Fashion week insiders: stuart garvey
Published
15th Feb 2012
by rachael
Stuart Garvey is a senior stylist at HOB West Hampstead, London and a member of the Sebastian Cult Team.As well as touring, presenting and working across the country as part of the Cult team, Stuart also works backstage at London Fashion Week. Here he shares his session styling secrets.
What are the five key items/products in your kit that you couldn't survive without?
- I'm never without Sebastian Re-Shaper Hairspray - I always use it in the process of styling, whether I'm tonging or straightening. It's a great flexible spray that makes it easy to reshape any look.
- Sebastian Shaper Fierce Hairspray is a must, as it sets the finished style in place ensuring a strong hold from start to finish.
- I like working with serrated grips when doing session work as I feel they hold much better than normal grips due to the serrated edge.
- I prefer to work with a reel of elastic backstage instead of hair bands as it's easier to work around the hair.
- A bit of a weird one, but a set of chop sticks! If I am creating a 1940s roll in the hair for example, I will use these to roll the hair up instead of my fingers, creating a tidier finish.
What trends are you predicting for A/W 2012?
From what I've seen through researching fashion blogs and the pre-fall shows, red is the new black. I think that colour is going to explode for the coming season moving on from the maroon and auburn shades of previous seasons, red will be coming back with a fiery passion!
What was your favourite show last season?
I loved the Jane Pierson show purely for her selection of models. She made a conscious choice in opting for dancers from the Royal Ballet and the way they danced on pointe down the catwalk complemented the softness of the hair and the movement of the clothes beautifully! It was amazing.
What's your favourite trend for S/S 2012?
My favourite trend in both fashion and hair for the Spring/Summer season is the vintage look. Strongly influenced by the 1950s, it has made vintage fun for us again, taking elements of days gone by and bringing them up to date. I love it.
Three top tips for getting involved with session work?
- Research is essential in all areas of session work - including designers and photographers you like as well as influential stylists. Through doing this, you will always be prepared and ready to deliver.
- Make sure you network within the session groups that you work with to get even more contacts. You never know what work will come up and the relationships you make are really important for finding jobs.
- Work your butt off! Definitely the most important thing of all.
Top London Fashion Week post-show hangout?
My favourite post-fashion show spot has to be Bungalow 8 in Covent Garden. Plenty of champagne, plenty of partying and the odd celebrity appearance - what more could you want?!
