What Fashion Week Really Means For Stylists

Fashion Week is upon us once again! Every year, twice a year fashionistas dream of sitting in that coveted front row seat at their favorite designer’s fashion show. Fashion week, or rather fashion month is a biannual presentation of designer’s new collections for the upcoming season. The designer themselves are usually the face of the company but there’s a village of people behind the scenes in the fashion industry who get the designer’s garments out there; ranging from the buyers who decide which items will end up in stores to the stylists who choose the clothing that will end up gracing the red carpets.

A stylist’s job doesn’t end there, in fact stylists play a huge role in the before and after process of a fashion show that people don’t even realize. When most people think of a stylist they think of the glamour of dressing celebrities on the red carpet. But there’s many different types of stylists, including runway stylists who style the looks you see strutting down the runway. You didn’t think Olivier or Karl design multiple collections per year AND source the shoes/accessories to go along with it all did you? That’s where the stylist comes in. If you want to be a stylist but are still weighing your options on what type of styling you want to do, listen up!

Styling fashion shows is equal parts high energy and high stress. The process can start up to six months prior to the show or in some cases you can be called two days before, things can be unpredictable in this industry. You can be called to do a job that can catapult your career at the very last minute, you just never know, that’s why you have to stay ready.

Runway styling is not for the faint of heart, as mentioned, the backstage of fashion shows are hectic and having high energy is a must. Shows are over in the blink of an eye, so if you don’t like working on the same project for an extended period of time, this is a great path for you. Even though it’s a relatively short job, the impact lasts forever. How you style a look on the runway sets the tone for how it will appear on red carpet appearances and on celebrities, since most looks are pulled and styled how they were shown on the runway. No pressure.

You might be wondering why designer’s don’t just send clothes down the runway the way it was sketched out. Designers work on their collection for months at a time and when you get so close to any type of work it’s always good to have new eyes give the collection a fresh perspective and introduce new ideas the designer would’ve never thought of otherwise. Stylists have a huge hand in influencing the next season’s trends, but often are overlooked, especially during fashion week when they tirelessly work hard to create detail oriented, show stopping looks.

With so much going on backstage, organization skills are an absolute must. You’re not only styling the looks, but you have to keep track of every detail from which models are wearing what look (which you decide upon with the designer) to the smallest accessory and make sure it goes back to where it came from after the show. You have to be able to keep calm under pressure because it gets intense.

So how can you get your foot in the door styling fashion shows you ask? Small fashion shows are always happening throughout the year and you can start off by volunteering to dress models backstage. Stores like Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus have personal shopping departments that host mini fashion shows on a local level. This will give you the first hand opportunity to see the fast-paced nature of fashion shows.

If you’ve never been behind the scenes of a fashion show, know that chaotic is an understatement, but it’s all worth it when you see your styling walk down the runway.Next time you see your favorite designers collection down the runway, remember the stylist who had a hand in elevating the look!