Hi, yes it's me. LC. The Stylist (I'm trying to sound like Fergie here but failing miserably). One of the main reasons I am your devout fashion editor is that I happily play with clothes all day for a living. But before I talk you through my usual day, we need to banish a myth.
Fashion gives off this idea that it's glamorous. Parties, people, catwalks etc. Yes, they exist and they are a nice perk, but what most people don't see are the hours spent running to and fro from the shops. Laden with ten bags in each arm, all the while it's lashing and you are slowly, but very surely, starting to look like a drowned rat, and all your fashion credibility is going down the nearest gutter on the side of Grafton Street. And that's how it is most days.
Fashion is volatile, and when you are a self-employed stylist and journalist, you are on call 24/7, saying yes to work all the time for fear it dries up and chaining yourself to your desk planning, prepping and foreseeing your next move. I left the world of accounting to do fashion; I thought the corporate world was stressful, but I had no idea...
Before I give you the run down of the day, we've a few assumptions to make. Firstly, I spend a lot of time on planes and flying in and out of the country. But this week I've been home! The typical day normally involves filming fashion for Xposé (you might have seen me on it the odd time) which is one of my favourite aspects of my job, as well as writing fashion pieces at my desk. I actually have an office in the city centre where I control my empire (buahahaha).
On set!6.30am The first of my many alarms goes off. But I need the early wake up call to awaken by brain. If it's a Tuesday, then I am up before 6.40 as I have a long standing breakfast date with my little sister. We call it "Breakfast Club" and we are at the Café Sol on Leeson Street just as it opens at 7am. My favourite cup of coffee in Dublin.
7.00am My usual get up time, and I've already checked my email and all the fashion update newsletters from places like Fashion Monitor, WGSN and Fashion Insight who send early morning bulletins. It's like my version of the FT. It helps me plan out my Beaut.ie articles, my own blog and what I might pitch for my fashion bits on Xposé. So you need to have your finger on the pulse from early doors. I don't speak to anyone before I have coffee. Not even my husband, but he's well used to this. Thank heavens for Nespresso; the fashion world salutes you oh divine machine of caffeinated goodness.
8.00am Having torn the wardrobe apart, it's normally time to go to the office in town. If I'm filming Xposé, I need to bring more than one change of clothes so a second bag is generally needed. Plus the laptop, chargers and very important: the make up bag. So, yes Dublin Bus should charge me more for extra baggage.
8.30am As most of my work is in TV, I usually spend mornings pulling clothes together for shooting which involves appointments with all the stores which we are featuring that week; this bit is the physical bit depending on how many looks I plan to film. In between the store visits, I'll spend quite a bit of time on email, sourcing locations, casting models and working with the team to make sure we've covered all our bases. Email and all forms of communication for me are done on the go, thanks to the beauty of technology, it helps we fashion peeps to work on the go. I'm a good advert for Apple.
Behind the Scenes at a shoot I styled last September!Advertised
10.00am It's desk time once the clothes collection has been completed and my assistant Jack assembles the looks and takes all the prices so the viewers know exactly how much everything costs. Meanwhile, I'm at the laptop writing and collating images of looks which I think will work for my very loyal readers. I edit them, write the captions and make sure the copy (media speak for words) all read sensibly and practically for advice, styling tips and how to get the look.
A little behind the scenes from Xposé at Boohoo.com SS14!11.00am Then it's off to film! We load up all the clothes into large wheelie bags to get them to our locations which are normally in and around our lovely capital city. I style the clothes in order of how we'll film them, and do a quick fitting with the model to make sure everything looks as it should. I have a huge styling kit, full of pins, tights, plasters, scissors and lot's of double sided tape for last minute adjustments so the outfit is just right. Then it's up the camera person to film each look as I watch ensuring the clothes stay put and no unwanted threads or labels appear! Each of the looks are edited to give you the finished product you see on the telly. I don't really get nervous, I love what I do, and getting to talk about it is always a good thing in my eyes.
2.00pm Yep, that takes a good three to four hours sometimes, and then it's time to do "drop backs", essentially delivering all the clothes back to the retailers, and a bit of a late lunch on the go! Back at the office, it's down to business to plan the following day, emails to brands checking on stock, collecting images and responding to emails. I generally get 250 to 300 emails a day with fashion news and bookings for work. It can take me hours to get through them, but I don't leave my desk until I do!
Perks of the Job but it's not all red carpets!6.00pm I start to make my way home about 6pm and those are the evenings when I don't have an event to go to which keeps me out a little later. The party and events side of things is fun, but I am always working. Networking, representing myself and my work, so even though they can be great fun, it's not like a night out on the town with the girls.
7.30pm Nah I'm still not done. I spend an hour or so post-dinner to make my to do list for the following day and some brain storming. Fashion moves so fast you have to keep up! And the world of telly moves even faster so sometimes I'm on the phone to modelling agencies or producers for last minute changes to work the next day.
8.30pm Run time. I love running and try and get out for 4-5km to de-stress about three nights a week. It clears the mind and it's good for the soul! I've a longstanding condition called Acute Anxiety Disorder and running has been one of the best cures for this. I do look like a jogging highlighter though; I have an obsession with neon coloured running gear! I'm so guilty of bursting into song with Beyoncé the odd time. To the people of Ranelagh and the surrounding areas, I apologise.
I get to work with fab people like this guy!Advertised
You know what fashion is? Fun, but takes some hard graft. Upon reflection of writing this there is no typical day. Each day brings new challenges, last minute work bookings and a test of organisation and dedication. But you see, it's my passion so it doesn't feel like it's hard. Hey, it's ok to like what you do.
Do you like what you do? What's your dream job? And tell us, who else would you like to see featured in A Day In The Life Of...?
