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[Spike413]

Andrea.RL, I feel your pain with a concept being disregarded thing. I'm technically not a stylist but an editor, and even still I've had those situations where the photographer takes the concept and just goes in their own direction with it even when you're trying to get them to give you what you want. It's such a frustrating feeling, probably the part of the job that bothers me the most. But I'd say that you still did a really strong job with the styling in spite of your vision not being used more.

I also love the color you managed to work with in the Paris story. Looking at the editorial as a whole, instead of page by page the way you would in a magazine, it just looks really vibrant and light.

I've always found male models more challenging to work with than female models when I've had to use them. I think it's something to do with portraying something that's considered "masculine" that inhibits them or inhibits photographers or art directors or whomever it is directing them from really pushing them past a sort of limited range, and that limited range can so easily read as stiff. But like Bette said, it really doesn't stand out to the viewer the way it might to you being that you were on hand watching the model work and probably noticing what you didn't like.


I'm still waiting to get hi-res images from my recent Spring story for the magazine I work for (which is bi-annual), but figured I'd throw my last one up for consideration. It was actually a similar case as yours Andrea, where both my editor in chief and the photographer veered away from the concept, which was supposed to have been inspired by the walk of shame. Locations that were scouted were cut, and I was told that I had to de-grunge the overall look a little bit, which was definitely discouraging because I really don't think the concept really came through loud and clear the way I'd envisioned it. The men's looks involved...I was sort of forced to mix them in because TPTB wanted a men's presence but I wasn't thrilled with them and I've sort of divorced myself from them creatively lol. Same with the white framing.

Still, I was overall pretty happy with it. Would love to hear both of your thoughts!

 

[Andrea.RL]

hahaha reading you talk about photographers stearing away from the initial vision of a theme as an editor reminds me of the second shoot I ever did: my friend kept asking me to do the styling on his shoots starting at around 19yo, having no idea of how a stylist's job really worked. The editor told us the theme was something like war and I can still picture it now all of these WWII looking soldier eds and then our few tribal inspired pics ' im pretty sure the guy could relate to what you just mentioned :-P

I'm curious to know how you envisioned this in the first place. :-)
I think these look really cool, maybe I wouldn't have specifically pinned the walk of shame theme, personally I get a more street wear vibe from the "little black dress" pic and the one next to it, and a bit of a polished one from the picture of the girl with the dog, but overall all the elements are there.
I think that the notion of walk of shame can bring up a preconceived trashy image but this is done in good taste, you can feel it more in the women's pictures but then again seeing how men go out to party I'm not sure there's a very distinct morning after look to go off of..? That being said they are looks I'd see a guy wear out at night and they mix well with the womenswear :-)
I really like the contrast between the locations and the looks which works well with your idea, even if they aren't the ones that were scouted. (Also I'm a sucker for New York... ')
My favorites are the fourth (with the thigh highs) the 9th (close up of the model) and last <3 (like they are sticking to my brain right now)

 

[Street_a_Licious]

Spike, i really like that edit, but the idea of a walk of shame kinda disappeared.

i did a spread last summer, but the mag ended up passing on it. it was supposed to be 'The New Formal'.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

i had an online edit for Attitude recently. hallelujah.

 

[Spike413]

Thank you both! Truly, I'm very flattered.

The initial walk of shame idea definitely was forced to the back burner and I was sort of overruled, and I agree Andrea, it became a much less specific street-meets-high fashion sort of party vibe. Part of the reason why I was against incorporating the guy was because, as you said, there's just a less distinctive image that you get of a guy "the morning after" as opposed to a girl.

street, I LOVE that last last last shot from the menswear story of the identical prints on that fabulous patterned floor. Such a great clash. Love all of the prints honestly. They're used really well.

