The Philippine Online Chronicles

Imagine your work day consisting of this: hopping from one fashion boutique to another, being surrounded by beautiful clothes, shoes, bags and accessories and putting them all together to make a statement.  It certainly sounds like a glamorous dream—you don’t even need to spend money and in fact, it’s you who get paid for having these styled works of yours published or paraded for all to see.

Such is the life of a fashion stylist.  And though it may sound like the job that a million girls would kill for, it entails a lot more work than just sitting pretty all day.  In fact, “sitting” at all has little to do with it.  A regular styling gig can take up to 24 hours depending on the requirements and the demands of a shoot or show.  And pretty? A stylist often dresses down to be comfortable during work hours because she’s expected to be on her feet all day, making adjustments to the wardrobe and making sure her ensembles smolder or shine for the cameras.

But for people who have a real eye for style, a flair for fashion, a craving for creative adventures and tremendous amounts of energy that just can’t be contained in a single setting, let alone an office cubicle, being a fashion stylist is the perfect career choice.  And nobody knows this better than Ira Nopuente.

After giving birth to her baby, Ira, 26, wanted to engage in something exciting for a change.  She knew that she loved fashion, and was willing to make time for it, but unlike many other enthusiasts, she didn’t automatically gravitate towards fashion design.  “I hate sewing,” Ira confessed.  “I never excelled in sewing, moreover, patternmaking. Whenever I submitted my homework to my garments class teacher, she would make a ‘hmmmmmm-is-this-all-you’ve-got?’ face at me,” she laughingly shares. Moreover, designing clothes involves a lot of hours conceptualizing a line or collection, sketching that out and then sewing. It’s still a fashionably creative process, but Ira was looking for something different, something faster-paced. She knew then that as much as she loved fashion, she had to channel it elsewhere. This led her to enroll in a short course in fashion styling at the School of Fashion and the Arts under Luis Espiritu’s class.

Not to say that people who pursue fashion styling in favor of fashion designing is copping out of “real” work.  Styling and designing are two very different creative processes.  We’ve heard Nina Garcia and Michael Kors admonish some designers on the show Project Runway for their styling skills (or lack thereof), further proof that just because you can design clothes, doesn’t mean you can style well and vice versa. The ability to style clothes is more inclined to the business and marketing side of the fashion spectrum. A stylist is often putting together clothes to appeal to a certain market, an immediate one, and this is apparent in fashion shows, window displays, editorials or advertisements.

Ira styled Jasmine Maierhofer

Noting her hard work in class, Ira was taken under the wing of her teacher, Luis Espiritu, then the Creative Director of Metro and stylist for the Philippine Star’s lifestyle section. “I became an apprentice of one of the biggest names in fashion,” she shares, all praises for her mentor.  “I guess I was lucky.”  Since then, Ira has been able to style for various publications and editorials, not to mention doing a lot of hands on work in past shows of Philippine Fashion Week. She’s been able to style models, men and women alike, empowered moms, beauty queens and famous actresses such as Karylle, Isabel Oli and Heart Evangelista.

How do her projects and these clients differ from each other?  “Styling models is different from styling celebrities. Models wear whatever you give them,” she answers.  On the other hand, celebrities, personalities and other non-models don’t necessarily have to sell a look, style or clothes, unlike models in fashion shows or magazines who work with stylists and creative directors to achieve a focused concept.  “Celebrities will give feedback on the clothes you give them. They will ask you if they can wear another outfit if they’re not comfortable with it. That’s okay and acceptable.” Actors and actresses, especially, are their own brand so client-customer relationships aren’t always so linear. “They are like customers,” Ira says of celebrities. “You have to listen to them.” With models, it’s the other way around.  “They know it’s their job to wear whatever it is given to them.”

Is there anyone in the local scene who has caught her eye when it comes to style?  “I like Anne Curtis’s style,” she says.  “It’s sexy and effortless.”

Styling for different people who have different requirements and preferences, the real question that looms ahead is this: where does personal taste come in?  “I guess my personal taste really reflects on my projects because most of them have this feminine, romantic look,” she shares.  While not all styling gigs ask for this, her own aesthetic still manages to shine through carefully selected details.  “It may show through a bangle, a top or maybe a hairstyle. I want my work to look mabango,” she says, emphasizing on her taste for the clean and simple.  “I don’t overly accessorize.  Less is more is my motto.  Gusto ko kasi the people who would see my work can translate it to their personal style.  Mukhang effortless.”

Ira takes inspiration for creative process from varying sources, just like any other artist.  “I read fashion magazines like Vogue and sometimes I go online to browse different fashion websites. You could get inspiration from anything: museums, interesting infrastructures, people you meet everyday, a tube of lipstick, a slice of cake or a cup of coffee. History books can also be a good source of inspiration.”

Though Ira is currently having fun exploring the other areas of the fashion (she’s started to dabble in make-up artistry as well!), styling remains one of the things she loves doing most.  She loves how the industry is still growing, and that a lot more Filipinos nowadays are aware of this particular profession.

To contact Ira Nopuente, you can visit her site or e-mail her.