Posts with tag stylists

Whenever we see elaborately casual updos on models, like at the Venexiana by Katie Stern 2009 runway show, we imagine an army of tiny fingered elves working for hours to achieve that perfect combination of texture and twist. And then we wistfully sigh and imagine how cool it would be to have our own hair elves.

The reality is much more simple, and in a way, more exciting because you can (sort of) get it at home. All it takes is a good flat iron, and some fake hair. Oh, also it helps to have the mad skills of the stylist team of Karmela Lozina and Jutta Weiss from the famous Sahag Workshop.

Lozina and Weiss used the Linea-Pro Titanium flat iron to make the models' hair smooth and shiny, and then added detail with the so-covetable new Linea-Pro Mini Iron -- it's tiny, but still has the famous titanium plates -- to create the appearance of casual texture around fake-hair braids.

In the gallery, get the scoop on how the masters of style used these tools to create fairy-tale hairstyles, no elves necessary.

Who doesn't? Getting free material is the stuff. Going to fancy parties is where it's at. And being recognized for being able to pick clothing out of a closet, dab on lipstick or put hair into a ponytail? Wowza sign us up!

But getting to that higher level requires a little work and know how. Let's take a look at how to get yourself that stylin' position you've always wanted.

Apparently, actors and rockstars aren't the only people who use stylists. Everyday people like you and me use them, too, but we call them "image consultants."

An image consultant will do exactly what you see on those "makeover" reality TV shows: invade your privacy closet, throw out what doesn't work, keep the (ostensibly few) things that do work, spend all your hard-earned cash to buy the many things you absolutely have to have to look better, send you to a hairstylist, and give you a makeover with beauty products that are probably "in partnership" with the consultant.

Do I sound too harsh? Maybe. It's just that $160 an hour sounds like a bit of a frivolous expense to hire someone else, or even an entire team of people, to help makeover your image. For one thing, your image probably isn't all that bad to begin with, or at least not so bad that it requires $160 an hour. Furthermore, I'm pretty sure that doing some research yourself, and asking friends, you can achieve pretty close to the same, if not better, result.

Heck, at the very least, you can email us at StyleList!

As I've said before, it's seemingly impossible for me to find someone who can cut my hair. I'd rather not re-visit the crew cut I got over and over again from my childhood barber, and the only affordable hair salons in my neighborhood are full of hipster stylists working on commission who hack at my head for 15 minutes then charge me $50. Occasionally I give in and cut it myself, but the at-home messy look only works once or twice before my coiffure starts to self-destruct.

If you're in the same boat, here's a helpful post on finding the barber who's right for you. Most of it's straightforward advice, but, chances are, if you're in my position, you haven't given much thought to forming a relationship with the man (or woman) who cuts your hair -- so, if nothing else, this is a good start.

I know it's tempting to hack away with your trusty pair of household scissors, but trust me, you can do better.

Back in college, I wore my hair short and messy. It was a straightforward look, and I would've rather spent my extra cash on beer, so I started cutting it myself. Fortunately there are very few photos of me from this period in my life.

However, DIY haircuts can be great -- assuming you know what you're doing. Especially if you're a guy, and aren't doing something complicated with your coiffure, paying $40-$80 for a stylist is a waste of money. Because, if you do it right, the cut you give yourself will look just as good. Plus -- I don't know about you -- but I find it nearly impossible to carve out two hours of my day to drive to the salon, get the cut, and drive home. I'm always finishing up with work around 10 or 11 at night and realizing my hair is a mess and I need it cut -- if only there was a hairdresser in town who worked on my schedule!

But making a self-cut look decent can be tough -- particularly if you're just getting started. A great blog to get you on the right track is How To Cut Your Own Hair. It's a new site, so there's not much up yet, but you can already find 10 Helpful Tips on Cutting Hair At Home (a must, I think, for any first-timers out there who are about to give this a shot), and an explanation of one basic cut -- with, I imagine, more to follow.

Check it out. Your hair will thank you.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a celebrity style maker? If you do, join the club because over the last five years, "styling" has exploded into a full-scale professional career track.

Starting in September, Solent University in Southampton, UK will start its very first vocational degree program geared towards fashion styling. Students will focus on catwalk production, costuming for film and advertising imagery. Suzie Norris, who heads the design program says, "a unique feature of the course will be its emphasis on cutting-edge styling for media publications and events plus live and filmed productions. Graduates will not merely follow established trends but will set new ones."

As exciting as this program sounds, I have a sneaking suspicion that the "design school" track will not replace the traditional channels for succeeding as a stylist. In essence, if you want to be a successful stylist you better resign yourself to years of thankless grunt work in the hopes that someone, some day will appreciate your efforts.

Once you've been a stylist to the stars and an ex-stylist to the stars, the only thing left to do before you disappear into ether is a write a book. At least that's what Rachel Zoe plans to do with her free time now that she is not running around Los Angeles shoving diet pills into Nicole Richie's handbag. The so-called Raisin Face will write a book entitled, Style from A to Zoe: The Guide to All Things Glamour.

And what can we expect from the A to Zoe primer? My guess is that she will fill the book will all sorts of healthy, inspiring, body-positive aphorisms so she can go on the Oprah show and try to convince America that she's terribly misunderstood. She'll say that despite what Nicole Richie thinks, she's really a kind person who wants everyone to feel good about themselves no matter how they look.

Will we believe it? NO!

We've got your number, Zoe, and it's a big fat 0, as in size 0.

Not all of us wake up every morning, shower, and step out the door looking fabulous. However, if you think celebrities are blessed with some superhuman DNA by which they look stunning all the time, think again. These folks have stylists working on them from head to toe. If you've got big bucks, perhaps you might be able to hire one of these in-demand stylists for A-list celebs for yourself, though I'm pretty sure that you can do yourself up just beautifully without them:

• Rachel Zoe: Nicole Richie, Mischa Barton, Linsday Lohan, Kiera Knightly
• Britt Bardo: Kate Hudson, Eva Mendez, Jennifer Lopez
  
• Jessica Pastor: Jessica Simpson, Kate Bosworth
• Nicole Chavez: Rachel Bilson, Jamie King, Kristen Bell, Melinda Clarke
• Phillip Bloch: Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock
• Annabel Tollman:Clients: Scarlett Johansson
• Robert Verdi Clients: Eva Longoria
  
• Anna Bingemann: Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts
• Kate Young: Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Connolly