 

[Andrea.RL]

It's so stressful when you aren't able to achieve what you want (I'm also thinking when PRs give you looks that have nothing to do with your ideas) I'm always just relieved that it looks good in the end despite not being what I wanted. '
Hope to see more of your work here Spike ;-)

Street_a_licious , did they give you any reasons about why they didn't publish the first series? It looks nice, simple and clean, I see the formal but I don't necessarily see the novelty in the looks suggested. Maybe by pushing them more out of the box with color, prints or volume..?

The menswear has some cool ideas, like spike I really the last one, I also like the one with the diesel(?) jacket out at night (I've been dying to shoot at night ) and the first one (the look vs red background)
personally I don't really like the light blue outfit, I also feel it kind of breaks out of the moodiness/colors the other pics have going on. And I feel like the long coat under the shorter one might be too thick and makes it look too stuffed?

 

[Street_a_Licious]

the light blue outfit is surprisingly one of the most popular shot. i requested another look from the designer, but according to the PR this was the only one available in Europe during the time frame. PRs are a serious hassle at times, but you gotta do the best you can with the pieces you get. the photog really really wanted that suit, so there you go. if the photog wants to shoot it, you can't say 'no' when you're 'just' the stylist, instead of being the fashion editor in charge.

the first one with Adriana Cernanova, we were not 100% sure on the direction, we just decided on 'chic'. it was a spec shoot for a local mag, but i was told that the images were too 'glossy' for the publication. oh well. into the portfolio it goes.

 

[Andrea.RL]

IT IS! Sometimes I feel like that's the real skill when being a stylist, making contacts and getting what you want rather than actually putting outfits together. (But maybe that's just because I'm an introvert so it doesn't come easily to me... ' on the other hand I definitely can empathize with the hard work and organization that goes into doing PR)
in the end you still made it work and even better, it turns out to be your most successful picture :-)
Too bad for the other series, it looks really nice and is pretty different from the men's one so it'll still work well for your portfolio, showing your range and how you work your style in different ways :-)

 

[Spike413]

Oh boy, I could write a novel about having to deal with PR for shoot requests. It really, truly is more a case of who you know than what you can do because far too often I've come across stylists who...well let's just say the effort they put into their work isn't as apparent as I might expect, yet they seem to have access to brands/looks which I have begged up and down for. It's insanely frustrating, and much like you Andrea the whole mover shaker thing doesn't come naturally to me. In fact I often have to rely on retail contacts and outright lying just to get what I need lol.

Overseeing requests is honestly the only part of the photoshoot process, from beginning to end, that I truly loathe.

 

[Andrea.RL]

(I hope our discussions about the job are ok in this thread ^\^' )

Be careful when lying or twisting the truth to get what you want because getting caught could cost you in reputation. I was assisting on a shoot and the stylist that works for this one magazine, was saying how this other girl contacted PRs saying she was shooting for that magazine in order to get clothes and the PRs ended up contacting it to check for some reason and she got caught. And now I know about it so that kind of info goes around.. (Very ironic because literally 20sec before she told the team that story, the girl liked one of my Instagram posts ')
Also I was shooting once with a photographer, we had a few hours to kill until the next model came in to shoot so we started talking, the MUA and her told me that apparently there aren't that many stylists compared to people in their fields and that most of them aren't that good, it's just that they were just able to make their way through and network well. Seeing what magazines, brands and all are looking for and publishing these days it isn't that surprising, but that's an other story altogether

 

[Spike413]

Oh no no don't misunderstand. The only thing I ever bend the truth about is confirmed looks which haven't actually been confirmed just yet lol. I can't imagine fabricating information about which publication you're shooting for. That just seems insane!

So sorry if I led this off topic at all.

 

[BetteT]

Spike and Andrea ... Love that you are sharing stories and information. We get a lot of viewers who want to learn all about styling.

Here's an old thread where the war stories can go: A Day in the Life of a Fashion Stylist

If you are giving advice about how to become a stylist or work as a stylist, here's where that belongs: All About Becoming a Fashion / Wardrobe Stylist #2

 

[Spike413]

Thanks for pointing those out Bette. Some of those war stories....ugh, too familiar lol.

