Ramadan has started and the manic pace is slowing down. Which is also a good thing because I really needed a break. I’m using this time to reflect on the past 6 months and asses. I’d like to share the process of an exciting shoot I’ve worked on recently. I started reading the Magazine Grazia France religiously when I was 19 years old, back in Belgium, so having the opportunity to work with Grazia Middle East was quite a special moment for me. Here goes the story;

It all starts with a call from one of my agents, Lailas from MMG Artists. She had received a request from Grazia for a stylist to create a concept for a Topshop advertorial. She suggested available stylists and I was chosen. She then proceeds with the booking and commissions me to execute styling and creative direction for a promotional editorial campaign (or advertorial) for Topshop in Grazia Middle East. This advertorial is initiated at the occasion of the Worldcup and the client brief reads: Elegant occasion wear to attend the Dubai Horse Races.

I’ll take you through the steps of how I got started;

Step 3: D-day!

I pack all the outfits and bring them to the location. The client provided a lovely hotel room on location where we setup and get our pretty model ready.

Along with the assistants, photographer, videographer, model and make up artist, we execute all in 4-5 hours time under the Grazia editors supervision. Luckily, we worked really well as a team.

Step 4:

Share all the credits of the clothes, shoes, accessories and jewelry along with their prices with the magazine editor.

Challenges:

– Learning to let go. The magazine and client hire us to see the results and execution that they expect. Sometimes an idea that you thought was so brilliant, gets turned down and that’s ok. Ultimately, I’m satisfied if the client is happy.

– Pack everything up and return all the clothes and accessories in perfect condition to the shop, this time we didn’t encounter any problems, no make up on the clothes nor accidents. But this is always a source of stress for the stylist.

Advantages:

– Being paid to be creative and dream away, all day, everyday. It still baffles me that this is what I do for a living.

In the end when the print comes out and you see the results on paper in your hands, you feel happy, proud and privileged that you actually get to do this.

I have more freedom, control over my time and I get to choose the projects I want to work on. Pure bliss!

It’s not always glamorous behind the scenes though and that’s also one of the reasons why I decided to blog about my journey, I want to look back and remember it ALL, years from now.

I also want to share my experience with others who are looking to change careers or maybe are just curious about the profession.

This blog will be about what goes down behind the scenes. The madness, the laughter, the fatigue and how I cope or don’t. Haha.

From the production process of a photo/video shoot, to the final result on your screens or magazines. I’ll share as much as I can.

I’ll probably write one or 2 posts per month, let’s see.

I’m now excited to see where this new adventure will take me next but in the meantime, I’m enjoying the moment.

Let me know if you have questions, just ask and I’d be happy to reply. 😉

Thanks for reading!

Jennifer x