Styling and Profiling: 9 Black Celebrity Stylists

In an age this image conscious the work of a stylist has taken on epic proportions.  If you’re in the public eye looking good is a team effort, and like any relationship, trust and respect are key.   It’s an enterprise after all, and while some get into it to schmooze with celebs, only those who are truly about their business stick around.  Today The Atlanta Post looks at a few black fashion stylists who are in it for the long haul.

June Ambrose

When June Ambrose started out styling she had to beg designers for  freebies for clients.  It was the early nineties and the fashion industry had yet to realize how hip hop and R&B acts could boost their business.  She did a stint at Jive Records, pulling together looks for R. Kelly and The Backstreet Boys, before moving on to Cross Colors, where she popularized the brand by putting TLC and Kriss Kross in their latest.  Freelancing came next with music videos serving as her bread and butter; at one time Ambrose held the record for MTV Awards’ costume nominations.   Diddy, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige know her work personally.  At this point her status as a style icon reaches far beyond music.  Just this spring Hollywood Reporter named her one of Tinseltown’s top stylists and nearly  250,000 people on Twitter agree.

Rachel Johnson

Dressing basketball stars is a really tall order.  But standing at six feet herself, Rachel Johnson knows that with a little effort the perfect look can be achieved.  She wasn’t going for athletes in the beginning.  In fact, when she left Essence magazine she had a number of hip hop clients under her belt.  But when she started working with former NBA player Jalen Rose she realized the untapped market.  Today Amar’e Stoudemire and Lebron James count on her for winning looks.  And whether it’s couture or casual she never lets them down.

Beagy Zielinski

Connecticut born, Germany bred, Beagy Zielinski knew from early on that fashion would be a big part of her life.  She attended FIT and soon after found work in fashion merchandising and personal shopping.  Her impeccable taste stood out and before long Zielinski was doing work for the likes of Tyra Banks, Kelly Rowland and Toni Braxton.  On the corporate side, German Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Banana Republic and Coach top her client list.  Her own work is augmented by a venture to help other stylists.  Based in New York, L’Amoire Du Styliste is a studio where space, clothes, shoes and accessories can be rented for photo shoots.

Alexander Allen

Alexander Allen got clear on his goals by interning.  Fresh from Morgan State he did a stint at Marie Claire before an exec took him to DKNY.  Allen immersed himself in PR but it wasn’t until assisting a wardrobe stylist that things really clicked.  In 2001 he hung out his own shingle.  Transformers, Inc. has done major work with major stars over the last decade.  Diddy, Fantasia, Sanaa Lathan, and Kimora Lee Simmons can all attest to his credentials.

Misa Hylton

While headlines related to unresolved issues that come with being Diddy’s baby momma sometimes overshadow it, Misa Hylton has a career that’s worthy of attention.  A stylist for over 18 years, she’s dressed Mary J. Blige, Chris Rock, and Kimora Lee Simmons among many others.  Throughout her career she has designed original pieces for clients when she could not find the right look off the rack.  Earlier this year she made a more serious go at designing by launching Madison Star, a plus-sized clothing line.

Lloyd Boston

When people say personality can take you far they have something like the career trajectory of Lloyd Boston in mind.  What started as an internship with Tommy Hilfiger at 19, turned into an appointment as VP of Art Direction, and has finally blossomed into an in-demand skill set sought by the fashion, television and publishing industries alike.  Boston has racked up hundreds of appearances on Oprah, NBC’s Today Show, E! and CNN, showing the fashion challenged what works.  For those in need of further instruction consider his four books, the last of which, The Style Checklist, was published last year.

Becca Alexis

What to do with an English major?  For a while Becca Alexis was a freelance journalist, but when that proved less than satisfactory she undertook a drastic rewrite and headed to fashion school.  Now she creates stories with clothes.  Her first break came as a wardrobe assistant for Desperate Housewives and CSI Miami.  A few years on Alexis has done work for Trey Songz, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Janet Jackson.  And while she’s proven she can work independently, she teamed up with Machy Mendez to launch Pulchritude and Concepts, where clients are offered styling concepts with a strong understanding of marketing.

Susan Moses

Before Susan Moses threw her energies into stopping fashion crimes she was studying the kind that come with long sentences at John Jay College.  She landed a job with Shade, an African-American lifestyle magazine that lasted just long enough for people in the music industry to take note of her style.  Brandy was her first celeb client.  Over the years that list has grown to include Jill Scott, Monique, Angela Bassett and Queen Latifah.  Last year she launched Curvation, a clothing line for full-figured women.

Tiffany Hasbourne

A strong believer in paying your dues, Tiffany Hasbourne played the role of unpaid intern and assistant before branching out on her own in 2003 with Brat Productions.  Since then she’s proven a versatile stylist, putting together looks for Idris Elba, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, the cast of High School Musical and Vibe magazine.