This month I have taken on the daunting task of re-writing my resume. As a freelancer this literally makes me want to pull my hair out. After working on over 30 different productions and 12 publications last year alone where do I possibly begin? Although I feel my career is running smoothly I don’t feel quite at the place yet where I am ready to apply to agencies. So left in limbo I have decided to expand my work repertoire and apply for other jobs in the fashion industry. What I feel like I lack the most is connections within…
Author: Dani Morales
As my month long sabbatical comes to a close I am getting ready to head back to New York for Fashion Week (somewhat hesitantly because of the nasty weather). I am beginning to think about what kind of goals I would like to set for myself for the year. Last year I focused on gearing my career in the right direction by focusing on being on set, working for the right people and getting myself published. This week my latest spread was published in MOD magazine making it the 4th editorial of 2013. This year I really would like to…
I have a lot to reflect on as I am writing to you for the last time this year. Not only is it time for 2013 to become 2014 but I will also be celebrating my 30th birthday at the end of the month. As with so many milestones in life I have my mixed feelings on the subject. But I can say with clarity that I have made many mistakes but my regrets are few. At the very bottom of things I am proud to be the person that I am today and I am somewhat blessed to have…
I’ve never been a big fan of censorship. I believe in the freedom of speech and an individual’s right to say and do pretty much whatever they want. That being said for the most part I don’t have a camera or microphone following me around all the time. And thank god because most of the things that pop out of my mouth are ridiculous. I’m not really a very serious person when it comes to chosen verbiage. You find me more kidding around with people while, personally, I allow my actions and integrity to speak for itself. I don’t really…
This month has been the most exciting one of my career yet. I feel like in retrospect I have been able to say that chronologically about each of the previous months, however, in my head I had envisioned a certain goal and I thought to myself “once I make this goal I will officially feel like a stylist.” Well my dear friends it has happened! I procured what is called a “Pull Letter” from a major magazine. Under my own name. I feel like I am playing some virtual video game and I just “one up’d” to the next level.…
This September has been quite an exciting one—styling wise anyway. NYC has finally calmed down from its microwave-wet-blanket stickiness and lovely brisk fall weather has descended upon us. Bringing not only the jackets and boots out from the back of my closet but Fashion Week! It was my first time attending and now I will be much more prepared for…next time. Designers show their collections approximately 6-8 months before they will ever be in stores. So right now in Fall I went to see the Spring/Summer 2014 collections. I feel like whenever I tell people this they scoff in the…
It’s been a few weeks in between jobs and as a freelancer there is always this panic that sets in: “will I ever work again?” I completed a fall lookbook for my client last week and now the phone is silent. What to do? As I wait eagerly for NYFW to roll around I find myself looking for inspiration. But do you ever notice when you are specifically looking for something it never appears? I have decided to branch off into a little bit of designing. My degree is officially in fashion design although I haven’t worked specifically in that…
I am going to step a little out of the box this week and discuss cultivating your own signature style. I think nowadays everyone knows – or at least feels the pressure – to look the part. No matter what part you play throughout the day – maybe it’s a big job interview, a big date or an epic party – there is a pressure or at very least a desire to wear something that makes you feel special. And, especially with women and never ending fads and seasons how does one begin to cultivate a personal style that is…
The best way to get a good aptitude and experience in styling is to start as an assistant. This means working for someone who has experience as a working stylist on a set. This is really how you begin to make your career happen. Almost all stylists started once as an assistant in one way or another. Your job as the assistant may vary from job to job and person to person. Styling is such a huge job sometimes it is difficult or impossible to be handled by just one person. On larger jobs I sometimes work with two assistants.…
Besides having the esthetic eye, a stylist must come more prepared than a boy scout. More often than not what will get you repetitive work is not just your talent but your professionalism. This includes having an up to date kit. I like to think of myself as the swiss army knife of the set. If someone needs it, most likely I have it. Every shoot I do I jot down something new to add to my kit. There is never enough. However here is a list that will get you started. Slips- I have two nude and two black…
When you are ready to set up your first test shoot first take into account the resources that are available to you. A lot of times when I am up to doing something challenging it can feel daunting and like I am all alone, but I do believe when I look into my resources I am very seldom disappointed. Don’t forget that editorial and film are collaborative arts. Often when we think of fashion you just think of the model, but the photographer, make up and hair artist, and yes, the stylist can be equal parts critical to the piece.…
I had the honor and pleasure of working on a really exciting project this week. Recently I met Caroline Misa Alvo, a small woman on a big mission. In February Caroline launched www.vivagamita.com a retail website specifically dedicated to petite trend savvy women 5’4 and under. Being an adorable 4’8 herself, Caroline was driven to launch the site that catered to the small in stature and offered an alternative to limited clothing options or endless tailoring. The site had been live for a few months when she approached me because the site was missing a specific branding and esthetic. And…
As I discussed in my first blog post, there are many types of stylists. Most often when I say stylist I think someone imagines someone who dresses celebrities for red carpets, much like you see on TV. But stylists are used for most professional editorials, film, television and even commercials. Not to mention catalogues and e-commerce sites. Some of these job descriptions and may overlap in specialty. But here is a breakdown of the more specific job descriptions stylists maybe specialized in. Fashion Styling- For the most part this is the dream job. A fashion stylist, more often these days…
My styling career really began unbeknownst to me. I moved to Los Angeles in 2003 at 19 years old to become an actress. I had moderate success. I studied for 3 years at the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse, had many small television and film roles and stared in a popular comedic web series. My obsession began with costuming—always being somewhat of a visual person when I began to create a character I always became specifically fixated on what this person might be wearing. Going to auditions I would spend almost as much time finding the perfect outfit as I would…