The Perfect Wardrobe Styling Job

This week I had the perfect booking, wardrobe styling for three male executives’ portraits. I was referred by my makeup artist buddy Natalie Dixon, who also worked. She says at first she thought she’d be able to do the makeup and the styling because it seemed simple – no shopping or propping, just a little steaming of their own suits. (It wasn’t that simple.)

The styling job was “perfect” because (1.) The men were bringing their own clothing, two sets of suits, shirts, ties, etc., (2.) it was to be a short day, (3.) for a full high-end day rate, (4.) we would be shooting in an office building with all the conveniences, just steaming and ironing if needed, and (5.) we would be paid the same day! Natalie said “This sets the bar for a good booking!”

Of course it wasn’t so cushy. I worked hard at watching the shots and making sure the suits did not do what suits do when men sit down or fold their arms – they pull and crinkle. Also when men sit down in a suit jacket, a ridge forms at the back, just behind the collar and it needs constant attention. I was regularly “going in” to straighten things out and, as always, non-professionals move out of position to see what you're doing when you come to make an adjustment.

I have to admit I haven’t learned how to tie a tie. But I did hold a mirror so they could tie their own (second nature for them) and placed tissues over the shirt collars so makeup wouldn’t get rubbed on the collar when they flip it up. (A TV trick.)

We wrapped after about six hours and got to eat a late lunch – delicious food was brought in by our office host. And got paid. The tiresome part is schlepping, as every stylist knows, carrying my supplies to the car: rolling rack, steamer, iron, towel, mini-ironing board, kit, swivel hangers, all the necessary items. But on this shoot I wasn’t the last to leave for once - the photo assistants were still breaking down lights and the art director was transferring files for another hour or so! Now, off to the bank.

My Daughter's Sleep Patterns

Last week my daughter found out she can slip her beloved iPhone under her pillow and record her sleep patterns. She says the results seem valid as the times she was restless are in sync with those on the sleep patterns.


This has little to do with photo styling, I realize, but everything to do with the changing world we live in. As a stylist one has to be aware of the trends of technology, tastes, and fashion. These factors are all part of the images we create and the way people see them.

A Magazine a Year

I wish I had thought of this idea years and years ago. I wish I had kept just one magazine from every year of my life. I started looking at them when my mother would buy a McCall's or Ladies Home Journal. When I was seventeen I bought my own.

I could have started with those sixties Seventeen magazines, that had a certain smell (a good inky smell), were oversized, with articles about letting the boy feel smarter and Breck shampoo ads. Through my young adulthood I could have set aside just one issue a year. They could be Glamour, (the late) Madamoiselle, followed by (the late) House & Garden, Cosmopolitan, Ms., (the late) Apartment Life, even an issue of Playgirl. Later I could add Working Mother, (the late) Working Woman, several years of Vogue, Elle, and Allure.

But I never thought of it. Life was going too fast and I moved too much. It would be a weighty stack of 30 or 40 magazines I’d be lugging around. Still, wouldn’t it be fun to see a 1974 Glamour, a 1982 Vogue, a 1988 Gourmet, a 1996 Metropolitan Home?

So my advice to anyone younger is to start saving. Just one magazine for every year. A trip through style.

Above: 1967 and 1965 Seventeen covers courtesy of Seventeen Magazine. View a slide show of covers from 1944 to present. 1968 Vogue Magazine cover courtesy of Journal of Magazine and New Media Research. 1975 Apartment Life cover courtesy of Ready Made.com.

Talk About Prop Styling!

How fun it would be to style the props for this photo shoot! The latest issue of Anthropologie catalog is centered around circus props. Every shot in the catalog is based on this theme, but the cover shot shows it all! Where did the stylist find them? Rented the whole batch from a real circus, I presume. Had to be several prop stylists involved, lots of heavy lifting. All that in addition to the fashion stylists who styled the models. It was shot in the desert, California or some other Western location. Very fun!


The copy is minimal and very small so it doesn't detract from the theme. To subscribe to the catalog go to www.anthropologie.com.

Finale Of Substituting

My third day of subbing for Susan Lazear in the San Diego Mesa College Fashion Department is finished and it was a good day. In Fashion History we talked about the Romans, including those two bad boys, Romulus and Remus. The students did Web research to define the garments on our list.

My Power Point presentations on Crete, the Greeks, and the Romans are now uploaded and ready for student review. Click here and then double-click on the document.


And the fashion photo shoot on campus was really fun! Those students loved it - it was so fun to watch their creativity and fashion sense. They got lots of great shots for the Golden Scissors show. Watch your mailbox or this blog.

One last question, one I'm curious about myself. The Statue of Liberty. Is she dressed in Greek or Roman clothing?? Any answers? Add comments below.

Statue of Liberty image courtesy of www.scraptv.com.

More College Substituting

Today it was the Greeks! I didn't study fashion in college (I was in Fine Arts) and I never took fashion history. So this has been a real challenge, and very informative, to substitute in a Fashion History class at San Diego Mesa College this week. I spent most of the day Sunday (until Super Bowl half-time) reviewing my notes on Greek history, culture, and clothing and creating Power Point presentations on all! Wow, what a crash course!


Presenting the material today was exciting but I did have some areas of confusion. What exactly is the difference between a Doric Chiton and an Ionic Chiton? Is it the peplum fold at the top of the wrap? Or is the closures at the shoulders with pins made of bone and known as "fibula"? Is the Chlaina the same as the Diplax, except for the part of the body where it is worn? How did the women keep the precarious Tholia on top of their heads?


I hope Susan Lazear can clarify some of these critical questions for Fashion 120. Meanwhile the Power Point presentations wil be uploaded soon to my educational site.

The Publishing class was easy though! We had fashion photo shoots right on campus to shoot promos for the Golden Scissors Fashion Show. More soon about the shoot...

Fashion History Subbing

Yesterday I had the pleasure of teaching a session of Fashion History at San Diego Mesa College. I am substituting for Susan Lazear who is presenting at a workshop in New Zealand. After an intense learning session of my own we covered the Minoan culture of Crete and will be moving on next week to Greek and Roman fashion history. The fun part is relating these historic influences to contemporary fashions.

I also taught Susan's class in InDesign/Publishing. This is a natural for me - we are doing a fashion photo shoot for the Fashion Department's annual fashion show, the Golden Scissors Awards, coming up in May. It'll be great fun leading these enthusiastic and creative students through a photo shoot. I will write more about it next week.

Meanwhile for the Fashion History class, here is a link to the Power Point presentations on Crete. (Thanks to my friend Annie Amata for the Minoan crash course and learning materials!)