What sets apart a successful fashion stylist? Uncover Sissy Vian’s career lessons for observing, thinking, and acting like a true professional
Many fashion enthusiasts often ask themselves: How can I become a fashion stylist? It’s no revelation that determination and passion for fashion are essential, but on their own, they aren’t enough to transform a love for matching outfits into a genuine profession.
Sequined dresses, buttons stolen from grandma’s drawers, tiny fabric scraps used to dress dolls—many of us cherish these childhood memories. Yet only a few manage to turn their passion for creating stories and characters through clothing into a successful career as a fashion stylist. How did they achieve this? To uncover the secrets of this journey, we sought insight from Sissy Vian, one of the industry’s leading stylists and Creative Fashion Director of Harper’s Bazaar Italia. Sissy has mentored students in the Master’s in Fashion Styling, Creative Direction & Digital Content for the second consecutive year through a dedicated Mentorship Programme at Istituto Marangoni Milano.
Sissy Vian, one of the industry’s leading stylists and Creative Fashion Director of Harper’s Bazaar Italia, mentoring students at Istituto Marangoni Milano
“I started working with Helmut Newton, who wanted me to be a photographer. Thanks to him, I learned to work on the concept of femininity” – Sissy Vian, Creative Fashion Director at Harper’s Bazaar Italia and Mentor at Istituto Marangoni Milano
Sissy Vian began her career as a fashion assistant at Vogue Italia, where she honed her skills for several years. In 2012, she was appointed Creative Fashion Director of Flair Magazine, a role that allowed her to collaborate with the new generation of the world’s leading photographers. She also served as Fashion Editor-at-Large for Vogue Japan, a brand she worked with for over 20 years. Her editorial collaborations have extended beyond Vogue Japan to include W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar UK and US, Vanity Fair, Vogue Russia, V Magazine, and Vogue China.
Inside the World of Fashion Publications: Why It’s Far from Being a Dead Industry
While high educational training is crucial, nurturing your curiosity through engaging with fashion magazines, interpreting what you see in your unique way, and pursuing your dreams is just as important.
“I grew up with Franca Sozzani; she taught us to escape reality and believe in dreams” — Sissy Vian
Dreams are the essence of our existence, a lesson taught by Sissy Vian, the celebrated fashion stylist who has made the pursuit of dreams her professional philosophy.
Sissy Vian with Istituto Marangoni Milano students during the mid-review of her mentorship
Humility, Audacity, and Hard Work: Three Key Traits for Entering the Fashion Styling World
The ultimate achievement is entering the fashion styling world through the main gate, relying on your own qualities. Essential skills include tenacity, ambition, a solid academic foundation and personal maturity.
Essential requirements go beyond mere knowledge of the fashion industry and technical skills—they include human qualities such as a passion for fashion, attention to detail, dedication, and the ability to create a look that aligns with someone else’s vision while maintaining a balance between your own choices and theirs. This unique blend of professional and personal traits is what paves the way to a successful career as a fashion stylist.
The secret ingredient? According to Sissy Vian, it’s essential to learn how to read fashion shows from both the past and present to interpret current trends and shape the future of the industry.
Taking inspiration from the past while interpreting current trends: this is Sissy Vian's secret ingredient
Nurturing Ideas Over Generating Impressions
Social networks may hold considerable sway today, but it is still important to base your knowledge on real-life experiences. Ambition, the pursuit of self-improvement, and personal growth should not be merely about creating an impressive image or generating impressions on social media.
The focus should be on being proud of your achievements and learning to nourish your creativity. As Sissy Vian put it, this involves “stealing with your eyes” and “thinking outside the box” to generate fresh ideas.
Students' ideas during the mid-review of Sissy Vian's mentorship
How to Observe, Think, and Act Like a Pro Fashion Stylist
Drawing on her thirty years in the fashion industry, Sissy Vian offers aspiring fashion stylists invaluable guidance on adopting the mindset of a seasoned professional.
For Vian, it is essential to observe your environment and reflect on the choices of the people you meet, from a simple café encounter to a glamorous fashion event. The key question to ask is: “Why did they choose that specific outfit?” By exploring this question, you can discover how you might have approached those same situations or helped others to approach them, tapping into fashion’s role as a form of personal expression.
Sissy Vian mentoring students at Istituto Marangoni Milano
Agnese Pasquinelli
Fashion Business, Digital Communication & Media student, 3rd year, Milan