“One for the Road” Interview With Professional Stylist and Blogger Angel Phillips, Featured in Bust Magazine

Angel Phillips of Acute Angle, a stylist for a major fashion label, styled a fashion editorial for Bust Magazine. As a freelance stylist, this is her first major feature in a mainstream women’s glossy. Let’s all congratulate Angel on a job well done!

To celebrate with her, I want to introduce thereafterish. readers to Angel and her tremendous talents.

Say hi to blogger and successful stylist, Ms. Phillips!

thereafterish.: So you recently styled a fashion editorial for Bust Magazine. The spread was kind of a retro road trip with a bohemian, carefree vibe. What was your inspiration for this shoot?

Angel Phillips: The inspiration originally came from the location. I’m friends with the photographer (Gabriela Hasbun) and she has been trying to rope me into doing another fashion shoot with her for some time. She has a great eye for interesting scenery that is so very inspiring. Once she showed me images of the location I began to think about road trips I used to take with my best friends from high school. We had so much fun traveling as far as our poor beat up cars would take us. Using that as an inspiration I began to think about the cool girls I know in California and their laid back style.

t-ish.: How did you land the gig with Bust, and what was your reaction when they contacted you?

AP: [Gabriela] the photographer was contacted by Bust originally. She has worked with them in the past for more lifestyle type shoots. They had seen a photograph in her portfolio that they really liked that just happened to be styled by me and of me funnily enough. They suggested that if we put together a proposal for a shoot they would look at it and consider publishing it.

I was really excited for the opportunity! I’ve been styling for a long time but have never been published in a print magazine. We worked for a couple of weeks to put together the proposal. I made an inspiration board entitled “Going to California” (inspired by the Led Zeppelin song) and we sent it off. We didn’t hear back for MONTHS so I figured they were passing on the proposal. Then right around December we received an email giving us the go ahead for the shoot.

The crazy thing was that we only had a month to put together the actual clothes, models, and secure the location. That might sound like a long time but believe me!! It was a close call!

The above referenced photoshoot

t-ish.: What was the most memorable thing about this shoot, and styling it?

AP: The MOST memorable? There is so much! I think the most amazing thing about the shoot was how amazing all the clothing vendors were in trusting me enough to loan me clothes. I emailed and emailed AND EMAILED these poor women so many times. Major shout out to the wonderful gals Heather & Hanna over at Bona Drag and Hannah Metz over at The Loved One. Without them there would have been no clothing to shoot!

t-ish.: Any mishaps, or fun anecdotes that could end up on a “blooper reel” had it been a video shoot?

AP: Shooting on location = tons of opportunity for bloopers and blunders.

It was FREEZING that day. Here we were shooting light weight Summer clothing and it was foggy and windy all day long. Welcome to life and living in San Francisco! The poor models were covered in goose bumps and shivering between each take. But once the camera was on them they acted like it was 75 degrees outside! Another fun part of the shoot was the model Ashley Ording (of Fancy Fine). She kept us laughing and on our toes the whole day. The best part was when the photographer gave Ashley binoculars for a shot and she started using them to check out the surfers. She was waving and smiling and they were waving and smiling back. So funny.

t-ish.: As a stylist on the road, what would you say are the most important, fundamental items to have with you on set?

AP: No matter what kind of shoot I’m on I always have my styling kit. It’s full of safety pins, double stick tape, binder clips, and dog treats. I should mention that I usually have my dog with me on set. Granted he wasn’t there that day. For this particular shoot I had to make sure to bring my own rolling rack to hang the clothes on, a steamer (works so much better than an iron) and duct tape for the bottom of the shoes so they wouldn’t get ruined.

t-ish.: Were you nervous?

AP: Oh my God, I was so stressed! I think my poor blog readers were getting tired of hearing my whining. Even I was getting tired of hearing myself! I think it’s probably safe to say that I love to stress myself out. I’m constantly worrying about the worst case scenario. The upside to this is that I’m usually over prepared. Case in point. The day before the shoot I had a panic attack that none of the clothes were going to fit so I went shopping in San Francisco’s Union Square for alternates. I spent so much money that day for a “JUST IN CASE” situation.

Crazy-pants. I know. I had to go back downtown the next day to return everything I bought because we didn’t need any of it.

t-ish.: When people hear “stylist”, it’s easy to envision the oh-so amaaaaahzing and glamorous Rachel Zoe draped in boho, drowning in fur and sparkle, but that probably isn’t the typical experience of a stylist. As a career stylist with a major fashion company, what does a normal day look like for you?

