This is the art of turning a prince into a king, a woman
into a lady and a fine lad into a gentleman. Beauty may be in the eyes of the
beholder, but most often, it is found in that sassy black cut-out-side dress.
Fashion styling, personal shopping and wardrobe management
are emerging as popular career avenues.
While the world is
becoming obsessively fashion conscious, quite a lot of opportunities have
opened up for those who want to carve a career in the field of fashion. Unlike
years back, when a career in this realm only meant fashion designing, the 21st
century brought in its wake newer vocations in fashion— fashion styling,
personal shopping and wardrobe management, to name a few.
Noted fashion stylist turned personal stylist Prache Khade—
who has styled many a top brass celebrity like Bollywood actresses Priyanka
Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha, sports stars like Adam Gilchrist and Andrew
Symmonds, chef Sanjeev Kapoor and chess virtuoso Vishwanathan Anand— tells us
about her journey from being a fashion stylist to a personal shopper. She gives
additional lowdown on how one can become a successful fashion stylist/personal
shopper or wardrobe manager.
Prache Khade
Getting into styling-
Born and brought up in Pune, Prache initially began
chiselling her career with fashion designing. While designing for the cover
page of a fashion magazine, she doubled up as a stylist for the magazine. Thus,
her journey as a stylist started when she began to style for myriad celebrity
clients in Pune. She then bagged some lucrative commercial assignments in
Mumbai and later moved to the city of opportunities, where she started styling
for celebrities from various fields.
Becoming a personal shopper
But it wasn’t just styling that celebrities wanted. They
wanted a whole bag of smart, envious fashion extravaganza, which of course, was
Prache’s forte!
While styling for celebrities, Prache noticed that they wanted
her to shop for their personal wardrobe. She realized that personal shopping
was slowly emerging as the next ‘big thing’, a craze which would only spread
like wildfire in India. She then did a professional ‘personal shopper’ course
from Milan, Italy to polish her skills. Rest, as they say, is history. She
shopped for and managed wardrobes of celebrities like Prachi Desai, Sonali
Kulkarni and several others.
Most of her clients comprise real estate businessmen as
well as women from different fields. She has also done styling for kids and
feels that the realm of kids’ fashion and styles has much to offer for personal
shoppers.
Prache gives us tips on these blooming careers in fashion
industry:
What is the difference between Styling/ Personal
Shopping/ Wardrobe Managing?
Fashion Stylist-
A person who puts
the whole look together by deciding what outfit to wear. Accessories, jewellery,
footwear, bags, sunglasses (every other accessory that you can think of or not
think of) are matched; the hair and makeup are decided to lend a finishing
touch to that ultimate look which suits your personality.
Personal Shopper-
Is the person who
shops for you or with you and buys clothes and accessories according to your
needs.
Wardrobe Manager- Is the person who manages the
wardrobe, decides which items to keep/discard and what needs to be added. Also
styles you as per the events/requirements.
The aforementioned are different jobs which can be done
by a single person, while all work hand-in-hand with one another.
Being a Wardrobe Manager/stylist/ Personal Shopper-
As a personal shopper and a wardrobe manager, it is very
important for you to engrave what follows in the very recesses of your mind:
1. Your client’s personality, likes and dislikes, needs
and wants.
2. Where to get that, which your client needs. Remember
your client has hired you not just for your expertise in understanding fashion and styling, but also because of time constraints. Hence, it’s very important
that you provide your client with what they need in the stipulated time frame.
Delays should be completely avoided, no matter what.
*Future of personal shopping/wardrobe management-
India has never been a style/ fashion-conscious country.
Our sense of fashion has always been influenced by Bollywood. But in today's
day and age, globalization, social media awareness and exposure have led people
to feel the need to dress up well; not just for weddings and festivals, but
even while coffee-outings with friends. The urge to let experts handle their
wardrobe and style has therefore emerged like never before. Believe it or not,
having a personal stylist/ shopper/ wardrobe manager is fast becoming a necessity,
rather than a luxury.
