How Much Does Fashion Styling School Cost?
Famous Hollywood celebrities, politicians and other public figures who want to put their best foot forward typically hire the services of a fashion stylist to choose their outfits for them. Whether they are attending a ball, a press conference or a magazine shoot, their stylists ensure that the garments, shoes and accessories they wear are not only right for the occasion but befits their stature and conveys the right image or attitude to the general public. Stylists also get to work for magazines, dressing up models and preparing them for their photo shoots as well as retail stores where they see to it that mannequins are dressed in the latest styles and trends to help persuade customers to buy.
Although the passion for fashion and sense of style is inherent, there are technical aspects of fashion styling that need to be learned from the experts. Color theory, styling techniques, makeup, fashion styling for media, fashion styling for men and other technical information are topics that will enable the aspiring stylist to become more competent and confident in how they dress up their clients.
If you are serious about a career as a fashion stylist, it would be worthwhile to enroll in programs that give you the educational training you need to do the job well. To get the necessary education, you will have to be ready to make the financial investment for your tuition, fees, books, supplies and other related expenses.
To become a fashion stylist, you can choose to attend a two-year associate’s degree course in fashion styling or a four-year bachelor’s degree course in fashion design or fashion merchandising or you can attend short-term training courses and workshops that last anywhere from three days to a few weeks. Obviously, the more expensive programs are those that lead to an associate’s or bachelor’s degrees. On the average, the cost for tuition and fees, books and supplies and room and board for an associate’s degree in fashion can cost anywhere from about $9,000 to $57,000 a year while a bachelor’s degree can cost around $13,000 to $60,000 a year. Public schools are cheaper to attend particularly if you are an in-state student because of the hefty tuition discounts. Private schools don’t provide tuition fee discounts to resident students but charge the same tuition fees to everyone regardless of their residency status. With financial aid, however, you can substantial lower your college costs so be sure to ask about scholarships and grants if you are planning to enroll in traditional fashion degree programs.
However, it is possible to get a foothold into this career at a much cheaper price. You can attend short-term courses given by fashion styling schools which also teach you the basics about styling. For example, Fashion Institute of Technology at the State University of New York offers different fashion styling courses. The Introduction to Fashion Styling course which lasts for three days or six days depending on the schedule taken costs $300 while the online version of the course which lasts for about six weeks costs a little more at $315. They also offer the Fashion Styling for Media course which costs $340 and Fashion Styling for Today’s Media Workshop for $340. The three-day Fashion Styling for Men course has a price tag of $185.
The School of Style in Los Angeles and New York has one-day crash courses on styling which allow individuals to start their career as a fashion stylist. Their Introduction to Styling course costs $299 while their Personal Styling course and Menswear Styling courses cost $1,499 each. The school also offers a hands-on program that teaches students how to prepare for an “editorial-style photo shoot” which costs $2,499. For those who want to become certified stylists, the School of Style also has a nine-day Stylist Certification Program. It costs $3,999.
Another method of training to become a stylist is to attend an online course. This method of learning is cost-effective because it enables you to hold a steady job while you’re working to finish the program at your own pace. Sterling Style Academy, for example, offers the Online Image Consultant & Personal Stylist Training Certification Program which is composed of 20 modules costing $247 per module. When you are ready to finish the program, you will register for a Skype conference call which costs $847 in order to receive your certificate. Thus, the total cost is $5,787 with the “pay-as-you-go” system although you will only pay $4,247 if you enroll for the complete online training program.
Career Spotlight: Fashion Stylist
Fashion stylists are responsible for coordinating garments and accessories, such as shoes and jewelry, to create outfits. Fashion stylists may choose garments and accessories for models, actors, or ot[...]
