Stylize

Nside Austin’s spring photo spread was shot at the well-known wedding venue, The Plantation House, in Pflugerville, TX.

In preparation for the Ralph Lauren-esque photo shoot, freelance stylist Cristina Facundo pulled preppy merchandise from clothing stores like Brooks Brothers. Stylists often pull much more merchandise than will be used in the shots in order to avoid being under-prepared should the Creative Director or Publisher dislike an outfit she has put together.

Fashion and Style Director Leonardo D’Almagro adjusts the model’s scarf for the first shot.

The models pose on the venue grounds.

As the stylist, Facundo keeps a sharp eye on the scene to ensure that the clothing looks its best for the spread.

Facundo adjusts the dress as the models sits, smoothing out wrinkles and making sure the fabric lays right.

Despite the deceiving sunlight, the weather was much too cold for the female model’s bare legs. Before the shot, she was wrapped in a blanket and shivering cold.

The male model poses with the magazine Publisher’s car in front of the venue in a promotional shot.

Facundo and the photographer pose the female model for her promotional shot with the car.

Facundo adjusts the models’ looks before the photographer begins to shoot.

Timing plays a key role in a photo shoot. Today’s shoot did not begin early enough or go quickly enough, and by the second to last look the light was fading fast.

The students behind Spark magazine have to be innovative when it comes to producing photo shoots. As they are not professionals, they do not always have access to professional hair and makeup artists. Jarie Maldonado, public relations contributor, applies makeup to a model before a shoot.

Roberta Izquierda, stylist for the magazine, straightens the model’s hair. Without professional assistance, much of the beauty looks are kept minimalistic.

Chris Nguyen acts as Spark’s Head of Production and leading photographer on photo shoots. He has invested thousands of dollars in photography equipment, including lenses, lighting and backdrops.

The model poses wearing an outfit designed by senior Apparel Design student Harrison Koiwai. Koiwai’s garments were featured in the magazine and in the senior fashion show, “Contour.”

Koiwai and fellow Apparel Design student, Kaidon Ho, pose together.

Izquierda straightens a second model’s hair for the shoot featuring Ho’s garments.

As a stylist, Izquierda must oversee every shot to ensure that the garments look how they should and have not shifted in unflattering ways as the model moves.

The process of designing a garment begins with an illustrated concept.

During the draping process of apparel design, the design lines of the garment, such as the width of the armhole and the shape of the back, are marked on a dress form that is intended to provide an accurate representation of the human body.

The design is then created by contouring pieces of fabric to the body in the fit and style desired. Here, each panel of the dress is formed to the body piece-by-piece.

The draped pieces of fabric are then removed from the dress form and used to create patterns that serve as puzzle pieces for putting the garment together. A mock up is constructed to ensure that the design works.

The pattern pieces are then cut from the fashion fabric. In this case, leather was used to construct the garment. Each piece is laid over the suitable area of the leather it will be cut from and traced onto the material.

Following the markings, the pieces are then cut from the leather.

As leather cannot be pinned without leaving permanent perforations in the material, the pieces of this garment were held together to be sewn using paper clips.

Tracing paper helps to keep the sewing foot from getting stuck on the thick leather material while the seams are stitched.

To reduce the bulkiness of the sewn seams in a leather garment, they are pressed open using a sturdy wooden block.

The sewn leather garment is put back on the dress form to ensure that it fits correctly.

As Austinites, we're all well-accustomed to purchasing our food from trailers of all shapes and sizes. The mobile eatery is more a cultural staple than the kind of thing that would raise an eyebrow at this point. Sarah Ellison Lewis has her own take on the business-on-wheels trend, though. Instead of handing out sausage wraps or fried chicken, she'll outfit your feet with high-quality shoes handpicked from her travels around the world.

I stopped by her store, Bootleg, to interview the fashion-forward Lewis on her background as a successful stylist in New York City. She currently keeps her styling skills fresh with her very own newspaper, Bootleg Newsprint. Expect the interview to be up soon, but in the meantime here are a few pictures from my trip to this self-titled "fine footwear fete" and a quote from its owner.

"The importance of creativity, the importance of creating. That for me is most important part of fashion - that we are encouraging and providing people venues to keep making things. Obviously, that’s an infinite category and I think this is what is so incredible about America in general - the infinite opportunity. The same goes for the art of fashion." - Sarah Ellison Lewis

Lewis’ business, Bootleg, operates out of an Airstream trailer along the hip South Congress Avenue.

Lewis, who has worked as a stylist in New York City, has a unique eye for fashion and is always outfitted in edgy clothing and the most interesting shoes.

