01.08.09
Jackie Dixon - A Freelance Stylist
The right advice and inside track on how to get commissioned
How did you start off working in fashion?
I was doing Fine Art at Central Saint Martins and as part of the degree you had to go away and do some work-experience, I did mine at Frank magazine (which sadly no longer exists) and got on really well with their Fashion Director, Karina Givargisoff. Before I knew it, we were heading off to NYC to shoot Gisele for the cover of Japanese Vogue, for me that was it, I was hooked; fashion was the industry for me.
Your first job was assisting British Vogue’s Fashion Director, Lucinda Chambers – that’s quite an achievement straight out of university. Can you tell me about your time there?
I loved it and hated it in equal measure. It’s tough because you hit the ground running and are responsible for what feels like a million things at once. The pace is fast and I learnt to multitask like a demon. Of course the advantages are that you are on Vogue, one of the most respected fashion magazines around and I was lucky enough to work with photographers that only a mere few months ago I was idolizing at college: Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, Corinne Day and Paolo Roversi to name a few. As I say, it was tough but I wouldn’t change the experience for anything. Lucinda is a brilliant stylist and I am very pleased to have been able to assist her and watch her at work.
What was your progression into the magazine industry?
After a chance encounter with Alex Shulman (the editor of Vogue) I managed to convince her I was worthy of an interview. There were no jobs available at Vogue at the time so I interviewed and got a job as the editor’s PA on Brides magazine (which is owned by the same publishing company, Conde Nast). A year later a job at Vogue came up and I got it.
You were a fashion editor at Elle magazine; which photographers were you working with at the time?
I tried to work with a cross-section of new and already established photographers which included Gilles Bensimon, Rankin, Chris Craymer, Henrik Bullow, Greg Sorensen, Paul Farrell, John Balsom, Valerie Phillips and Claudia Pasanisi-Smith.
How did you make the move to becoming a stylist? Was it a very natural transition?
My work-experience placement at central Saint Martins taught me that I wanted to be a stylist, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight. I thought that if I worked hard and was at least in the right place (in my case in Vogue House) I would eventually get a chance, and I did. It just goes to show that hard work and a bit of patience does pay off.
How has your background in magazines helped your career as a stylist?
I guess I know how a magazine is put together which really helps when you are working on a shoot. You understand the concept of a layout and when I style I always think in terms of how the story will look in a magazine – little things like not having the model looking the same way on each page, or wearing seven dresses and only one pair of trousers. Bearing in mind that you need an opener, a double page spread, etc. Or budgets! I can now handle a budget without batting an eyelid.
Are there any pitfalls to your job?
When you are working as a full-time stylist on a magazine you probably end up styling less than if you are freelance because a lot of your day-to-day activities are to do with admin and general office things. So I would say that can be pretty frustrating, otherwise it’s just what you make of it that counts. If you don’t like what you’re doing mix it up, change it until it works for you.
How do you find working with photographers? Do you find it easy to collaborate or do you find someone is always more in control?
The greatest shoots are the ones where you and the photographer are bouncing off each other. For me the best shoots come about when you respect each other and work as a team.
Who do you find it easier to work with – celebrities and clients, or photographers?
Totally depends on the individual, although I must say you should never second guess what someone is going to be like. It’s usually the ones you think are going to be divas (and I’m talking clients and models here as well as celebrities) that turn out to be the nicest people to work with.
Your website www.showmeyourwardrobe.com has really taken off – and what a fantastic concept it is! How easy is it getting people to ‘let you in their wardrobe’?
Why thank you! It’s always going to be easier after a while because at the beginning there was nothing to show people...it was just me saying, “Er, will you be on this blog I’ve started?” But now there are so many examples that you can see exactly what to expect, and what I’m talking about. People have been really encouraging and keen to get involved. I always link a website of their choice so it’s beneficial for both of us. And it’s fun to do!
Have you had a favourite wardrobe? And any you just can’t stand?
For me it’s more to do with the person I’m photographing and the energy that comes with them. Someone full of beans in a plain white t-shirt will always be so much more fun to shoot than a person who gives you nothing even if they are wearing thousands of pounds worth of clothes. Someone who is comfortable in their own skin and confident with their style is my ideal SMYW candidate.
How important is a photographer’s own sense of style when it comes to their work?
It’s vital. A fashion photographer has to at least be able to recognize style when it’s in front of him/her. To have style is, of course, an added bonus. It can make or break a shoot.
What do you love most about being a stylist?
When someone trusts you enough for you to style them exactly how you want and then they say the magic words, “I love it!” (Usually with a shocked look on their face).
If you could choose any photographer to work with who would it be?
I would have loved to have been able to go on a shoot with Herb Ritts or Richard Avedon, but today it would be Terry Richardson, Juergen Teller or David LaChapelle.
What’s the best way for a photographer to approach a stylist?
I am very much from the, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’ school of thought. If you aren’t into that then get your agent to do it, but always do it. Fashion photographers and stylists; it’s a symbiotic relationship. One simply doesn’t work without the other.
Do you prefer working to tight briefs or total freedom to do what you like?
I don’t mind. If the brief is a good one and someone knows exactly what they want it can be very useful – as long as they are nice about it, of course!
Finally, do you have any tips for photographers?
‘Photography for Dummies’ is quite good (she says smiling...)
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