Fashion stylist urges people to be ‘mindful’ when following trends

A stylist who has been responsible for some of Fearne McCann, Danny Dyer and Pixie Lott’s most memorable looks has shared her advice on dressing for the upcoming season.

Ellis Ranson, 29, from Essex, has been working in the fashion industry for eight years, having being inspired by the women in her family such as her aunt, who would “turn heads in loud clothing”.

The fashion stylist told National World about how the industry has been shaped by fast fashion in recent years and vented the frustration of seeing the anticiaption for red carpet outfits decline as a result of the rise in social media influencers.

Speaking about how to embrace trends, while being mindful Ellis said: “You used to have to wait for magazines to publish red carpet photos and what the latest trends were but now it’s all instant – it takes away some of the excitement.

“Some of the changes are good. You can be inspired by so many things on social media but were also losing the high street so it’s a balancing act.”

The rise of fast fashion is something that Ellis has witnessed during her career.

She continued: “As a stylist I have to follow the trends as they come and go and now-a-days they change so quickly.

“Fast fashion is here to stay but it’s important to be more mindful about the clothes you buy.

“For example can a piece be used for day and night looks – can it be worn in multiple ways or is it something you’ve seen on Instagram?

“I think a really great sustainable choice for events are rental gowns – especially for weddings.

“You can get really great designer pieces from brands like Front Row that would be extremely expensive to outright purchase.”

The 1990s and Y2K trends are sticking around for the next season according to Ellis, but there will be a shift to a more relaxed take on the style.

“There will be a lot more plain, simple shapes this season,” she said.

“The colour fuschia pink will be back in a big way – you don’t have to wear it head to toe to be trendy but why not add a shoe or bag to bring the colour in.

“Bomber jackets will also be making a comeback – I think they’re a great versitle piece that you can chuck on the top of any outfit.”

In her eight years as a stylist, Ellis has worked with huge brands such as Puma, Asos and George Asda.

Part of her job involves styling celebrities for red carpet events and photoshoots – she has worked with Danny Dyer, Fearne McCann and Charlotte Crosby.

Styling such clientele can be a high stakes job that doesn’t always go to plan.

Ellis said: “I always keep backup dresses in my car for red carpets because things often go wrong.

“When you’re working with multiple celebrities who all want your full attention it can be quite full on.

“I was styling nine people for the NTA’s one year which was already a task in itself – but then a celebs manager called 40 minutes before the carpet and said they didn’t have anything to wear.

“I had a dress in my car in her size that I knew would look great on her so I rushed to get it to her on time and I ended up styling 10 people for that carpet.”

That is not the only time a blunder has happened in a time crunch.

“There was another incident at the Pride of Britain awards with Fearne McCann,” Ellis continued.

“We had her dress made but she had not tried it on two hours before the carpet.

“It didn’t fit – her whole chest was out – all I kept thinking was ‘what the hell do I do?’ but I kept calm and found a seamstress nearby.

“They ripped off the sleeves off the dress to create a new band to cover her breasts but it still didn’t fit.

“We got there in the end but it was a stressful day.”

Ellis reflected on her humble beginnings saying: “My aunt would have bags of Tammy Girl all the time and I thought it was just amazing.

“She couldn’t walk into a restaurant or a pub without a few looks because her clothes were really out there.

“So were my mums – I used to cry when she would pick me up from school and wish that she would just wear normal outfits.

“She had these one pair of trousers with a dog on the bottom which were outrageous.

“Looking back I really wish I knew where they are now!”

Ellis believes she was always destined to end up in the fashion industry and she studied the subject at college and also attended the FRA (Fashion Retail Academy) in London.

She made her first leap into the industry at Choice Designer, a small business where she originally entered as a model but quickly found a love for styling.

Ellis said: “There wasn’t a stylist on set when I was a model, so I was putting a lot of outfits together myself.

“I was offered a full time job which was great as I got to skip that step of being an intern or assistant and jump straight to stylist.”

Ellis now boasts over 87,000 Instagram followers and has a legion of loyal clients. She also runs a styling masterclass called School of Style which is open to people of all ages.

To keep up to date with the stylist you can follow her on Instagram here.

The six week course teaches individuals how to become a stylist – find out more here.