dream job
personal stylist
She worked for fashion magazines, television, even with celebrities like Jennifer Hudson. Alexandra Suzanne Greenawalt, creator of a SixFigureStyle. com, author of Secrets of a Fashion Stylist knows how to dress well and how to change a passion into a business.
Have you always wanted to be a stylist? What got you started? Actually as a young child I wanted to be a ballerina. Then it morphed into acting and then when I realized that I was drawn by acting because of the costumes I started focusing on fashion. It did take me awhile to even find my place in fashion. Growing up I knew about designers and fashion photographers but didn’ t know much about stylists. My first fashion job was an internship in Paris and after that I was hooked.
Do you remember your first work? First styling editorial was founding the Improper Bostonian’ s fashion section. I approached them and I talk more about this story in my book Secrets of a Fashion Stylist. My first personal styling paying client was a friend of my Mom’ s who I came to style to New York.
What skills must one have to become a stylist? For me it was really important to get training in the science behind the style. So I got certified in color and shape analysis and also took a lot of business, and marketing classes. I think what most stylist don’ t understand is that, yes you have to be a creative person, but you have to be an entrepreneur and a business person first. If you don’ t have any business coming in, it’ s not a business but a hobby. The skills which come in handy are: being good with people, creative, fast and efficient, problem solver, marketing and sales so that you have clients.
What other areas do you need to understand and work with to make your job as a stylist? That you can’ t serve ALL markets. You need to choose a target market and attack one at a time. Be focused and don’ t be afraid to tweak your market. Be prepared to manage people. Get a team to support you for the business and online part of the work. I now have a team of nine freelancers most are virtual who support me. I would be nothing without my team.
Where there any challenges when starting out? Yes, figuring out whom I wanted to serve as a market. Getting consistent clients. In the beginning I took any job which came my way because I was still trying to figure out where I’ d fit. Once I defined my niche things really took off.
alexandrastylist. com
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