Shoes by Camilla Skovgaard What exactly is a stylist and why would you need one on your wedding day? A stylist is a bit different from a wedding planner in the sense a whole 'look' is put together for you. Styling is all about fashion. This means a stylist actually finds just the right hair and make-up people, the perfect gown, accessories, etc. Since we here at Bride Chic are so devoted to the bride from a fashion perspective, I asked Seth Friedermann an innovative New York City stylist the following questions:
Q. How can a stylist help a bride out?
Seth: From what I have seen a bride needs all the help she can get. Here it is one of the most beautiful moments of your life and you are prevented from enjoying it by the endless parade of decisions and choices that you are being asked to make. A good stylist will listen to you and cut down the amount of choices by not presenting you with styles that you would never pick anyway. You can see it your mind, the perfect dress, the perfect ensemble. A stylist will hunt it down for you, schedule the fitting, pick up the dress, deliver it to your house, show you how to wear it, help you pick the accessories and more. The stylist can do all of this and help with the outfits for the rehearsal dinner and honeymoon. A good stylist will also work with your make up artist and hair stylist so that the whole magical vision that you see so clearly in your vision will be realized. The ultimate goal of the stylist is to give you that look that you desire and to save you the time and aggravation of having to do it for yourself. The more prepared and less encumbered you are the more you can relax and enjoy the day that you have dreamt of.
Q. How does a bride go about finding a stylist?
Seth: Now, I have never been a fan of telling someone that they need something without telling them how they can find it. So you need a good stylist; you also need to find them and be able to tell that they are good at what they do. A good place to start is with your local fashion photographers, they will usually be able to tell you which stylists have a talented eye and are professional, (read: dependable and honest), to work with. If that doesn't work talk to any successful models in your area they also should be able to give you the same feedback.
Once you have your list of candidates together how can you tell who is right for you? There are two major things to look for one is obvious the other not so much. The not so obvious involves anatomy, would it surprise you if I told you that the reason I get work as a stylist is my ears? I ask my clients a series of qualifying questions, then I shut my mouth and listen. A good stylist is good at understanding what you mean by the language that you use. If when you interview your prospective stylist they; A.) talk more than they listen or, B.) Show you pictures of what they like before you say a word, waste no time telling them to go home. The obvious quality to look for is compatibility/chemistry. Know how you and your beloved just click and understand each other so well? You and your stylist have to have the same relationship, (if you click with your stylist better than with your betrothed, consider marrying your stylist instead...only joking). Seriously though it should be that same kind of finishing each other's sentences, "hey that's my favorite too!", type of communication.
So that's my sales pitch for myself and my fellow stylist professionals, we really do love making women and men absolutely beautiful. And I for one would consider it a huge honor to be asked to help a woman look magical and glorious on that most special, of all days. If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me at statementsstyle@gmail.com
Seth also has an interesting blog about his experiences as a NYC stylist complete with runway photos, http://statementstyle.blogspot.com/In addition, his website, Couture Tours NYC, is something I intend taking once I get to the Big Apple. It offers pre-packaged or custom tours of New York City's fashion world. To somebody like me who lives and breathes fashion, Seth's innovation is a boon! As he puts it, “New York City’s best fashion shopping neighborhoods are spread out over the length and breadth of Manhattan and the borough of Brooklyn. Not only is finding the best stores challenging but you can take all day and still not find the best. You don’t have to exhaust yourself to have a great shopping experience. All you have to do is select one of our neighborhood or citywide tours.”
And what a menu of tours. Check this out: East Village and Alphabet City Tour, Soho Tour, West Village Tour; there are even specialized citywide tours such as, The Vintage Tour, Icons of Fashion Tour and even a Rising Stars Tour. You can read his whole menu of tours at http://couturetoursnyc.com/