Today I’ll be spending the whole day running from appointment to appointment pulling fabulous clothes and accessories, prepping for a big fashion shoot I’ll be styling tomorrow. Last night I spent some time looking over my styling kit to make sure I’d have everything I could possibly need, which made me think it would make a great post for aspiring stylists or for those that just like to be prepared (I use many of the things myself on a regular basis).

{Kit Essentials}

• Double-stick tape and Hollywood Fashion Tape – Double-stick works great for lighter jobs like holding straps in place, hemming pants, and sticking a collar down. HFT is a stronger tape that can keep a low neckline in place, hold a strapless dress up, close a gap in a button-down shirt, and help keep pockets closed.
• Binder clips (in a variety of sizes) – These will almost always be necessary to pull a loose shirt or loose pants tighter on a model.
• Silicone CoverUps – Great for use with sheer tops and swimsuits, as well as any lightweight fabrics that you might need a little more “coverage” under.
• Lint roller – Pick up stray lint right before the shot.
• Shout wipes – You never know when an emergency will call for getting lipstick or food off of clothes (but hopefully it never happens!).
• Painter’s tape – The norm for taping the bottom of shoes so they don’t get scuffed during shooting (this tape is easier to remove than most). I’ve actually found black painter’s tape in art supply stores that is even better if the bottom of the shoes might be visible in the shot.
• Sewing kit with safety pins – Just in case a seam needs to be sewn last-minute, and pins can be used for jobs the binder clips are too large and bulky for.
• Hanging jewelry roll – Easy for organizing jewelry and keeping it all in one place (also good if you need to stay on the move during the shoot).
• Seam ripper – Can be used in a pinch to cut off tags and loose threads. And less likely, can be used to rip open seams that might have been sewn into sample garments by previous stylists.
• Steamer – Used throughout the shoot to keep all of the garments wrinkle-free. Perfect for use on embellished fabrics that you wouldn’t want to iron.
• Clear garment bags – Essential for moving clothes to the shoot location and keeping them all clean and organized. I like the clear bags so I can easily see what’s in each bag.
• Tag gun – If tags need to be removed for a shot, you can easily re-attach them with a standard tag gun and clear standard fasteners.
• Shoe horn – I have an extra long one that has come in very handy when trying to squeeze model’s feet into tall boots.
• Hand warmers – These quick-activating packs keep models warm on a cold shoot and are good for warming up cold hands for close-up jewelry shots (no cold blue hands!).
• Paper towels and tissue – For the obvious: cleaning up spills, dirt from shoes etc.

Stay tuned in early March when I’ll share the shots from the shoot! Did I miss any of your favorite styling essentials?

xoxo,
Veronica