How I Became a Stylist.

This must be one of the most popular questions I get asked on a regular basis - more so than actual style advice!

Well, lets start from the very beginning, it is a very good place to start after all…

Once upon a time a fair maiden (aged 24) from a leafy North West London suburb was stuck in a rut. She hated her job and just couldn’t find the motivation to get up every morning and commute to Central London for a job she didn’t even understand.

Then, she had a light bulb moment (or possibly an existential crisis we’re not really sure to be honest), she needed to be doing something she loved, something that motivated her before she hit the ripe old age of 25, after all, 25 is far too old an age to be doing something you don’t care about right?

Cue a friend with a few connections, a big decision, and a move back to her parent’s house, the fair maiden decided to take an internship at fashion PR agency in the West End. She was so excited, even though she wasn’t being paid, she could officially say she was working in fashion, how great!

But then…

The big bad wolf (or PR manager) treated her like dirt and asked her to make the tea, pack the boxes and send out press releases – how awful. This was not what the fair maiden had signed up for, where’s the creativity in making tea for people and putting together rails and mannequins?

However,

One frosty morning a very glamorous client entered the agency and the fair maiden had to look after her, the client wanted to find a dress to wear for the wedding of The Kings of Leon’s lead singer. Everyone else was busy. It was up to the fair maiden to step up. She found the perfect dress for the client to wear, the client was over the moon and wore the dress the fair maiden (or intern) had suggested.

Now, the moment had come for the fair maiden to leave the agency, after 6 months of working for free it was time to step out properly in the big bad world of fashion and spread her wings. She got a job at a small fashion brand and set about teaching herself the ins and outs of PR, Styling, Social Media and Copywriting. After three years at this brand, and learning everything she needed to learn, the fair maiden joined another established brand and continued her journey.

And then what happened?

After being roped into styling shoots for Social Media campaigns at both jobs and working as a personal stylist and special events for the brands she worked for, the fair maiden decided to sharpen her stylist skills and enrol in an online course.

And so, the journey into styling had begun…

The course taught the fair maiden about colours, seasons, and how to apply that to one’s wardrobe. She also learnt about body shape, necklines, different fabrics and other useful tools – the rest, the fair maiden learned herself during her years working in the industry – liaising with fashion buyers and designers really does help you get a feel for good and bad fabrics, designs and shapes.

Then….

Once the fair maiden felt completely confident with her abilities, and got her diploma, she decided to build herself a website, launch her social media channels and so The Wardrobe Doctor) pre-Lauren Jobling Styling) was born.

She did it. And not only that, the fair maiden got her first client within the first week of launching, a good sign or what?

With years of hard graft, connecting with people, networking, tearing her hair out, the fair maiden now has her own business, gets to play around with pretty clothes and follows her dreams. It wasn’t easy and not always plain sailing, but she doesn’t regret a thing.

The End.

If you liked the story of the fair maiden and her journey to becoming a stylist, why not join LJ School for Stylists? Gain expertise in all the areas around creating your own styling business, learn things you never thought you needed to know. Click here to find out more.