AP: I don’t really have a “normal” day. My job often feels like two (or three) jobs working in tandem. There is the office portion of my job & the photo shoot. On the office days I work in my styling room to create outfits based on the Marketing needs of each season as well as working on styling the Product images for the site. The difference between the two are that the Marketing outfits usually tell a story. I have more creative license here to have fun and make full outfits. The Product styling is what most customers see when they’re shopping the site. For instance when you click on “tops” and you see every top we own, I have to designate what bottom they’re wearing or if it needs a camisole underneath. The OTHER part of my job is the photo shoot side. Once all the outfits have been approved from the office side then we take it to be photographed.

Glamour doesn’t play much of a role in my day to day on set. It’s a lot of hard work! A typical day on set I arrive to our photo studio and immediately grab a cup of coffee. I can’t talk to you until I’ve had at least ONE CUP. Then I meet with the Photo Producer and Assistant Stylist to make sure we’re all set. We talk about if anything is missing or if I need to substitute any samples we couldn’t get in time for the shoot. Then I spend most of my day trying to think two steps ahead while crawling around on the floor at a model’s feet making sure the clothes fit her (or him) just right! When the model doesn’t fit the clothes properly it makes my job feel about 10X harder.

I think the major difference between a Stylist like Rachel Zoe and myself is that I’m doing all the dressing, pinning, and finshing touches where as Rachel’s assistant is doing most of that while Rachel gives direction. Don’t get me wrong, I loves me some Rachel Zoe!

She can’t talk to us until she’s had coffee.

t-ish.: More importantly (just kidding), what do you wear when you’re on set?

AP: On set is all about comfort. Again, there is very little glamour going on here. Any time I have to jump into a shot to correct styling I have to take my shoes off. That means wearing comfortable shoes that slip on and off quickly. Comfort is also important because we’re usually working on cement floors and that can really ruin my feet and back by the end of the day. I’m not nearly as good about wearing “good” supportive shoes as I should be. My go-to shoes are usually my vintage Manolo Blahnik old man loafers with TWO cushion inserts, Swedish Hasbeen clogs (the only acceptable on set high heel), or any number of my slip on booties. Some stylist have no issue wearing dresses or skirts on set. They will wear some bike shorts underneath to ensure you don’t flash the team when you have to crouch down. I usually don’t want to deal with that so I wear jeans that I don’t mind getting dirty & an easy blouse with a cardigan that I can remove when I start to get overheated. I’m probably as far as you can get from Rachel Zoe in terms of on set style as you can get!

Angel in her element.

t-ish.: How did you break into the biz to become the woman you are today?

AP: All I can say is that in order to make it as a Stylist you have to be willing to do a lot of HARD WORK! I’ve never been afraid to start at the very very bottom. When I met a Stylist in person for the first time I offered to assist her for free. She didn’t take me up on the offer straight away but approached me about a month later with a job. I decided to take a leap of faith and quit my full time with benefits job to work under her. How else would I gain the experience? Over the years I assisted some amazing Stylists as well as some not so great. I assisted a Stylist that made it her daily goal to break me down. I would never let her know when she got to me. I would smile to her face and then go into the bathroom and cry. I have been asked why I didn’t stand up for myself or tell her where to shove it. The answer is simple. Most stylists are freelance. If you make a wave or cause trouble it’s easier for the employer to let you go and bring in a new freelancer.

There were many hard times in terms of money and lack of job stability. I remember coming home to eat Top Ramen AGAIN and cry on the phone with my best friend about how I didn’t think “I was making it.” BUT I pushed forward. Over the years I built a reputation amongst my peers. Reputation is everything! Besides talent you have to be dependable and easy to work with. People with attitude problems or demanding personalities will be passed on in favor of people that are more agreeable. The old cliche of the dramatic stylist that comes waltzing in proclaiming “Hate it!” doesn’t exist in my world.

t-ish.: What is the most rewarding thing about your work?

AP: The best part of my job is seeing the outfits come to life on a model. I spend a lot of time with the clothes prior to the photo shoot. When I get the girl in an outfit and add the finishing touches I get a great sense of accomplishment. The first couple of times I saw my work come to life on a world wide website I felt like a little kid on Christmas!

t-ish.: Now that you have a feature with a major glossy under your belt, what are the next plans and developments for you?

I think that my life will continue on much the same. I have my regular styling gig but in the future I would like to continue to style on the side for other projects. I may even see about working with Bust again in the future now that I’ve shown them that I can execute a shoot to their standards.

t-ish.: Any particular current trend for Spring/Summer you think will be bigger than anything else, and what you particularly like? What are the bombs this season?

Color blocking is obviously the huge thing right now. Even I wasn’t immune to it’s visual charms. For the first time in years I went out and bought BRIGHT COLOR! I’m the queen of wearing all neutrals (grey, camel, beige, black, white). It’s refreshing to look in my closet and see little bits of color hanging in there. In terms of bombs? This is all subjective of course but I’m really over the “LA look”. My eyeballs have been over saturated with images of girls with loooooong ratty hair in cut off shorts, cropped t-shirts & the Jefferey Campbell Lita boots. I’m done! Put some clothes on! Does your mother know you leave the house without pants on!

t-ish.: Who are your favorite designers and stylists?

