk when Saturday's weather forecast proved to be devastatingly accurate. Our 'spring' shoot was supposed to take place outside, but several inches of snow forced us into a downtown parking garage. While it wasn't what I'd planned, I was swiftly put in my place by a team of creative, energetic individuals who made the shoot awesome, even if the location wasn't ideal.
Allow extra time for hair and makeup.
Initially I had only allowed one hour (HA!) for our dear models' beautification, but luckily our editor was wise enough to back it up an extra 60 minutes. Sometimes curls won't set, sometimes you have to change lip color 10 times, and don't forget those last-minute brows! Plus, when you're virtually clueless about hair and makeup like this girl (meaning me), you'll need more time to experiment with different looks til the perfect one is achieved (read: blue lipstick FTW).
Take a minute (but just one) to soak it all in.
Between placing necklaces just so, re-rolling a shirt sleeve or perfectly half-tucking a shirt, it was nice to take a moment to observe the team in action. I'm sure it doesn't always happen this way, but I genuinely enjoyed working with everyone; positive vibes and energy were high despite the frigid temperatures, and I'm really grateful for that.
I mean, duh. Sure, this sort of job has its share of stressful aspects, its awkward moments (i.e. carrying a model five feet so the bottoms of her shoes aren't compromised), but what isn't awesome about creating something beautiful and engaging for people to peruse and enjoy?
Thanks again to the team for making this real--I hope to work with all of you again!
[Editor: Maija Zummo//Photographer: Jesse Fox//Creative Director & Stylist: Betsy Wecker//Models: Ashley Dunsing, Maddie Mroz, Sierra Rayniece & Terrance Smith//Hair & Makeup: Cecili Robison, Brant Dutle & Megan Middleton at Paul Mitchell]
*All photos were taken with an iPhone 4.
