What is a typical day on set like with cult fashion stylist Sissy Vian?
Now that the fashion world has passed its January, aka September, fashion stylists are back to work with their creative fuel at its peak. During the fashion months, they have been inspired by the trends seen in the front row at the Spring-Summer 2024 shows. Now, the most popular fashion closets at media company headquarters are crowded with Fall 2023 samples ready to be captured. So many trends to work with!
Have you ever wondered how Sissy Vian, one of the most prominent stylists in the industry and Creative Fashion Director of Harper’s Bazaar Italia, deals with the immense amount of inspiration she faces on a daily basis?
Istituto Marangoni Milano Fashion Styling Master's student Natalia Campos Valencia worked with Sissy Vian to shoot the slip dress she imagined for the "The Milk of Dreams" mentorship. This is the result of a day on set with the renowned stylist
Photographer Lucrezia Ganazzoli, Makeup Artist Cosetta Giorgetti, Hair Stylist Pierpaolo Lai, Hair Assistant Manuel Sunda, Digital Operator Andrea Cederle, Light Assistant Vincenzo del Negro, Model Arame Sall
We had the opportunity to catch up with her on the set while she was mentoring the Fashion Styling Master’s students who took part in Vian’s “The Milk of Dreams” mentorship at Istituto Marangoni Milano, and which Vian selected to work on a collaborative project with her and her team.
IM student Carlotta Popolizio also had the opportunity to be on set with Sissy Vian to shoot her project
Photographer Lucrezia Ganazzoli, Makeup Artist Cosetta Giorgetti, Hair Stylist Pierpaolo Lai, Hair Assistant Manuel Sunda, Digital Operator Andrea Cederle, Light Assistant Vincenzo del Negro, Model Sarah Hernandez Ochoa
Although the project was initially intended to have one winner and two finalists, Vian was so impressed by the students’ creativity and hard work that she chose four participants to join her.
Sissy Vian decided to have Maria Storino on set to shoot her project too
Photographer Lucrezia Ganazzoli, Makeup Artist Cosetta Giorgetti, Hair Stylist Pierpaolo Lai, Hair Assistant Manuel Sunda, Digital Operator Andrea Cederle, Light Assistant Vincenzo del Negro, Model Evelina Safenreiter
Inspired by the 2022 Venice Biennale theme “The Milk of Dreams”, Istituto Marangoni’s mentorship programme for Fashion Styling Master’s students was led by world-renowned stylist and Creative Fashion Director of Harper’s Bazaar Italia, Sissy Vian.
The Creative Fashion Director of Harper's Bazaar Italia was so impressed by the students' creativity that she chose four participants to join her. Among them was Benedetta de Martino
Photographer Lucrezia Ganazzoli, Makeup Artist Cosetta Giorgetti, Hair Stylist Pierpaolo Lai, Hair Assistant Manuel Sunda, Digital Operator Andrea Cederle, Light Assistant Vincenzo del Negro, Model Aria Maikova
The project centred around the slip dress, a staple in every fashionista’s closet. The students had to figure out unique ways to rethink the garment through their individual styling languages, cultural backgrounds and personal aesthetics. All of the participants were required to follow each step in the styling process as demanded in the profession. They had the opportunity to receive feedback from Sissy Vian herself throughout the project, which steered them in the right direction.
Named "Haute couture is a language," Natalia Campos Valencia's slip dress is inspired by the relationship people have with their bodies
After the students presented their creative proposals, Vian praised Natalia Campos Valencia for her journey and progress during the whole mentorship programme. Valencia received a special mention for elevating a simple black slip dress into a unique garment that uses gold plating to emphasise the wearer’s movements and highlight different areas of the body. And guess what? She now works as Sissy Vian’s styling assistant.
