Student Book Review: "The Pocket Stylist"

The Pocket Stylist byKendall Farr
Review by Kaitlin Mariani

The book starts off with the three of women’s biggest misconceptions about fashion. Big fashion misconception #1 is to truly look great in your clothing you must maintain a model’s figure. All women are built differently, short, tall, skinny, fat, round, square. Each of us women all have different shapes and sizes. Some women don’t know how to dress themselves because they only notice others’ figures and don’t realize what they look like.

Big fashion misconception #2 is your style quotient is raised whenever you wear the must-haves of any season – wearing the BIG LOOKS assures that you look like you have an insider view of fashion. Just because it looks “amazing” on a model, does not mean it’s going to look that way on you or me. Models are supposed to be “skinny.” In my opinion, I think that models are way too skinny and they put a bad look on women in society.

Big fashion misconception #3: ready-to-wear is actually ready to wear. You will never find a "perfect fit” right off the racks. It's just not possible, unless you are a size 00 with no boobs and no butt, then maybe, just maybe you will find your perfect fit dress.

When trying to find an outfit for a photo shoot, you are keeping in mind the silhouette, proportion, fabric, and optical illusion versus delusion. Next you have to remember what is right for your body type. Different clothes look a lot different of women. When I am at a clothing store and I see women pick up something and then run straight to the register, it amazes me because then they get home and most likely then up not liking the shirt because it “didn’t fit right.” It only takes less than 2-3 minutes to try something on. In conclusion to this book, no woman is the same size. We all have our different curves. We all have things we love and hate about our bodies. As long as you love yourself and keep your head high then no one will pay all their attention to your body. Every girl should cherish their body and love themselves for who they are, inside and out.

Kaitlin Mariani was a student in my Fall 2012 Fashion Photo Styling class at San Diego Mesa College. Thanks, Kaitlin, for sharing your book review on this blog.

Student Book Review: "Talking Fashion"

Talking Fashion
Author: Sarajane Hoare

By Mikayla Medina

This book is known to be an “eye-opener” for all fashion fans. After reading this book and deeply trying to understand each photograph with the short story beforehand, I really enjoyed.

Sarajane Hoare became a well-known fashion editor in London in the late eighties. She decided to share her thoughts and experiences by answering through her book “Talking Fashion.” Each photograph that was put into the book had weeks of planning put into it and beautiful ideas. Sarajane worked with fashion’s finest photographers and together they put together this book that made me realize there is so much more to being a fashion editor than I thought.

My favorite quote by Sarajane in this book is on the first page she wrote, fifth paragraph, it says, “You must love everything about clothes, and do so with a passion. It’s not just about adoring to drss up for parties, or about shopping – sorry, it’s to do with writing about clothes, fighting for the ??, ironing, pinning, and counting them, weighing, carrying, and analyzing them, dreaming of them, even sleeping with the damn things – without ever being able to get away.” This was so inspirational to me because it pushed me to work harder and better for what I love. This book gave me a better understanding of working in fashion in the simplest ways.

The photographs are absolutely amazing, not a page I could get bored staring at. She added small quotes to each “theme” of her photographs that definitely keep the reader interested. The one that stood out to me the most was the model who modeled the choker necklace because she wrote beside it how the model fainted after the shoot due to how tight the collar was on her neck. This put imagery and thoughts in my head, thinking how you could avoid this from happening and what I would do in this sort of situation.

“Talking Fashion” was a book I enjoyed reading. I also shared it with my family while I was on vacation and they loved it. It is always cool reading about others’ experiences in the fashion industry and building knowledge of it.

Mikayla Medina was a student in my Fashion Photo Styling class at San Diego Mesa College. Thanks, Mikayla for sharing your book review on this blog.

Student Book Review: "Career Diary of a Fashion Stylist"

by Samia Lavenant
I really enjoyed this insight into Kim Maxwell’s job as a stylist. It gives a realistic step-by-step description of all the functions involved in order to be a successful and more effective stylist. It is about constant research, multi-tasking, and organization.

There are so many activities that are involved that need to be done in order to be a top and sought-after stylist. The activities vary from changing your image, cutting your hair, to watching a movie as research. I like how she is a fast thinker and problem solver. It shows how being a fashion stylist requires a lot of energy and to learn and keep on learning.

When she is looking for new work she has to be on top of her game and be good at selling her service. I like the part where she works with the hip-hop group and how she manages to get more wardrobe than initially ordered under the low budget she was given. She mentions what a challenge it is, but she makes up for it with her experience. However, in this example she also shows how some factors are out of the stylist’s control like the jewelry rental. This was a clear example of how even when you prepare for all of the scenarios, there could be a mistake from someone’s end that reflects on you.

However, each job has to be analyzed to see what you have learned and things that can be improved. In each day of her diary it gives you a note about things that she feels can make her more sharp and effective.

I found this book very pleasant to read and very informative. I was also more optimistic to continue with plans to develop a styling company since in my current job I have to deal with a lot of multi-tasking. It also describes a lot of activities that I already do to research or out of interest like: watching movies for researching, surfing the web, and analyzing trends. I believe even though it is a stressful business I will enjoy it a lot.

Samia is a star student and an aspiring stylist. With ambitions to work in film and theater in addition to still photography, she has the potential to go far. (That's my opinion as her professor!)
 
This is the first in a series of student reviews of some of my favorite styling books.

An Impressive Promotion by Dan Whipps

Dan Whipps is a Baltimore-area photographer whom I met virtually, like so many people I "know." I had asked food stylist Debbie Wahl to submit some images for my new book and she sent several great samples she'd shot with Dan. I hope to use one or more to illustrate food styling in “Starting Your Career as a Food Stylist,” coming out next spring.


