Featured Schools

by Lynsey Hemstreet
Fashion Design Schools Colleges Columnist

Do you ever wonder who concocts those frilly outfits in magazines, looking like confections of lip gloss and ruffles and pointy shoes? Or how about the carefully disarrayed casual-chic looks in the windows of popular teen stores? Fashion stylists are the ones who set the trends.

Fashion stylists put together outfits from shoes to hair, seeking a "look" that is easily identifiable at once. Many starlets have the same stylist, who can be blamed for bringing back trends (leggings and denim micro-minis, anyone?) that were better left in the '80s. More accomplished fashion stylists can be seen on personal makeover shows, instructing the clothes clueless in (usually) what not to wear.

Fashion Stylist Schools

Most fashion stylists have the same background as any other fashion designer; they can sketch, sew and sell their clothes. Most fashion schools do not offer specific courses for fashion stylists, but these students make their own courses. It's the connections you make in fashion school and beyond that will facilitate a career as a fashion stylist. Magazines, photo shoots and celebrities pave the way for success in this field.

A Career as a Fashion Stylist

By combining certain silhouettes, certain designers, and creating a hair and makeup look to go with this fashion sensibility, fashion stylists build their own "schools" of looks. Some stylists insist that rock n' roll equals eyeliner, leather and messy hair, while others tailor their talents to embracing the squeaky-clean bright colors and natural makeup of pop.

Fashion stylists, regardless of their education, have enough of their own personal style to set the trends. Imagine a career based on helping others to dress well! Sounds fun.

About the Author

Lynsey Hemstreet is a freelance writer and hairstylist. She has a BA in Journalism from San Francisco State University.

Source(s)

"Fashion Designer," U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics