A fashion designer is responsible for designing clothes, while a fashion stylist works with clothes, accessories and even background props when necessary, to put together a complete look or style. Just as the conductor of an orchestra carefully controls all the musicians and various instruments to create a beautiful piece of music, the fashion stylist selects each item appropriately so that they complement and harmonise with all the other components successfully. A good Fashion Stylist can take what looks like an ordinary outfit and turn it into something spectacular by “simply” adding a few details or fitting it in a particular way.

Maximum Completion Time:

6 months.   In the event that you are unable to complete your home study course within the specified timescale, you can request a time extension of 3 months (Terms & Conditions & Fees Apply)

1) Communicating Your Ideas - The role of the stylist revolves around the ability to create a visually pleasing look - after all, fashion stylists are employed because a client understands the importance of achieving the perfect look for their clothes and accessories, and they want to get it right first time. Furthermore, they can also communicate their ideas visually and persuasively by using a number of different tools to help their clients and other team members to envision their ideas as accurately as possible. Some of the topics this course will teach you include the following:

• Tear Sheets & Story-boards - the language of the fashion styling industry.
• Mood & Concept Boards - adapting traditional designers’ tools for visual communication.
• Testing - ways to build practical experience along with your confidence and your portfolio.
• Writing Captions - how to record and format necessary details accurately.
• Successful Team Productions - working with photographers, make-up & hair stylists.
• Planning for Success - simple steps to keep everyone on track, on time and on budget

2) Working With Colour - Colour is one of the strongest visual elements perceived by the human eye and understanding how to work with colour is not just important, it’s vital to success in the fashion styling industry. The key to success when working with colour, is in knowing how to achieve a harmonious balance between the colours of the clothes themselves and any accessories and backdrops. In areas such as fashion buying and visual merchandising, you can apply this particular skill in such a way that you focus attention on the clothes and create a mood that makes consumers want to buy. This is a valuable asset, as the results can be measured immediately in terms of sales and revenue. Developing an eye for colour in this way can help you to become highly sought after and this course will show you how to create winning colour combinations every time. Topics covered include.

3) Elements of Style - To work successfully as a fashion stylist, you will need to identify and explain to your clients precisely how and why your styling ideas will work for them. On this course you will be introduced to the individual components of style and design, and you will learn to identify them and use them successfully when putting together a look. By understanding the essential components of any style, you will be able to de-construct and re-construct different styles effectively, regardless of your own personal preferences - and you should be able to do so with your own unique twist! In addition to “training your eye”, this section of the course will give you the vocabulary and industry terminology to communicate effectively with other stylists and designers with confidence. The topics covered include the following:

• Assessing Styles & Trends - training your eye to notice the details & accurately define the features that make a style or look distinctive.
• The Elements of Style - the individual components of style and how to use them.
• Achieving Visual Balance - symmetry, asymmetry & radial balance.
• Making Trends - using accessories & details to recreate a trend or start one of your own!

4) Colour Combinations - understanding which colours work together so that you can create great colour combinations time after time.

• The Colour Wheel - what it is and how it can work for you.
• Colour Characteristics - using colour to disguise, emphasise or achieve special effects.
• Simultaneous Contrast - how to make any colour look good.
• Light & Colour - how they relate to each together and special considerations.
• Working with Colour - choosing the right approach for an individual project.

5) Fashion Story - As a fashion stylist, you will need to do more than just put an outfit together; you will need to select the right visual props such as backdrops and accessories to suggest a lifestyle and tell a fashion story, featuring the clothes as the main character. You may think it sounds a little outlandish at first, but it’s all about presenting visual displays and images in a way that appeals to an audience causing them to buy. That is essentially what Fashion Styling is all about! If you are going to create a look that sells, then the best way to begin is by understanding who the consumers are and what will appeal to them most. Once you know that, you can start to select the various elements and details to carefully create a style that looks great and will create desire. Developing a fashion story that is believable and congruent is important, and it is also an opportunity for you to expand your creativity even further and really have some fun in the process. On this course you will be introduced to the following:

• The Target Market - the essential marketing basics you need to know.
• Fashion Story - what it is, why it’s important and how you can write your own.
• Building a Mood - using the right combination of elements to create the mood you want.
• Visual Persuasion - achieving congruency by picking the right details for the story you are trying to tell!