The people who decide how clothes are worn in magazines, on runways and on red carpets.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
What does an editorial stylist do?
Often called a fashion editor, they create the looks for magazine shoots and campaigns: they come up with the story with the photographer, request (“pull”) clothes from brands’ press offices, put the outfits together on set and make sure every credit is right. It is the stylist, not the model, who decides how a jacket is worn. See how a fashion shoot works.
Do designers use stylists for shows?
Yes, and the best are hugely influential. A show stylist helps the designer edit the collection, build each look and decide how it is accessorised. Carine Roitfeld worked this way with Tom Ford at Gucci in the 1990s, and Lotta Volkova shaped the look of Vetements and Demna’s Balenciaga. Their names appear in the show notes.
What does a celebrity stylist do?
They build a star’s public image, outfit by outfit: red carpets, press tours, street style and even airport looks. Law Roach, who worked with Zendaya, called himself an “image architect”. Elizabeth Stewart has dressed Cate Blanchett for years, and in India stylists such as Rhea Kapoor and Ami Patel have shaped Bollywood’s red carpets.
How does it work financially?
Clothes for shoots and red carpets are usually lent, not bought, and returned afterwards. Celebrity stylists are paid by their clients, and sometimes by brands, which can pay stars to wear their clothes under ambassador deals. That is why many red-carpet looks are business decisions as much as style ones. See muses and brand ambassadors.
Read on Ayerhs: How to Shop Like a Stylist in 2026 · How Red Carpet Fashion Shapes What We Wear Next · Everyone Wants to Be a Tastemaker