Though the inside of Bootleg is not a large space, Lewis keeps her shop stocked with gorgeous footwear hand-picked from around the world.

Many of the shoes sold at Bootleg are not for the faint of heart.

Interesting touches, like this light bulb, give the trailer personality and aesthetic appeal.

Lewis has covered the walls of Bootleg with fashion magazine images and the covers of her own fashion publication, Bootleg Newsprint.

Lewis enjoys her quieter Texas lifestyle while remaining closely connected to the fashion world.

Every year, the University of Texas hosts an annual spring fashion show featuring the work of senior Textiles and Apparel design students. This large-scale event is funded by the University Co-op and has grown over the years to bring in approximately 5,000 attendees.

With this year's show, Contour, quickly approaching on April 19, the students being featured are frantically working to finish a collection of three cohesive looks. Kaidon Ho is one of the 23 designers showing.

As a part of the construction process when working with difficult materials, several students have learned new techniques. One such technique involves using paper clips instead of pins to hold two pieces of leather together, so as not to perforate this material.

Chandler Hamilton is creating a collection inspired by the charity work she does with women in Haiti through an organization called Haitian Creations.

Stefant Phonthephasone works on an interesting piece for his collection hours before the students must present their garments to a panel of judges from the local Austin fashion industry for the third time.

While waiting for her turn to present, Katrina Raz makes adjustments to her third look and attaches it to one of the many dress forms used as models in the creation of these garments.

Rebekah Hoffer (right) critically examines her current collection following an unsatifactory presentation to the panel while Wendy Sandoval and Mai Tran offer suggestions for improvement.

Sara Essoufi wheels her garments into a classroom in Gearing Hall after her presentation. Here the pieces will be organized in running order for the show.

But until then, here's a new rain boot trend to keep you looking fabulous without ruining those leather flats you spent your last paycheck on.

Try a pair of short, stylish rubber boots for a twist on the classic look and to stand out even when it's pouring down.

These Vivienne Westwood by Melissa boots are sleek and tassled. What more could you ask for? Plus they come in several other colors, and even with different decor if you aren't a tassle kind of gal.

Urban Outfitters also offer a couple of cute variations by Mel by Melissa. Check out this side-bow option or add a little sophistication to your look with lacy feet.

You’re standing in front of your closet, chin in hand and eyes perusing racks and drawers of clothing.

Is this dress too dressy? I think this one is too casual. I wore that outfit last week. Is this even in style anymore? What would Anna Wintour do?

All culminating in:

I have nothing to wear.

Any fashion enthusiast wishes to have a closet full of drool-worthy labels and covetable pieces. But what about those of us who actually do have access to it all? Those who handle delicate beaded blouses and genuine leather fringed vests that cost more than two months of rent every day at work of all places?

This is a blog about The Stylist, styling and the all-encompassing style.

I will strive to provide insight into the job of a professional stylist, the processes behind the glamour of fashion industry photo shoots and runway shows, the minds of the stylish and fashion style trends.

Now who am I? My name is Andie, and I’m a Multimedia Journalism and Apparel Design student at UT. A lifelong Austinite, I have a deep love of fashion, style and creative minds and am always looking for ways to investigate the inner workings of these subjects more deeply.

Quite the conundrum, Austin, Texas is a city that has never been known as a fashion hotspot but is home to some of the most fashionable people on the planet.

From the local boutique owner whose style is so stunning that the instant you walk through that front door with the bells jingling overhead and catch sight of her ensemble you whip out your wallet and buy the entire look, to the hipster meandering down the sidewalk that we all love to make fun of but secretly admire for their quirky clothing, to the barista at that coffee shop on the corner rocking the faded gold turban in a way that seems impossible to imitate and actually pull off, Austin is not the city to be ridiculed for its fashion that many believe it to be.

Behind style, though, there is a process (or many unique processes of unique individuals) that utilizes creativity, taste and know-how to create looks that are not just an outfit, but art.

Fashion is art.

One of the clearest expression of such comes from the photo shoot. Through these staged images, fashion can be groundbreaking, glamorous, edgy, inspiring and a million more adjectives. As a painter uses brushes and canvas, a stylist uses clothing to create their art on the pages of magazines.

Austin may not be the most booming industry for stylists, but there are both seasoned and budding individuals sprinkled throughout the city. I hope to gain insight into their experiences as a stylist and the behind-the-scenes action of the hours of effort that go in to producing their work.

I also hope to provide styling tips for those of you who may be at a loss for how to wear that printed jumpsuit or pair of snakeskin boots that you bought because you couldn’t live without them and stowed away to gather dust in the corner of your closet.

Finally, I wish to bring you fashion perspectives from the chic viewpoints of Austin individuals themselves.