Stylists: Professionals giving the Midas touch to your Look

Like watching celebrities as they sashay down the red carpet looking like a million bucks? Swooned over the cut of the suit or the impeccable fall of the gown? Ever wondered how the models in TV commercials look so ‘perfect' - the makeup just right, dresses that set your heart racing? You must have surely picked up fashion glossies and wondered how every model is endowed with glamour that you and I can rarely manage.

More than the figures, it's that ‘haute' look that always eludes us when we set out to make our evening attire special with a few (usually, off-the-mark) touches. Yet, it's all in a day's work for stylists (or fashion stylists/ editors). They add that extra sparkle to film stars, product and fashion models, and Page 3 celebrities.

So, what does it take to be a stylist?

"I think the most important thing is to understand the basics of clothes and fashion, more than just being trend-savvy. It goes beyond just dressing up. A background in fashion is a must. One needs to have great vision, attention to detail and originality. (These things) will take you far," says Edward Lalrempuia, fashion editor, Vogue (India). Larempuia, a NIFT graduate in his late-20s, has styled the who's who of the fashion world, including Atul Kasbekar and Deepika Padukone.

Another stylist who gave housewives the sheen of supermodels is Rishi Raj. At the behest of NDTV's Metronation, he took up the challenge of transforming a bevy of women into the most well turned-out fashionistas - in the space of a few hours.

"For I've Been Framed, the huge challenge was that I wasn't dealing with model, standard-sized bodies. Doing a makeover on such a person was more about hitting at something deeper inside - looking at the woman inside," says Raj, who worked with two designers before going to NIFT. He, however, dropped out after six months and took up with Satya Paul, and went on to start his own styling practice. "I think styling is an innate skill and cannot be learned. However, one does need to learn the technical aspects. It is all a lot hard work," says Raj.