As anticipated, Natalia Campos Valencia was not the only stylist student to have this unique opportunity to shoot her own editorial with mentor Sissy Vian. Students Carlotta Popolizio, Maria Storino and Benedetta de Martino also joined the group for this great experience. The exceptional team they shot with included Photographer and Art Director Lucrezia Ganazzoli, Make-up Artist and Beauty Editor Cosetta Giorgetti and Celebrity Hairstylist Pierpaolo Lai, as well as Hair Assistant Manuel Sunda, Digital Operator Andrea Cederle and Light Assistant Vincenzo del Negro. The slipdress by Campos Valencia was worn by model Arame Sall, and the one by Popolizio was seen on Sarah Hernandez Ochoa. Storino’s creation was shot on Evelina Safenreiter, while de Martino worked with Aria Maikova.
Let us hear from the winners themselves about their first-hand experience of working alongside a remarkable fashion stylist on an actual set.
Natalia Campos Valencia
Natalia Campos Valencia on set with Sissy Vian and her team
Natalia Campos Valencia described working with Sissy Vian as a one-of-a-kind experience. “The models, the h&mu team and the photographer were all professionals, and I got to witness the behind-the-scenes of a real magazine editorial photoshoot,” she said. “I felt like I belonged and that the team really wanted to make my idea come to life, especially Sissy herself. The working relationship I had with her and the team was exceptional. We worked one-on-one, on the same level, and I felt like an equal. It was clear that the idea, concept, and styling were all mine, but they were all there to support and direct me along the way. I am incredibly proud of my hard work and extremely grateful to IM for the opportunity.”
“I felt like I belonged and that the team really wanted to make my idea come to life, especially Sissy Vian herself. We worked one-on-one, on the same level, and I felt like an equal” – Istituto Marangoni Milano Fashion Styling Master’s student Natalia Campos Valencia
Carlotta Popolizio
Carlotta Popolizio on set with Sissy Vian and her team
When asked about her most exciting shooting memory, Carlotta Popolizio recalled: “Collaborating on set with Sissy Vian was truly a dream, even though all of us girls were very nervous, as we had never collaborated with an expert in the fashion world like her. It was a real exchange of ideas. Right from the start, she helped us make the most suitable choices for our projects and gave us so much care and attention. You can learn a lot from her about taking care of every detail in an editorial project and staying focused and serious.”
“Collaborating on set with Sissy Vian was a real exchange of ideas” – Istituto Marangoni Milano Fashion Styling Master’s student Carlotta Popolizio
Benedetta de Martino
Benedetta de Martino on set with Sissy Vian and her team
Thinking back to the day of her photoshoot with Sissy Vian, Benedetta de Martino can not but remember that the emotional load to bear was immense. “On the one hand, I felt incredibly happy and satisfied to have reached my goal after months of hard work and tension. From the very first meeting when the mentorship was presented to us, I knew it was a great opportunity they were offering us. The possibility of winning kept me motivated all along the way. On the other hand, I was very afraid,” she admitted. “Sissy Vian is a great professional who brings with her years of experience alongside the biggest names in the industry. The thought of not living up to that set and that team terrified me. The solution to this mix of emotions was to appear as prompt and attentive as possible, aware of my skills and confident. I stayed focused on my objective, and I did my best to prevent any unforeseen events. One last essential element was to remind myself that I had so much to gain and to learn from that situation. I was constantly open and receptive to every word, piece of advice and correction they offered me, and I will always treasure it.”
“The thought of not living up to that set and that team terrified me. One essential element was to remind myself that I had so much to gain and to learn from that situation” – Istituto Marangoni Milano Fashion Styling Master’s student Benedetta de Martino
Maria Storino
Maria Storino on set with Sissy Vian and her team
For Maria Storino, the experience with Sissy Vian was simply wonderful and educational. “It felt like a dream come true to work closely with professionals of such high calibre,” she stated. “They involved us in every decision and even the slightest change, treating me as their equal in order to be able to teach me better. Sissy gave us some useful advice that we will always carry with us. She told me to take my anxiety, fear, enthusiasm and transform it into energy, concentration and strength.”
“The best advice from Sissy Vian? She told me to take my anxiety, fear, enthusiasm and transform it into energy, concentration and strength” – Istituto Marangoni Milano Fashion Styling Master’s student Maria Storino
Nina Clements
A Fashion Styling & Creative Direction student, Milan