I checked my outfit a million times before I left my apartment, my alarm clock had woken me up around six in the morning and I'd spend three hours debating what I would wear on my first day. When I finally decided on the vibe that I wanted to achieve, I pulled various pieces off of the style rack that took up too much of the already limited space in my apartment. The feeling that I got when I looked into the mirror was nothing shy of pure confidence in myself and my ability- something that I would cling to throughout the day. I gave myself a final glance before heading to my first official day as a paid stylist.
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As I walked through the doors of the studio that was being used to film, it became clear to me that what they were planning to film was more than a simple music video. I was directed to a makeshift meeting area where I met Linda Fox for the first time, we exchanged a brief greeting before she handed me a thick folder of concepts that the previous stylist had come up with.
"These are terrible." The words left my mouth before I could stop them, I looked at her to gauge her reaction before continuing. "What I mean is that these are typical, a little too cliché 'I'm a rapper and I dress like ten other rappers', it's way too safe."
Ms. Fox nodded in agreement, "Yes, this is the very conversation that caused the previous stylist to leave less than gracefully."
"This screams 'trendy' and not in a good way." I said as I looked through the rest of the looks. "Can you explain the concept to me?"
Ms. Fox smiled and beckoned someone towards us, "This is Emilio, my assistant and he'll explain everything on the way to wardrobe." With that she walked away, never giving me the chance to respond.
"Hey, welcome aboard! This is less of a music video and more of a short film that incorporates the artist's music. These have been increasingly popular but don't tell him that; he thinks that he came up with this all on his own." Emilio chuckled and adjusted his glasses.
I laughed along with him, "It seems like there's a really high budget involved." I commented as we looked around, "Tell me about the vibe, what kind of plot does it have?"
"Good question! It starts off in the club, you know, sort of mocking the traditional rap scene. After that he wakes up and goes through the motions; this artist in particular has a small child so he's gonna be getting her ready for the day and whatnot, during which a song dedicated to her will begin to play." Emilio continued to explain the aims of the short film to me and I could envision what outfits would best match the vibe of each scene.
From what I gathered, the artist in question was trying to show how he tried to balance his rapper persona with the man that he was at home, I respected that he was trying to show both worlds. My eyes practically glazed over at the sight of the "wardrobe"; the room was covered in clothing, shoes and accessories.
"Um, how much time to I have?" I asked him, the vast amount of choices was almost overwhelming-almost.
I heard Emilio's chuckle from next to me, "A couple hours at least, we aren't filming in order so the first look you need to be concerned about is a formal award show type of look."