Figured I'd share a few shots from a recent story I did for Spring. It's a definite departure as far as my usual aesthetic goes (I tend to gravitate towards harder, sexier, grittier, more extreme) but I did like the challenge of it. That said, it's almost totally different from what the initial concept was lol. It's so strange how, even with a team you're familiar with, everyone still sees things in their own way and it can be a bit of a battle of wills to get your vision to be the most prominent.

 

[MayaStar]

Hello, guys! I need your opinion about my work as a stylist! I would be thankful for all kind of reviews! Thank you!

 

[MayaStar]

 

[BetteT]

Hi MayaStar.

Thanks for sharing.

I always look at not only the clothes ... but also the entire story, to see if it all works together ... and how well it does that..

I can see some images that look like the are part of the same story which is good. But unless I know for sure what photos belong together as one story, it's impossible to determine how each story works as a whole. But i will say that I like your work.



I have picked out just a few individual photos and will comment about them:

The group photo of the 3 guys on roller blades is interesting and probably my fave ... it seems to showcase what she is wearing, which matches the vibe of the guys ... a story in one photo.

I also love the one right before that. It seems to feature the jewelry ... and if that was your intent, you nailed it ... because the soft look and color of the sweater and jumper reflect the smoothness of the pearls beautifully.


The first one on the top row and the first one on the second row seem to be part of the same story ... and I find the layering of patterns interesting and it's further eye candy to see the leaves in the background. It all works together, for me.

And the black and white one where she's running in the woods ... looks appropriately medieval to me ... almost fairy queen like.

Some of the ones with solid black outfits look a bit flat. I gave my thoughts about shooting black in my comments about some of Andrea's work ... see this post:http://forums.thefashionspot.com/showpost.php?p=13222947&postcount=427 . It's probably the most challenging color a stylist has to work with ... so you might read some of my suggestions and see what you think.

Hope this provides food for thought ....

 

[Andrea.RL]

Spike: those have a nice balance/ harmony between the softness of the clothes, the color effect of the photo and the poses. I'm just not sure about the jeans, you can see they are a rougher fabric than all the rest but other than that.
I do prefer the first editorial you posted.
What was the initial concept for this one? :-P
(I think the photographer that I've shot the most with and know the best is also the one who never sees it the same way in the end)

Maya: I generally prefer pics that have particular posing or interesting backgrounds, that being said the ones you featured in studio are perfectly fine, the outfits with jewelry, the hair MUA, the general mood are good.
The ones in nature: I love the ones in BW, the pieces you chose move so well!!
I like the one laying down, the other two are interesting because it looks like the same styling (the button up shirt over the long sleeve printed shirt, prints on the pants/bottom too etc) but I find it works better in the second one than the first. The first seems off for me, the second is really cool the prints seem to mix better and I think the use of the scarf around the waist creates a better silhouette.
I really like the idea of the broken statues as a way to sprouse things up for a studio shoot.
The whole look in the pic with the headphones looks really fun.
And I agree with BetteT about the one on the roller skates, it feels like the most complete pic between the outfits, vibe, location and how it's photographed. It looks really cool

 

[MayaStar]

Hi MayaStar.

Thanks for sharing.

I always look at not only the clothes ... but also the entire story, to see if it all works together ... and how well it does that..

I can see some images that look like the are part of the same story which is good. But unless I know for sure what photos belong together as one story, it's impossible to determine how each story works as a whole. But i will say that I like your work.



I have picked out just a few individual photos and will comment about them:

The group photo of the 3 guys on roller blades is interesting and probably my fave ... it seems to showcase what she is wearing, which matches the vibe of the guys ... a story in one photo.

I also love the one right before that. It seems to feature the jewelry ... and if that was your intent, you nailed it ... because the soft look and color of the sweater and jumper reflect the smoothness of the pearls beautifully.


