Inspiration

As promised I want to be regular in posting styles that inspire me...hopefully after a while I can do a stylist look book

inspiration

I'm trying to be more proactive in collecting images of things which inspire me, excite me or just cause a stir to my senses. I will try to make this a regular thing

FASHION STYLIST LOOKBOOK

Thankfully there are more and more fashion stylist coming up in Kenya. So today's post is an article I read that I thought would be helpful.

http://itruebeauty.com/creating-a-fashion-styling-course-look-book.php

How ready are you for fashion school? In addition to the basic items every class will require, do you have a look book? Do you even know what one is? Here are some tips for creating a fashion styling course look book.

A look book is basically a collection of tear sheets, swatches and photographs. This book is the first step to defining your signature style. This is what you want to hand Nina Garcia and Michael Kors on the runway. It answers the question: “Who are you as a stylist?”

While training to be an Image or Fashion Stylist, it’s never too soon to begin building this personal collection of visuals. All you need is a binder with plastic inserts into which you can slip things. Make sure the pages are not adhesive as you want to be able to add and subtract inspiration with ease.

Section your book into three categories: Everybody Else, Me Me Me, and Strike A Match. You’ll be filling these sections with everything and anything you come across that stimulates you visually. You’re looking for elements that make you salivate; creatively speaking

Everybody Else

What does everybody else think is hot today? Look through magazines and pay attention to current trends that are influencing the major designers. This can be anything from color palettes, to fabric combinations, to tailoring.

If it seems like everybody has a Capri pant in their summer collection, tear pictures from magazines that demonstrate this fad. If you notice that every supermodel on every cover is wearing that same shade of cobalt blue, tear a sample page and save it.

Do you see the same insane knit pattern everywhere? Find out what it’s called and try to get a sample of the fabric. If you’re traveling and you observe trends specific to certain locations, definitely take note. All of this information will be helpful in your fashion styling course.

Me Me Me

If you’re entering this field, you probably have exceptional personal style, and your point of view is just as important as that of current designers. Every thought or concept that tickles your imagination is important.

This section will most likely be a jumble of ideas, sometimes scribbled on cocktail napkins, and that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be pretty or organized. It just needs to capture and safeguard your creative genius.

Say you happen to be getting ready to go out, and you’ve accidentally matched up the outfit of the century. This is a moment that must be recorded. Take a picture and memorialize what worked well.

If you do this consistently, you’ll soon discover that you naturally gravitate towards certain combinations. That’s your signature look!

If you’re hanging out and you get a vision of a white jeans paired with a mesh leotard, write down your idea. If you’re out shopping and you see a shirt dress, which would work better with some indefinable “itness,” value that inkling.

Don’t be selective, catalog every notion, every crazy and goofy rambling. You never know which one will result in sheer brilliance.

Strike a Match

In your fashion styling course, one important fact will be highlighted. The best designers are those who’ve successfully matched current trends with their own signature look. It’s what the public wants, but your spin on it elevates it to couture status.

In this final section of your look book, mix and match theories and concepts from the first two sections. Be open to unlikely combinations and magic will happen!

Cal State LA is holding an Open house on Thursday, September 9, 2010 at the Golden Eagle Building, Room 219, to introduce its new fashion styling course of studies. Students will have a unique opportunity to speak with instructors and learn about the ins and outs of the fashion industry with a focus on past, present and future trends.

Full Figured Fashion Week

A friend of mine liked the post I did on DVF but felt plus-size women were left out in all these runway trends. I promised i would do a post to take care of that. As we all know runway shows more or less promote super thin look..if you ask e anorexia..and I guess we have Twiggy to thank for that....and in all honesty I almost felt like throttling her when she was judging ANTM and so proud of the fact that she brought in that trend.

When former fashion model Gwen Devoe attended her first New York City Fashion Week event, she realized that no matter how much she liked a designer's fashion line, she would never be able to wear it.It wasn't because she could not afford it. It was because none of the lines were made in her size. Devoe is a plus size model who, like tens of millions of women everywhere, loves the world of fashion. But also, like millions of women everywhere, she did not fit the prototype of the women showcased on the runways and in the fashion magazines donning haute couture.That’s when Devoe decided to throw the fashion industry a curveball and create an internationally known fashion event catered to plus size women: Full Figured Fashion Week.

From the official FFFW:

Full Figured Fashion Week™ (FFFWeek) is produced by DeVoe Signature Events (DSE), a boutique events management company with an extensive background in the production of fashion related events and a strong and effective mix of proven plus industry experience and success.

With over 15 years experience in fashion show production, Gwen DeVoe, CEO of DSE, Creator and Executive Producer of FFFWeek says, "It is time for designers, retailers, boutique owners and businesses with an interest in the plus size market to combine their resources and talents and partner with a plus fashion event that will rival other Fashion Weeks and Full Figured Fashion Week™ IS that event."

Now in our fourth year as the exclusive producers of Full Figured Fashion Week™, DSE continues to receive accolades throughout the plus community and national and international media coverage of the event.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing everyone at Full Figured Fashion Week™ in New York City, June 13-16, 2012

In all honesty I was clueless before I started doing reserch for this post that such a fashion week existed. It tells you how much the fashion fraternity is apathetic in covering this important event. I am now informed and will be looking forward to June to follow and fully report on the designs showed. In the meantime I have included previous years photos. I will review the looks at a later date in a separate post.

AUTUMN/WINTER FASHION WEEKS 2012

The 'Big Four' Fashion weeks are: New York,London, Milan and Paris Fashion weeks.The schedule begins with New York, followed by London, and then Milan, and ending the events in Paris. They are held semi-annually for all the four cities. The Autumn/Summer starting in February till March and the Spring/Winter starting in September till October. Paris Fashion Week dates may vary as the French Federation Council has a huge say in determining the same.

It is of interest to note that out of the four, three fashion weeks are in Europe leading credence to my belief that the continent is the fashion haven. There are other Fashion weeks of note but in the coming weeks I will be reviewing the big four.

A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers and the media to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, these events let the industry know what's "in" and what's "out" for the season. For anyone who is a die hard fashion enthusiast this is a culmination of the best mix of all aspect of fashion with its cauldron of all kinds of fashion professionals and stakeholders. My dream is to one day be so established in fashion that I will be able to attend the big four. It's actually weird because in my last year of campus while job hunting the big four meant the top four Auditing, Tax and consultancy Firms in the country. How the winds change...
So the images from each Fashion week from the four Cities: