DAY IN THE LIFE: Customiser of looks

“I hate seeing badly-dressed women. I can’t count the number of times I refrain from walking up to a woman and giving her a tip or two about how her outfit could have looked better. Shoes and dresses especially need to look perfect.

“Two years ago, I saw an advertisement on social media from a media personality who was looking for a stylist. I reached out and she liked my work.

Now I have several media personalities on my styling list. I also do fashion for music videos, photo shoots and for bloggers.

“I work from Monday to Thursday. The time I get up in the morning depends on whether or not I have an evening event. If I do, I sleep in.

A successful stylist needs to work hand in hand with the client. When I get a new client, I sit down with them and listen in between the lines to what it is that they are really looking for.

Sometimes I will take a peek at their wardrobe to get a feel of their style.

“I listen and then I go out there and source for the items of clothing that make the look I want to achieve. I love it when a client trusts me and just tells me to make them look good.

Then I have leeway to be creative. I have a tailor I work with when I need custom-made clothes. There are times that a client is stuck on a particular item.

SHORT DEADLINES

They will have nothing less than that suede jacket they saw. It’s my job to keep looking until I find it. Sometimes I have to travel to source for items I can’t find in the shops here.

Sometimes deadlines are short. I remember getting to a certain media house just six minutes to the time that my client was supposed to go on air.

“Fashion goes hand in hand with make-up. I took make-up classes and I offer the service to some of my clients. My struggle is trying to get better in both my trades.

This means investing hours in research on emerging trends. Most of my research is online, I go through fashion pages and blogs.

“The instant I get out of the house, I am at work. I have my eye open for clothes and accessories.

This means I need to have cash on me all the time. I did not have an evening job today and the Nairobi traffic especially with the heavy rains almost made it impossible for me to get home before 9 pm. I am not a TV person, I think that most of the times it removes from rather than adds value to our lives.

I spent the evening doing some research and bonding with my boyfriend, Rodger. I turned in at midnight.”