7Qs… A peek inside the world of Ilaria Urbinati:

Was being a Fashion Stylist your ultimate dream career? If not, please share!:-)
Actually, since the day I could hold a pen I wanted to be a writer. I read books like crazy and read scripts and watched movies constantly. I got into fashion because my aunt was in fashion and she gave me a job as an assistant buyer for her store just so I could have a day job so I could write on my off time.

I took a year off to write and actually did end up writing for magazines like Nylon and so on. I had this false impression of fashion as being shallow and I wanted to be a "serious" writer.

Regardless, I kept finding myself pulled back into the fashion world. Opportunities just kept popping up that I couldn't refuse, and I found that I had a knack for it. I struggled with the whole writing vs. fashion thing for years until finally I realized that if I really wanted to write I would be doing it. No one was holding a gun to my head to make me do the fashion gig instead. I finally came to grips with the fact that I actually had grown a passion for it.

I found that if I incorporated all the things I was excited and obsessed about - like characters from novels I loved, or eras I had researched or movies I had seen, or an artist I loved, that fashion was actually not shallow at all.

Fashion turned out to be an outlet to pour all the things I loved and wanted to express. As a result, I think I am very referential with fashion. I very rarely like a dress for the sake of it being just a pretty dress. It's always like, "oh that's so something Franny Glass would wear in Salinger's Franny and Zooey" or "that's so Jane Fonda in "Klute". Or something like that.

It can even be as silly as reminding me of "Clueless" or "My So-Called Life", it doesn't really matter what it is, I just have to have an attachment to it; I'm a very nostalgic person. Now that I style a lot of men my inspirations are always very Dickensian and Mark Twain-ish. It makes fashion more dimensional for me, it gives everything I do - whether it's a photo shoot or buying for the store - a story, some background and even some history.

Regardless, I think no matter what you love to do, you should pour all your heart and time into it. I mean, I knew who Steven Meisel was when I was 8. Being absorbed in the various arts and cultures is always a good thing, and being obsessive is not always a bad thing. Do your research. Having a large field of reference and culture has helped me tremendously and made me better at my job.

What’s your formula for creating the perfect look for a client?
I always start with the person I'm dressing. I rarely work with models, mostly actors, musicians, and personalities. So I have to keep in mind that they are not just mannequins. What they feel comfortable in, what flatters them, and their personalities always comes into play first.

Then I try and find the best version of that and build from there. I may get an actress who is a little bit of a tomboy, or a little more tough - so I would put her in a designer like Alexander Wang for a premiere as opposed to a pretty floral Zac Posen number which might feel odd on her.

On the other hand that floral ZP number might be stunning on a different more girly-girl. Same with men.

Some guys are more boho so I may aim for a more Johnny Depp vibe, while others are a little more clean-cut so I go more GQ. I try and have a point of reference that has stood the test of time, a sort of inspiration.

For a girl it could be anyone from Brigitte Bardot to Sofia Loren and for men I often reference Paul Newman, Steve McQueen or James Dean. You can never go wrong with the classics. Simple is always best, but not necessarily "safe".

What’s been the key to building your clientele & earning Hollywood style-cred?
In the beginning you have to be willing to do a lot of free jobs to make introductions with clients, publicists, editors, etc and do as much editorial as possible so you can build your book.

Your book is what you show clients to get hired on other jobs. It's tough sometimes to do all that work for free but it pays off later and you learn so much.

Hopefully you make all your mistakes in the beginning with smaller jobs, when it doesn't matter as much, because later when the pressure is on - the tiniest, tiniest thing imaginable will cost you a client or a job.

And when you do these jobs in the beginning - work your hardest. Be prepared. Go above and beyond. Be eager and willing. But also stick to your guns. Know what you like. Have an opinion about what you are doing, that's what they have you there for. If you do a great job and are pleasant to work with people will always remember you and they will be more than happy to hire you again.

Once you have a certain amount of work under your belt, you get a good agent and they take over from there. But in the beginning you have to hustle, hustle, hustle. In fact, you'll always have to hustle, there will always be people willing to do the job and work hard so you can never slack off.

You're only as good as your last job. But it's exciting and fun and totally pays off. But if you're not finding yourself wanting to work hard, you probably dont want it that badly and you should consider doing something else.

You are pretty young to have accomplished so much in the fashion space – retail sales, buyer, and fashion stylist. What sets Ilaria apart from the pack?
See answer to the last question, haha. Seriously - hard, hard, hard work and lots of willingness. Also I am always affirmative with my opinion, I don't pussyfoot around what I think looks good and doesn't, and I always trust my own taste but I am also willing to be flexible when I need to be. You have to know the difference. You want to give the client the product they want and not take things personally, but you also can't start listening to the peanut gallery. Know what you like, stand up for your good taste, that's why they hired you. If producers and publicists could do your job there wouldn't be stylists. Also - have a little enthusiasm. People respond really well to passion and effusiveness, and it makes everything more interesting.

With the opening of your boutique, Confederacy, how big of a transition has it been moving from Fashion Stylist to Boutique Owner/Boss?
I wouldn't really call it a transition as much as an 'addition'. I still do both full time. It just means now my plate is twice as full! But the two careers really feed each other. I get hired to shop for clients and I have a whole store to pull from! And the more I work as a stylist the better it is for the store because I bring in so much business myself. The store is big enough and has enough of everything that T can sometimes shop for an entire job just from the store. Everybody wins. But I definitely sleep less, haha, and I am always, always traveling. Since the store opened, I am on a plane about 5 times a month, and running the store while traveling is a huge juggling act.

Fashion Styling is competitive – especially in L.A. What words of wisdom can you share with our up & coming Stylists who dream of dressing the Stars?
Work your butt off. Trust your instincts and your taste. Be affirmative but flexible. And jump at every opportunity you can. You never know, some struggling photographer could end up being the next Avedon and change your life... or at the very least, get you some pages for your book.

Get all the experience you can get and make your mistakes early.

But most importantly - do your research. Know your references and fashion history. I spend hours and hours online looking up old photos of Francoice Hardy, Bardot, Loren, Jane Birkin, Charlotte Rampling, Anjelica Huston, and all the classic male actors and cool old bands that have inspired so many designers and stylists today. Watch lots of movies like Breathless, Last Tango in Paris, Band of Outsiders etc, read lots of books, know all the designers and not just the new ones - you should know who current designers are referencing.

You should know what it means when someone says "Proenza Schouler is doing 80's Thierry Mugler this season" or "Dolce & Gabbana's inspiration for fall is Elsa Schiaparelli".

The more you know, the more you can think outside the box and be inspired.

I just have to ask – what are the 7 MUST HAVE pieces for Spring ‘09?
For me:

• Mustard-yellow Rag and Bone leather jacket
• Band of Outsiders red and navy suspender skirt
• 3.1 Phillip Lim sheer floral trench
• anything from PHI
• Alexander Wang denim and leather motorcycle jacket
• Proenza Schouler neon stripe tees & tanks
• Diego Dolcini neon yellow suede t-strap stilettos

Ilaria Urbinati
7Qs - Mar. 2009