The first one on the top row and the first one on the second row seem to be part of the same story ... and I find the layering of patterns interesting and it's further eye candy to see the leaves in the background. It all works together, for me.

And the black and white one where she's running in the woods ... looks appropriately medieval to me ... almost fairy queen like.

Some of the ones with solid black outfits look a bit flat. I gave my thoughts about shooting black in my comments about some of Andrea's work ... see this post:http://forums.thefashionspot.com/showpost.php?p=13222947&postcount=427 . It's probably the most challenging color a stylist has to work with ... so you might read some of my suggestions and see what you think.

Hope this provides food for thought ....

Thank you very much for your comment!
That photo with skaters was super spontaneous. Because its real teens who were rolling there
And thank you very much for comment about black outfits!

 

[MayaStar]

Maya: I generally prefer pics that have particular posing or interesting backgrounds, that being said the ones you featured in studio are perfectly fine, the outfits with jewelry, the hair MUA, the general mood are good.
The ones in nature: I love the ones in BW, the pieces you chose move so well!!
I like the one laying down, the other two are interesting because it looks like the same styling (the button up shirt over the long sleeve printed shirt, prints on the pants/bottom too etc) but I find it works better in the second one than the first. The first seems off for me, the second is really cool the prints seem to mix better and I think the use of the scarf around the waist creates a better silhouette.
I really like the idea of the broken statues as a way to sprouse things up for a studio shoot.
The whole look in the pic with the headphones looks really fun.
And I agree with BetteT about the one on the roller skates, it feels like the most complete pic between the outfits, vibe, location and how it's photographed. It looks really cool

Thank you very much! Thank you taht you spent your time to comment my work!

Next time I will post a whole story because for example that pic with headphones was included in editorial inspired by Bjork fashion and photos.

 

[BetteT]

....


I'm still waiting to get hi-res images from my recent Spring story for the magazine I work for (which is bi-annual), but figured I'd throw my last one up for consideration. It was actually a similar case as yours Andrea, where both my editor in chief and the photographer veered away from the concept, which was supposed to have been inspired by the walk of shame. Locations that were scouted were cut, and I was told that I had to de-grunge the overall look a little bit, which was definitely discouraging because I really don't think the concept really came through loud and clear the way I'd envisioned it. The men's looks involved...I was sort of forced to mix them in because TPTB wanted a men's presence but I wasn't thrilled with them and I've sort of divorced myself from them creatively lol. Same with the white framing.

Still, I was overall pretty happy with it. Would love to hear both of your thoughts!

Spike ... I have not been ignoring you ... you just seem to post your work when I don't have time at the moment to give it some good thought. But ... since you asked, I wanted to give you some serious attention too.

Re: the Walk of Shame concept ... I see it clearly in the first few shots and know that you could have nailed it, if you had been able to run with your vision.

I agree that having the guy there probably didn't help the concept along. Neither did the dog ... because who would have their dog with them the night before? Nor the Boom box ... IMHO. I don't think you needed props for this particular concept.

But here's my thoughts on some of the individual looks.

I'll start with my favorite (although it doesn't work as well within the Walk of Same Concept) ... the last set of two in the alley way. Immediately I thought "West Side Story"!! This is a story in itself .... something you could run with. The full skirt, the charm bracelet, the textured sweater all look somewhat vintage and true to the period, while the shoes add a super modern touch, bringing it all up to date.


I like the shot on the bleachers ... that dress (skirt and top?) with it's sheer bottom and the thigh high stockings showing through are perfect for your concept.

The two top pics work very well within your concept ... and since I have talked about this to both Maya and Andrea ... that is how to do black and make it interesting ... texture, pattern, shine on the jacket, some skin showing. Congrats! That's a real accomplishment.


I can see you have talent ... and I hope the next editorial will allow you to see your vision.