Stylist

The English word does not mean a fashion designer or creator, but the person responsible for the style of photographs, in other words, the person who creates a particular look for an advertising image, or who chooses the appropriate clothes to communicate a particular type of fashion. Stylists can be consultants to fashion designers, or those who make suggestions at the moment of creativity or on the eve of fashion shows and during runway rehearsals. They are the ones who thin down the collections by throwing out some designs and changing the order of presentation. They are the ones who are horrified by a particular accessory or rave about a hairstyle. There is a small army of them. Carla Sozzani advises Krizia, the almighty André Leon Talley from Vogue America advised everyone, Carine Roitfeld is Tom Ford’s right hand, and Alex White is at Miuccia Prada’s side. Alexander McQueen trusts Katy England’s judgement, just as Narciso Rodriguez trusts Lori Goldestein, while Calvin Klein and Helmut Lang rely on Melanie Ward.