Skills Needed For Fashion Stylist

Fashion Knowledge and Adventurous Style

Fashion stylists need more than great taste. When putting together a look, they must also consider a number of factors, such as color and fit. Knowing what clothes will flatter a variety of body types is important. They must also be able to see the possibilities in clothing. Successful fashion stylists can take conventional pieces and use them in unconventional ways. They are clothing innovators.

Ability to Communicate

The ability to communicate with clients is also essential. Fashion stylists need to be able to find the compromise between their own style and opinions and their clients' wants and needs. They need to be able to influence without overpowering.


Business Sense

Most fashion stylists are self-employed, so they need to be able to run their own businesses. They must maintain client relationships and handle administrative tasks or hire others to do them

A fashion stylist helps to coordinate all of the parts of a fashion shoot or fashion showcase on the catwalk. In this capacity, a fashion stylist handles the interaction of the clothing with jewelry and other accessories, to make sure the look is as it should be. In a personal capacity, a fashion stylist may be hired to help a person pick out exactly the right look for them, and to help them find the right wardrobe and accessories. This sort of fashion stylist may often be referred to as a personal shopper, although their scope is somewhat more limited.

Work Activities of Fashion Stylist

Typical Work Activities include:

* Contacting public Relation (PR) Companies, Manufacturers and Retailers

* Finding the best range of Merchandise to be used in a Shoot

* Hiring, borrowing or purchasing garments and props, getting these garments to the studio or location and deciding which works best

* Dressing people, such as models, used in the shoot

* Building up a network of contacts

* Keeping a keen eye on what is fashionable at any given time

Overview of Fashion Styling

Fashion Stylists create visual images, such as photographs used in magazine articles or videos used in the music industry. Working from a design brief, stylists work with teams of people such as photographers, designers, lighting technicians and set builders.

The work involves planning creative solutions to the design brief, selecting the most suitable accessories to complement garments and arranging these appropriately.

Companies who employ stylists include magazines, newspapers, retail organizations, advertising agencies and music production companies. Some stylists are self-employed.

Stylists may progress from editorial assistant work on fashion magazines where there is constant contact with PR companies, manufacturers and retailers.


There is an art to putting together the right outfit for the right occasion. The best clothes do more than cover. They express the wearer's personality and style. They make good first impressions and boost self-confidence. Good fashion stylists know how to bring out the best in the people they dress and the clothes they choose.

From working with celebrity clients to styling models for photo shoots, there are many different arenas in which fashion stylists can use their talents. Stylists' work is evident in music videos, advertisements, TV shows and movies. They may also work with designers or public relations experts. A fashion stylist career can provide exciting opportunities to bring style to a variety of interesting people.