Life of Style.

Ever wondered what its like to be a stylist? We see Rachel Zoe looking fabulous as she hurries around trying to dress the best of the best and meeting some of the geniuses within the fashion industry, but what does it mean to be a stylist and more importantly what does it take to be a stylist. Meet Caroline Paris, a thirty year old fashion stylist from Malta. 

Her work includes, the Il-Klikka (tv series, STYLE on Sunday Magazine, Venere (TVM) and the Toni and Guy 'Be The Look Competition'. She was awarded 'Best Fashion Stylist' award at the 2013 Malta Fashion Awards. She is the brand ambassador for Coccinelle (Malta), Max&Co (Malta) and Solaris (Malta).

How long have you been styling? 

About four years.

How and when did you decide to become a stylist? 

It was almost a natural progression, my husband Kurt Paris who was then still my boyfriend started out as a photographer with a focus on fashion back in 2008 and my love for fashion meant I started to get involved with selecting the clothes, helping out with makeup, scene setting etc, eventually this evolved into styling and the job took on a life of its own. In 2010 I also started my fashion blog which has grown larger than I ever expected and is a whole other job onto itself.

How long have you been interested in fashion? 

All my life, ever since i can remember, I’ve always been obsessed in clothes and shoes and in particular handbags. I always loved peeking into other people’s wardrobes and playing dress up and spending too much  in shops. As I grew older I started paying more attention to fashion magazine and looking at editorials for inspiration.

Who/what are your influences?

Lots of things influence me, society, designers’ work, art, buildings. I draw on life for inspiration and especially the general person on the streets - I love to people watch and I always pay particular attention to what a person is wearing.

How hands on are you with your work? 

I don’t use assistants, I select every piece myself and put together all the looks for every shoot myself. I also write every article myself on my blog and do my own research.

How has your style evolved over the years?

I always say I don’t really have a style and this still holds. I dress according to my mood of the day - so many different styles and looks interest and excite me that I would never be able to tie myself down to a particular style. You might be able to call my style somewhat eclectic but then again I still have my classical days and my ‘normcore’ days so we’re back to square one.

What are your three rules when it comes to dressing and styling? 

Dress according to your body shape, don’t try to force something that doesn’t look good on you. Dress for yourself first and foremost, whilst it is important to respect dress codes and look at trends, never refrain from wearing a look you love simply because you think others might comment

What's the best part about styling? 

You get to spend your time doing something you love, you get to be creative, you get to produce art and if you’re lucky enough to be working on a shoot with no strict templates, you get to abandon all the rules and explore, explore, explore. 

What's the hardest part about styling? 

Well the hardest part is actually dealing with personal clients. It’s always hard to tell someone they don’t look good in a style they want to wear. I always try to explain why and suggest workarounds. I try to soften the blow but women in particular tend to just take the news  as meaning they’re too fat.

What's your current favorite brand?

I don’t have a favourite - in all brands and labels there are things I love and other things I’m not so crazy about. I do have a current fond spot for Miu Miu, Alexander Wang and Marc Cain though.

What's the next step for you and your company? 

I don’t have a next step as such, but I do have lots of plans and projects being worked on. My plans also involve working with foreign fashion markets as well as local ones. In February I will be travelling to Rome, Milan and London for the Autumn/ Winter 2016 fashion weeks.

What are your hoped for the future, career wise? 

I’d like to continue to get more and more involved in helping grow the Maltese fashion industry, both locally and internationally.

What trends do you think will be popular next year? 

Well the oversized trend is set to stay for a while and we will be seeing more and more structured materials being used. Bias and asymmetrical cuts are also set to be a strong presence as is the colour blue.

Anything else I should know about you? 

I’m a determined person who doesn’t easily accept no for an answer. I’m also naturally curious and inquisitive about all things and I like to explore all aspects of a problem before tackling it.

Check out Caroline's style in the below images:

To learn more about Caroline Paris, visit her website:

http://www.carolinefashionstyling.com