Makeovers and What Is A Stylist?

Little Missy's First Assignment  A Treasured Memory

My dear friend Cameron Silver, the King of Vintage has a site called Candid Cameron and a spirited Instagram account where he and his friends, colleagues and clients weigh in on style topics of the day. Yesterday we weighed in on the recent  Emmys Red Carpet. I called out a look I did not like, noting that it was the fault of the stylist, not the star.  The star was Robin Wright, a beautiful and talented actor.  The look was beyond bad, an ivory jumpsuit ill-fitted, trousers too long,  slicked back hair and minimal makeup.  No one on the planet could have gotten away with all three of these things worn together.  Robin looked washed out and severe---and as if she would trip any moment in her overly long jumpsuit.  I felt her stylist had done her an injustice.  Many disagreed with me, and applauded Robin for going for the shock value.  I can only shrug my shoulders.  Que sera, sera.

Robin Wright at the Emmys

Emma Stone at the Venice Film Festival

As Cameron wrote of Emma Stone, sometimes just looking pretty on the red carpet is enough!  Anyway, it got Little Missy thinking...what is a stylist, anyway?  This is one of the most important persons on any fashion project. You can have the best model and the best photographer, but without a good stylist, you will not have fashion.  My favourite stylist is Cissy Chong, who has worked with my friend the photographer Frederic Aranda.  She puts the wow factor into the fashion picture with her futuristic-retro vision.  I hope I can work with Cissy one day!

Cutler and Gross Spring 2014 styled by Cissy Chong and shot by Frederic Aranda

You can bet Cissy hand picked every macaron and tea cup!

Again, what is a stylist?  The stylist is the artist in fashion who brings the clothes and accessories and props to create the dream of the client.  Sometimes a stylist is brought in to change a star's perceived persona...especially important if the star has had bad press, been arrested and so on. Stylists have done wonders with reality stars like Kim Kardashian.  Kim's April Vogue cover was jaw dropping.  But then she was working with the best stylist in the world, the one and only Grace Coddington.

Now for Little Missy's story.  My first assignment as a stylist was truly unexpected and random.  My mother was spending the day with her friend Georgette and Georgette's younger daughter was going to spend the day with me.  Kathy was a bit younger than I, and a bit of a "tomboy".   I could see she was almost always uncomfortable at events, socially awkward and shy.  In fact I had already concluded that Kathy did not feel comfortable as a girl.  So Georgette and Kathy came over, and Kathy was dressed to the nines in a yellow and white floral two piece blouse and skirt ensemble.  I could see that she was miserable.  At least she was wearing comfortable sandals.  She had just been to one of those teenage fat farms rich people used to send their overweight children to, and had come back feeling like a failure.  Little Missy knew she had a job to do! As soon as Georgette and my mother left, I asked Kathy if she would like to change into my brother's jeans and t shirt.  The biggest smile I think I ever saw radiated YES!  This mordantly funny, wickedly intelligent fourteen year old wasted no time changing clothes and we spent the day walking downtown to lunch and to visit a friend in the hospital.   I never thought twice about not suggesting she change her clothes. It was so obvious that she was never meant to dress like a girly girl.  Of course Kathy put her yellow and white ensemble back on before our mothers returned, and we laughed at each other.  I lost touch with Kathy soon after that as her mother shipped her off to a school in Switzerland that was supposed to make her more feminine and refined!  OMG!  I am thinking about Kathy and all human beings who have been in a similar place, and sending love.  If I had helped Kathy in my first stint of being a stylist, I was forever grateful to the impulse that is in us all to want to look comfortable when we see ourselves in the mirror.