The Professional Photo, Film, TV & Personal Stylist’s Course run by the Australian College of Professional Styling is a fantastic course for those wanting to pursue a career in the world of fashion styling. It gives you all the knowledge and necessary skills to be successful in this ever evolving industry. The tutorials give a step by step process of achieving success in your chosen field of styling. Whether it’s styling celebrities, models for a fashion shoot or personal shopping, this course will enable you to achieve success.
I have never had any fashion retail experience. I started the course with a love for fashion and a desire to know all there is to know about becoming a fashion stylist. The tutorials are detailed, yet interesting and give you the information and processes of how to be a stylist for film, TV, photo shoots and personal styling.
The assignments are hands-on, giving you the experience needed to build an attractive portfolio and more importantly, giving you confidence and the ability to achieve success in your styling career. My success at styling a close friend, Kylie, for a wedding earned me my first paying client. Kylie wore the outfit I styled for her out to a ‘night with the girls’. Her girlfriends commented on how great she looked and she advised them that she had used a ‘personal stylist’. One of her girlfriends asked for my number and I was able to meet and style her in an outfit for a wedding and the Melbourne Cup. The client was so happy with her outfits (and the comments from her partner and friends!) that she wants to hire me to style her for the Autumn/Winter season.
A willingness to learn and a passion for fashion are really the only prerequisites to start this course. You will be amazed at the opportunities that will jump at you when you let friends and family know about your fashion styling capabilities. Word of mouth is the best advertising, as is the visual presentation of one of your clients. This is why it is so important to learn the mechanics of styling for certain body shapes and determining colours that suit each skin tone. If you get it right, and the client wears your styled creations, people notice and comment and then want to use you to style them.
I am so glad that I have done this course. I am THRILLED with the work opportunities that have opened up for me because of my qualification and the skills that I have acquired. I LOVE being a fashion stylist and being paid to do something I love is a dream come true.