Basics Fashion Design 08: Styling: (Basics Fashion Design)

There are few academic texts on the subject of fashion styling, and many students are unsure about what it is and who has paved the way in this specific field. Basics Fashion Design 08: Styling offers an effective mix of key stylists' biographies, high quality images by professionals and students alike and practical advice about how to produce a photo-shoot and break into the industry. A stylist is responsible for choosing the look and clothing for a fashion image to communicate a fashion idea, trend or theme, or to advertise a fashion product. This book outlines what it means to style for a catalogue or advertisement (commercial styling), or a magazine (editorial styling) and what types of skills these different fields require. Styling proves that even on a limited budget, with tremendous imagination and drive it is possible to create beautiful and relevant work.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. The fashion stylist: What is fashion styling?; Aspects of the job; A career in fashion styling; Interview: Christopher Shannon; Interview: Deborah Cartwright. Essential research: Fashion awareness; Fashion communication and culture; Contextual studies; Fashion referencing. Sectors within styling: Editorial styling; Commercial styling; Still-life styling; Personal styling; Interview: Siobhan Lyons; Interview: Emma Jade Parker; Interview: Carol Woollam. Preparing for a photoshoot: Working with a team; Inspiration and development; Casting the model; Locations; Sourcing clothes; Props and set design. The photoshoot in production: Production planning; Final brief and testing; Day of the shoot; Editing photographs; Post-production and layout. Fashion in motion: Styling for the Internet; Online blogs and magazines; Catwalk shows and events; Fashion film; Interview: Clare Potts; Interview: Jana Kossaibati; Interview: Matthew Pike. Bibliography. Further references. Index. Picture credits. Ethics.

About the Author :
Clare Buckley has worked in the fashion industry for over ten years as a freelance fashion editor and stylist for publications including Russh, Wallpaper* and the Guardian: Weekend magazine. She has styled celebrity clients such as Paloma Faith and Sophie Ellis Bextor. She is an associate lecturer on the Fashion Promotion with Styling course at UCLAN, UK. Jacqueline McAssey is the course leader in Fashion Promotion with Styling at UCLAN, where she has taught for over ten years. Prior to her career in education, Jacqueline worked in the industry in fashion promotion. She also works as a freelance stylist, styling editorial and commercial projects, events and exhibitions.

Review :
For the level 3 students who are interested in styling this is a useful and insightful resource. The layout of the book is well considered and easy to read, with great inspiring visuals. The book contains useful information about the role of a stylist, drawing similar parallel approaches for inspiration as a designer, in terms of research methods, use of imagery and market/trend awareness. It also informs the student of the practicalities and organisation of a stylist's role behind the perceived glamour of a photo shoot, offering useful tips and guidance. The book will also be useful for students to refer to when styling their first outfits for their graduation look books and will also inform them for future fashion shoots/look books. I would recommend this book for level 3 students and will include it on their reading list. It will not only offer an insight into styling, but be useful in expanding students overall knowledge of the fashion industry and related career opportunities. An easy to navigate book which will enable students to dip in where appropriate. The book is a useful aid to preparing promotional material for collections as well as a more in-depth insight into careers in styling. One of AVA Basics more recent additions to this splendidly useful series is the Fashion Styling guide. Written by Jacqueline McAssey and Clare Buckley, it explains why and how the fashion stylist is now a valued and integral part of the fashion industry. The first section of the book explains how fashion stylists emerged and evolved, before setting out key aspects of a career in this field - such as the importance of research and sourcing. The book includes interviews and case studies throughout. It traces the emergence of this relatively recent career choice back to the 1980s, revealing significant figures such as Ray Petri, regarded by many to have been the first modern 'stylist'. The many guises of a fashion stylist today and the varied fields that they work in are set out clearly in a richly illustrated and accessible format. Many examples of inspirational styling work are included which detail the work of current professionals. The book also features some great examples of work by undergraduate students studying in the field. It shows how students have to work with often extreme budget constraints, but use their imagination and inventive sourcing methods to achieve impressive end results. The book also reveals that many skills are required for this career and that the job often demands much physical stamina too. Team-working skills are key, as well as resourcefulness and imagination. In short, this book is comprehensive and clear, packed with lots of practical advice - it is a great guide to a career in fashion styling. The book touches all important aspects of styling. It will help the students as an initial starting point before going into more depth on the subject. I love the books [Fashion Drawing, Developing a Collection and Styling] ... the price, the current information and the size. They, as well as the AVA website, will be highly recommended to my students.