Yours truly is now a certified stylist

As I wrap up my final project for the Fashion Styling certificate program at FIT NYC, I feel very proud of myself. First, I was consistent with my attendance, the rain nor my neck pain stop me from being present for each class. I figure out I will have no excuse to miss one day. 

The school has shortened the length of the original course because of the pandemic. We were scheduled six hours of class for nine weeks from September 13th to November 11th; every Monday and Thursday from 6h30 pm to 9h 30 pm. 

The course is divided into four branches, each of them included several sessions, two of each branch taught by an experienced instructor. The University followed all the sanitary protocols, each attendee had to give proof of complete vaccination, and the room was large enough for us to parse six feet from each other, and you were subject to always wear a mask. 

The thought alone was exciting, I was thrilled to be seated in a classroom again; after so many years, I was finally stepping into my passion and ultimately learning from the best of the industry. 

The first day I was very nervous, we were moving out from our last place, and it was beautiful chaos.  Little did I know the universe was in my favor and I was about to open a beautiful chapter of my future. 

The first instructor, she has amassed a plethora of experience over the years, and she was passing down to us her knowledge by breaking it down to us each step of the way to become a stylist.

First, what being a stylist is, what do you do? What to know, how to do your work basically the “marche a suivre”. There is no book of instruction on how to become a stylist, you must be willing to learn, develop your skills and adjust. 

As She was detailing with real-life experiences the basics of being a stylist, I understood the primary role of a stylist is first and foremost a problem solver (which is the core that motivates me in life and my professional career).

I absorb all the valuable information and took a bunch of notes, and most importantly I was learning new skills and have a broader understanding of the Fashion Industry and its components. 

I love to believe that I am not good with my hands or not crafty enough when it comes to those types of skills. At first, I was like, oh I can’t do that (this is a thought I am mainly working on avoiding saying) after many attempts and asking for help. I did a pretty good job at pinning my garments. 

The Art of fit is an excellent advantage for a stylist, this skill set is expected of you by the brands, photographers and models, and clients you are working with (A lot goes on the back to look fit and natural in the front). Of course, you get better over time with practice or more profound knowledge of fabrics. 

As we moved on to the next chapter of the course, we also moved to the second instructor. She also has vast experience in the domain; we get more knowledge for still life photography. In the first class, we get deeper into still life styling, what it is? How to create still life, the tricks, and skills you need to require perfecting your craft. 

In the second class, we had a top fashion stylist extraordinaire who gave us a lot of valuable tips and how basically the backstage on a fashion show goes the dos and don’ts to have a successful show and keep everyone from the designer and attendees happy. 

Third class another top soft goods stylist came in also revealed all the tips and skills one requires to have another to work with a photographer and brands. It was refreshing learning from experimented stylish and hearing their perspective on how to adapt and better your skills set. 

I was cheery about a meeting with professional photographers because I started taking my own photos for the blog Z EYE FOR FASHION AND BEAUTY (by the way let me know what you think of the latest pictures posted) and social media content. The magic of great photos, campaigns, Fashion Shows, and magazine content is a team of stylists, photographers, editors, hair, and makeup and so much more talented professionals.

This is the creative part I most enjoy because getting out of my shell I realize I can perform a little bit of each of those components. We were hands-on on many projects first we did a soft goods group photoshoot project with a very renowned photographer, an editorial three looks page spread group project with another very talented well-known photographer. 

Our instructor was conducting us to learn how to execute our final project which consisted of four looks for an editorial spread. The final project was individual, and we had to present with a business card, mood board, and final pictures. 

I learned each minute of each class, I am confident that within my skills set and creativity plus the knowledge from the course of how to shop, how to present looks to clients, how to reach brands, how to work as a stylist for a magazine, the importance of a stylist backstage during a fashion show, pinning skills, soft goods skills, the materials in my kit set, how to work around models, photographers understand every role from the assistant stylist to the hair and make to a final photoshoot and not to forget how stylist comportment can make or break them. 

I want to pursue my studies in the Fashion Industry by getting more certificates and work experience and developing my creativity. Ultimately my goal is a master in Fashion & Luxury MBA at NYU.