Hello Everyone,
I’m not the best stylist in the world.
But I get rebooked — again and again.
Not because I’m perfect. Not because I know every brand. Not because I’ve mastered some secret formula.
But because I know how to do the job. Properly. Repeatedly. Under pressure.
And I know how to carry the weight of the work without losing the trust of the people I’m doing it for.
Over the years, I’ve styled editorials, red carpets, campaigns, and commercial shoots.
I’ve hired assistants, managed teams, called in racks of clothes I never used, and returned them the same night.
And alongside that, I’ve mentored hundreds of fashion creatives — stylists, assistants, career-shifters, people starting from scratch and people starting again.
What I’ve learned — through doing it, and through watching others do it — is this:
The stylists who build lasting careers aren’t always the most talented, the most followed, or the most aesthetically impressive.
They’re the ones who can hold a job under pressure.
Who know how to make decisions without creating chaos.
Who understand the value of communication, clarity, rhythm, and trust.
Who can carry the energy of a room without making it about themselves.
This post isn’t about trends. It’s not about portfolios. It’s not about networking tactics or moodboards.
It’s about the part of styling that doesn’t get taught.
The part that lives in how you move, how you lead, and how you work when the job gets real.
Let’s talk about what makes an amazing fashion stylist.
Every stylist knows what it feels like when something starts to unravel.
The sample doesn’t arrive. The talent changes their mind. The client wants something new — in a size you never pulled.
In that moment, the stylist doesn’t just solve a clothing problem.
They manage emotion. They manage perception. They manage trust.
A good stylist knows how to keep the ship steady, even when it’s leaking.
Not by pretending everything’s perfect — but by making fast, grounded decisions, and clearly guiding the client through the change.
The moment the client loses confidence in you, the whole job becomes harder.
An amazing stylist protects that confidence, even mid-chaos.
This is one of the core skills I teach in The Booked Stylist Formula — not just how to prep a job, but how to hold it. What to say when things shift. How to lead a fitting. How to own a moment without making it louder than it needs to be.
Styling is full of moments where silence earns more respect than over-explaining.
When you’re pitching ideas, giving feedback, or handling a request — knowing when to speak is as powerful as knowing what to say.
An amazing stylist doesn’t fill silence to prove their worth.
They don’t second-guess their every move aloud.
They know how to read the room. They know how to stay present without performing.
When a client or talent is nervous, they know how to pause instead of panic.
When someone on the team makes a mistake, they address it clearly — without creating drama.
You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room.
But you do have to be the one who knows how to guide it.
This is one of the quickest ways to build trust — and one of the easiest to mess up.
The stylist who gets rebooked is the one who moves without prompting:
Confirms returns before anyone follows up
Shares the call sheet and credits before the shoot ends
Sends the invoice the day the job wraps
Thanks the producer without being reminded
Lets the PR know when samples are back in studio
They close the loop. Every time.
This is the part that takes you from someone who’s “bookable” to someone who becomes a core part of the team.
You’re not just completing tasks — you’re making the job smoother for everyone involved. And people remember that.
You can be overwhelmed. You can be stretched. You can have ten things on your list and one assistant at your side.
But what you don’t do is:
Snap at the intern
Talk loudly about how stressed you are
Push blame sideways
Show your chaos more than your clarity
Stylists who lead well know how to protect the energy of a room.
They keep communication clear, not reactive.
They brief well and debrief early.
They ask for help before it turns into a problem.
They make sure the intern understands what’s happening — and gets a chance to grow from it.
That matters.
When I hire assistants now, this is what I watch for. Not whether they know every brand — but whether they know how to carry themselves. Whether they track details. Whether they read the room.
You can’t teach that in a Google Doc.
But you can develop it over time — if you’re paying attention.
The best stylists don’t just turn up — they make a lasting impression.
This industry is built on repeat collaboration. And that means your reputation is everything.
You might not always be the loudest in the room. You might not get tagged, credited, or thanked. But the people who matter? They notice.
Great Stylists:
– Follow up with PRs
– Say thank you to the team — from the photographer to the runner
– Credit team without being asked
– Speak well of others even when no one’s listening
– Are present, prepared, and easy to be around on long, chaotic days
These things cost nothing. But they make you unforgettable.
And in an industry built on trust — that’s what gets you rebooked.
This isn’t about knowing every designer under the sun or having perfect taste.
It’s about becoming someone people trust — someone who can carry the weight of a job from start to finish.
Someone who shows up prepared, holds pressure without passing it on, and finds their rhythm inside the chaos.
You don’t need to be perfect. But you do need to take the job seriously — from the very beginning.
Every fitting, every follow-up, every return you handle — it builds your reputation, whether anyone says it out loud or not.
The industry doesn’t always give feedback.
But it does give signals — quietly, subtly — when you’ve earned someone’s trust.
Build your own systems early. Track samples. Save credits. Make notes after each job.
These habits might seem small, but they’re what protect you when the pace picks up or things go wrong.
Pay attention to how the most respected stylists move — and how their teams move with them.
The energy you bring to a job often matters more than the moodboard you deliver.
It’s not just about styling a look. It’s about timing, tone, knowing when to speak, and when to quietly solve a problem before anyone else notices.
Don’t wait to be chased.
Close the loop before anyone asks. Thank the team before you’re thanked.
Carry yourself like someone who belongs — not out of ego, but out of respect for the job.
And when you leave a shoot and no one gives feedback — but they message a week later with the next date?
That silence meant something. You did your job so well, they never had to worry about you once.
That’s what makes you more than “good.”
That’s when you become essential.
Because most people want to get booked.
But the stylists who last — the ones who get called again and again — are the ones who learn how to work, not just how to look like they do.
That’s what we’re building inside Studio of Stylist Elixir.
Not just a styling career — but a way of working that earns trust, builds longevity, and sets you apart before the credits even roll.
We’ve taken everything that doesn’t get taught — and turned it into the studio you’ve always needed.
Inside SOSE — The Studio of Stylist Elixir — you’ll get:
Mini courses on creative direction, timelines, and sustainable workflow
Templates for shoot prep, returns, call-ins, and communication
A private global community of working fashion creatives
Full access to the Booked Stylist Formula, Stylist Protection Series, and Career Builder tracks
Founding rate: £20/month.
Waitlist members get early access before doors open on 1st August.
If this hit home — this is the next step.
Join the waitlist now — and we’ll send you first access before the doors open.
If you’re new here or want to go deeper, everything we teach is organised across four key Substack sections:
📂 Creative Corner — ideas, direction, and how to build your creative identity
📂 Stylist Protection — job structure, boundaries, budgets, and sustainable workflow
📂 The Career Builder — pitching, positioning, long-term growth and getting rebooked
📂 Industry Truths — Honest about fashion life
Thanks for reading — and for taking your work seriously.
Styling is a job that asks a lot.
But with the right systems, the right mindset, and the right support behind you — it doesn’t have to cost your confidence.
If this gave you language for something you’ve felt but couldn’t explain, you’ll find a lot more inside Stylist Elixir.
We write it to last.
And to meet you where you are.
So articulate and helpful! Thankyou for sharing this.
Coming from a stylist.
Amazing! thank you for sharing this