AP: My favorite stylist right now is Anne Christensen. She has a great way with taking anything thrown at her and making it look instantly Americana cool with a twist. Another favorite styling icon for me is J.crew’s Creative Director Jenna Lyons for all the same reasons.

My favorite designer right now has to be Isabel Marant! I’ve been coveting her designs for a long time now. Her designs have such an easy cool about them. When I saw the video for her Fall 2011 collection I must have watched it 5 times in a row. I get a thrill when a designer shows me something that makes me rethink how I get dressed every morning. Here I was thinking I should get my act together and start dressing more polished when I see those fringed boots come down the runway! I’m more interested in realistic dressing.

t-ish.: That being said… in design and runway fashion, what sends a thrill through your body and inspires your work?

AP: When I see designer collections that look like art I am still interested in it but with a different eye. When I see a collection that looks instantly wearable that gives me new ideas in terms of how to style things I get very excited. Case in point, everyone had been wearing big chunky wedges for awhile now but then Isabel Marant sent a pointed toe heel down the runway with a cropped trouser and suddenly I’m panting for a sexy heel myself! All of a sudden getting dressed feels new and exciting again!

t-ish.: It’s exciting when that happens! Speaking of inspirations, who are your favorite bloggers?

AP: Swedish bloggers Hanneli Mustaparta and Elin Kling have been a major love of mine lately. Everything they wear feels so fresh in terms of styling and selection of pieces!

t-ish.: There’s no denying the influence of popular fashion bloggers, but celebrity style is so closely watched in the mainstream. Which celebrity’s style do you covet?

AP: Hmmm… I think I’m still on the Alexa Chung bandwagon. She’s got such a tomboy cool about her that I love. Plus when I watch interviews with her I think she’s so dorky and charming.

t-ish.: Do you think you’ll ever branch into design?

AP: To be honest I don’t know! I’ve been asked to go into design by many friends. Specifically handbags! I’m not sure why they think I’m such an expert on handbags but I’ll take the compliment. I definitely know what I love but often when I imagine designing I get a little discouraged.

When I was very little my Grandmother would encourage me to design my own Barbie clothing. I would sketch out the design and then go into my Grandmother’s sewing scrap box and pull out the fabrics I liked. My designs were heavily Grecian inspired. I’m not sure why or how that was the direction I went to at that age. Maybe because I loved draping fabric into gowns. The best gown I ever made was a dark grey lavender silky Grecian gown that was very body conscious. Barbie had the figure, she could pull it off.

My biggest hurdle has always been myself. I feel like everything has been done! I’ve always felt like if you’re going to design you better bring something new to the table other wise what’s the point? Then you’re just knocking off other people’s ideas and calling them your own.

t-ish.: What are your favorite pieces to wear or see on people you style?

AP: I love tomboy dressing. I can’t say I dress this way every single day but I love seeing a girl rocking some ugly man shoe with vintage looking trousers with some unexpected feminine element. A red lip always makes me happy ESPECIALLY with a boyish outfit.

I’m also enamoured by all things 60′s and a bit 70′s. A 60′s mini dress with a great flat always feels right to me. 70′s wide leg trousers and a tie neck blouse make me feel instantly polished!

In terms of people I style the major thing I love is what the person brings to the outfit.

{The clothes are just clothes until they’re on a real person.}

I’ve seen many average outfits made instantly cooler by a model or person that is wearing them with confidence.

t-ish.: That is too true. A person transforms the clothes, and gives them life!

Thanks for your time, Angel! Before we let you go, do you have any recommendations, suggestions or words of wisdom for aspiring stylists among thereafterish. readers?

AP: Breaking into the styling world is hard work. It takes patience, determination, a LOT of networking to make it. Who you know plays a large role in getting hired in this industry. Don’t be afraid to start at the bottom! Assist as many seasoned Stylists as you can! Ask photographers to do a test shoot with you in your free time. For those that don’t know a test shoot is when you work with a photographer, make-up artist and model to do an editorial type shoot for your portfolio. Everyone is working for free on their own time. You want the shoot to look like something you’d see in a magazine. These images are great indicators of your taste level for future employers.

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Let’s thank Angel for taking the time to give us this in depth peak into her pro stylist world! Congrats on the feature! Let us hope it is only the first of many exciting things in her career.

If you want to see more of Ms. Phillips, you can visit her blog, Acute Angle, and follow her there through Google Friend Connect.

Image credit: Bust Magazine, Angel Phillips