A few days later I found a package in my mailbox, a cardboard box labeled Dan Whipps Photography. Inside was a hand-assembled booklet that he sends out to prospective clients and I was honored to receive it. But under it was an even bigger surprise – two sturdy glasses. Sliding the booklet from its vellum sleeve, I discovered that it tells the story of the glasses. He says, “So, I found this glass in a hotel room in Michoacan, Mexico… It is utterly unremarkable and yet, it struck me as the perfect vessel,” and he goes on to tell of his search for the same glasses back home, where he ordered four cases.

On the front of the book: “My favorite glass, A love story. With Pictures. Dan Whipps”

On heavy paper, the pages of the booklet illustrate with beautiful photography (and styling) various uses for the glasses. Dan says he puts each booklet together by hand and I’m sure there are times he’s started this process. But it is such a treat to receive that I believe a client’s appreciation would make it worth his effort.

A composite for my book of some of my favorite images (of the 16 photos included)

I’m not sure how long he spent working with stylists Debbie Wahl (http://www.debbiewahl.com/) and designer/art director Betty Walke. (http://www.walkeworks.com/) I decided to create a composite of these images for the book to feature in my new chapter on Prop Styling. It provides such good examples of prop styling, as well as an inspiration for self-promotion. Dan Whipps: http://www.whippsphoto.com/

Looking Back at Halloween

I always wish that the Halloween holiday would fall on a day that I'm teaching a fashion class so I could see what the students create. This year Brent Scherer, one of my star students in Apparel Construction 1 at San Diego Mesa College intrigued me with a description of the Halloween costume he had completed: a vinyl mad scientist costume! Here's what he had to say:

A friend helped me to use me as a dress form to drape the vinyl and cut out the main pattern pieces. Each piece was then sewn together and the edged hemmed with about 1" all around.




The standing collar was made with an extra layer of vinyl inside to serve as the interfacing (since I only had medium weight and it wasn't going to be strong enough to hold it upright like I wanted).


It has 10 straps on it (or 5 short belts), five of which were attached to buckles and the other five were designed with eyelets. All were made up of folded over strips of vinyl.

The main coat possesses 2 short vinyl sleeves with enough ease to allow good freedom of movement.


Store-bought rubber gloves were sewn with more vinyl to extend them up the arms to the shoulder point. Also used single darts to tighten the rubber gloves a little more at the elbows because they were so loose.


A square of vinyl was placed on the inside of the coat with a button snap to keep the inner flap of the coat secured to the outer flap which went across the front to strap at the sides.

Bio: Brent is a recent graduate of UCSD with a BS in Chemistry. He appreciates all things unique and dark and expresses it creatively in writing, drawing, and constructing. Taking a formal course on sewing and utilizing the expertise of friends, he's recently begun learning to create costumes and clothing. Presently, as a hobby, he makes furry tails and gloves which he then auctions off at TheDealersDen.com under the seller name Kulkun.

Brent praised that he "used a lot of what you taught me." He, along with several other costume fanatics in this class, is convincing me that sewing may stay alive beyond the home sewer and fashion designer.

On-Campus Fashion Shoot 2011

Like every year now, October brings an on-campus fashion shoot with my students at San Diego Mesa College. Last year we worked with Fashion Photography students from City College. my friend and photography professor, and other professional photographers shot our models, generously provided by San Diego Model Management.

This semester I was stumped since Siobhan is off with her baby girl and there is no fashion photography class. I decided to allow one student from our groups to BE the photographer. Turns out it worked great.

The challenge is to create an editorial fashion spread based on a concept that I provided. We use the same themes every year and they are always so different! The concepts:

1. Focus on the Fit

2. Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl

3. In Living Color

4. Skater Girl

5. Take Back the Night

6. Hippie Chic

7. Organic Beauty

The 7 groups will design and print portfolio-quality two-page spreads with a headline, subhead, captions, and crew credits in addition to fabulous fashion shots. I’ll keep you posted!

Among the impressive ideas this year were:

• Two groups brought their own models.
• Three groups brought in a makeup artist.
• One group had several vintage cars and trucks show up!
• One recruited a dreadlocked youth on his way home from high school willing to model with our “skater girl.”
• A student jumped in as a model and found she has a talent.
• The fashion options were extensive and cool.

Here are some behind-the-scenes views of several of the simultaneous shoots on our campus.

Fashion Styling Contest on Photo Styling Workshops

Since holding a Photo Styling Workshops contest is so much fun we've got a new one going on - and have extended its deadline. Past contests have included:

• Show Us Your Toolkit
• My Favorite Styling Tool
• Photograph Your Mashed Potatoes (oddly this one received no entries, even though it was held over Thanksgiving weekend!)
• In One Sentence: How did you discover styling?
• and... Batting 1,000 to celebrate 1,000 Facebook friends and discover an image to use on our upcoming Home Page

Batting 1,000 brought in only food styling images, but some great ones! This was the winner by Israeli photographer Danny Lerner.

So we decided to hold a Fashion Styling Image Contest, to bring out the fashionista in our friends and customers. The winner will receive free registration for any online course or workshop (up to $50). It ends this Saturday, September 24 so pull some images. You may be the stylist or the photographer - or both!

These are a few of the entries so far:

Submissions above by Adrian Perry, Dasha Mosolova (MoDa), and Bianca Schmohl. Read contest rules here on Photo Styling Workshops. You can enter on our Facebook page or send your entry to photostylingworkshops@gmail.com.