Stylist Julia Freitag from styleproofed.com about her dream job

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FIV: Julia, you are a respected stylist in Germany. You have worked for TV and celebrities. What does a working day look like for you?

Overview hide
Her job – She is the stylist of Styleproofed.com
Her greatest successes as a stylist on and offline
About Julia – Trends, Personality and Fashion Sins

Julia: I’m very lucky that as a freelancer I can plan my workdays quite independently. I usually start around 10 a.m. in my office in Berlin-Mitte with coffee and emails and -most importantly- a quick update with the team.

Just as important – and unfortunately also annoying – is the constant jumping back and forth between idea development, production and administrative planning, especially with the budget. Because without sensible budget planning, the beautiful part, the styling & consulting, doesn’t even happen.

FIV: How did you get into this profession in the first place? Was it always your dream job?

Julia: Working creatively with fashion has been my dream for a long time. I started sewing and designing as a teenager to be able to afford the trends from the runway myself and was lucky enough that my mother worked in the costume department of the German Opera. So I always got the best fabrics and ingredients.

Then I studied fashion design in the classical way. At the end of the nineties – when I started – stylist was still a fairly unknown profession in Germany. And unfortunately there is still no proper course of study for it.

After my studies, I turned towards fashion journalism and completed various internships at fashion magazines such as Madame and Vogue and worked for fashion labels and magazines as a contributor and fashion assistant.

My tip: If you want to gain a foothold in this profession, you simply have to show enough initiative and invest a lot of time, money and heart and soul.

Her job – She is the stylist of Styleproofed.com

FIV: In Germany, in contrast to the USA, there are few very well-known stylists. How did you manage to establish yourself in the industry?

Julia: I owe a certain degree of recognition in the industry to my long time as fashion editor and fashion director at the German Condé Nast publishing house (Vogue, Glamour, Vanity Fair) and, of course, to the pool of contacts I have built up over the years. Without the right contacts you don’t get far in the industry…And I think I also have my very own styling signature with recognition value. At some point this is immanently important for every stylist. You or woman must become and remain recognizable.

FIV: What do you like most about your job?

Julia: Simply everything! The teamwork and the work with the most diverse people and brands in very special places is the most exciting thing about the job. Using fashion to develop a very own, contemporary image of women or men always presents a stylist with new challenges, despite recurring trends.

so pretty pastels @malaikaraiss #mbfwb #berlin #fall #malaikaraiss #absolutstyleproofed

A photo posted by @styleproofed on

Her greatest successes as a stylist on and offline

FIV: What have been your biggest successes so far? Which jobs or which assignments will remain in your memory?

Julia: There were a few successes… But definitely the development and realization of the costumes for the live shows of the anniversary season of Germany’s Next Topmodel this year was my biggest challenge – already because of the mentioned administrative planning. To stage contemporary fashion suitable for stage and television at the same time for such a large and diverse target group was something completely new for me.

FIV: You also write about fashion, beauty and more for the internet platform “styleproofed.com”. How did that come about and what exactly is “styleproofed”?

Julia: Styleproofed.com has been around since 2009 and is an online magazine developed by myself and a colleague that presents, tests and reviews new trends and undiscovered products and brands. We are interested in our own opinion and the informative-entertaining added value including cultural background of fashion & beauty.

On the platform, great authors and fashion experts from our environment support us with their test features. Currently we are in the process of relaunching the platform to focus more on STYLING. So it remains exciting.

FIV: What are your current fashion must-haves? And why?

Julia: Short list I would say….

  1. Adrette loafer shoes by GUCCI – the new spiessigkeit holds just skillfully entry into the fashion.
  2. Baggy jeans, preferably with a high waistband – finally the skinny jeans can take a break.
  3. Vintage ruffle blouse – I love the comeback of the new romance with kitschy blouse with wide leg men’s pants.

FIV: Will you tell us your absolute “top secret” styling tip?

Julia: New combinations and the right accessories turn fashion into styling.

FIV: When it comes to makeup, what are the basics that make a tired face look fresh fast?

Julia: I personally love cream blush for cheeks, lips and also lids and am a fan of Miracle Teint by Lancome.

FIV: What makeup products and utensils would you recommend?

  1. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine are the best lipsticks for every day
  2. I love all unisex fragrances from Hermès
  3. Kiehls Midnight Recovery Serum is always in my bathroom.

 

About Julia – Trends, Personality and Fashion Sins

FIV: Which “starstyle” do you think is great and why?

Julia: I like the style of Juliane Moore, Cate Blanchet and Tilda Swinton.

FIV: Asked the other way around: Which celebrity would you like to style one day?

Julia: How about Heidi Klum – I know her now and would love to give her a new look beyond the sexy glittery minis.

FIV: How would you describe your personal style?

Julia: Vintage, pattern mix and a pinch of utility chic are my personal style ingredients.

FIV: How do you see the style of the German women? Is there something missing here?

Julia: I think German women often lack the courage to wear more unusual fashion. Germans love clear practical outfits in rather pale colors and when it comes to accessories or evening wear they often miss the mark.

FIV: What do you consider the biggest fashion sin of today?

Julia: For me, the biggest fashion sin of today are fast fashion labels like ZARA , KICK, PRIMARK & Co and their unfair copying of design as well as the devaluation of clothing into a disposable product.

FIV: Has the fashion and beauty business changed in recent years from your point of view? In what way?

Julia: As mentioned above, the business has become extremely fast-paced and consumer-oriented. In the past, designers sent their personal dreams down the catwalk, out of touch with reality, and we stylists developed our own stories from them for the readers. Today, it’s all about global sales, image and spreading visuals.

Sure, social networks a la Instagram have also contributed to a radical change and democratization of visual language and business. But I’m not sure how long this will last. Street style is now completely sponsored and selfies are no longer a spontaneous personal snapshot…

FIV: What qualities should a good stylist have?

Julia: Good knowledge of human nature, cultural knowledge and fun with role play. And unlike many others in the business, a “profile neurosis” to be controlled… Will say, one should also be able to take oneself back.

FIV: Do you have any career advice for young stylists?

Julia: Funnily enough, I’m currently working a lot on the topic of styling education and training, so that the profession is finally gaining status in Germany. Soon there will be more about it on styleproofed.com.

More information about stylist Julia Freitag:

www.styleproofed.com
and on Instagram

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