*Another long post guys so go pour a glass of wine! Enjoy x
Seeing your name in a magazine is something every one who aspires to work in Fashion dreams about. Flicking through the pages of my favorite magazines , always paying close attention to who styled the shoot , who did the photography , the make-up , the hair - its always the Editorial Credits I once looked at hoping one day that I would see my name credited in a respected fashion magazine. I will never forget the first time I saw my name credited in a magazine. I eagerly waited for the July Issue of Cosmopolitan UK to hit the stands. When I saw it beaming from the magazine vendor on the corner Argyll St & Great Marlborough Street , opposite my favorite department store Liberty's, I almost skipped along to it , picked it up placing Kim Kardashian's face on the counter (the cover girl for the issue) and handed my 4 pound 70 pence over to the elderly european man whom I buy gum and chocolate from on an almost daily basis. 'You look very happy today' , 'I'm in this magazine' I exclaimed with a smile. 'Really? Good for you buddy' , 'Thankyou' - and there It was! I walked a few steps across the corner and flipped through the pages till I landed on the 'Facebook Fashion' page. A style page myself and my fellow intern at the time compiled. A guide on how to wear the same item twice in different ways just like celebs so that you wouldn't be 'tagged on facebook in the same outfit twice'. I scanned my eye across and down to the right hand corner. There it was - compiled by Denis Todorovic. My name, Denis Todorovic in the pages of Cosmopolitan, the UK's highest selling glossy and a magazine I used to snatch off my girlfriends in high school to read. I squealed, did what can be described as 'hug' the magazine, smile again, look at my name again and skipped off into the day!
The moment fell surreal and at the same time so satisfying. 'Your hard work is paying off' - I thought to myself. All the interning , the working two jobs, its all worth it - moments like this make it worth every second. Since then I have started to build quite a collection of editorial credits from various shoots I've done with various magazines and each time I still pinch myself!
Being credited as an assistant is one thing, but to get your first Editorial as the Fashion Stylist/Director of the shoot - this is something I've been dreaming off from the day I decided I wanted to become a stylist. Fast forward 9 months and there I was being offered my first fully fledged editorial for a very well respected edgy fashion publication - FIASCO magazine. After re-reading the email 3 times and pinching myself another couple times I very happily accepted and before I knew it I was doing appointments pulling pieces from the likes of Felder Felder, Markus Lupfer, Camilla and Marc, Graeme Armour, Willow and Rupert Sanderson. The next thing I knew it was the day of the shoot and me and my gorgeous friend Holly, who was playing my assistant again today - were on our way to the location. The story was about two teenagers in love who decide to defy the odds and runaway together with nothing but love and some pretty cool clothes on their back. The story needed to be stronger than the clothing we didnt want the fashion too overpowering. It wasn't a 'Fashion Story' per se more a story that included fashion. The clothes needed to reflect their characters. Inspired by Chloe Sevigny, Kate Moss and the early 90s grunge period I was more ready than ever to style my first editorial!
Shooting can be a long day. I think sometimes people underestimate the work that goes into it. All the clothing that you have to call in, to the prep, the steaming, then there's trial and error and things that you thought would work may not , so then you rework looks until you get it just right. At times one shot can take up to an hour to shoot - however, when you're working in a team of amazing people the 'hardwork' element disappears and the creative energy in the room is like a drug that just keeps you buzzing from start to finish. Every look couldn't have worked out better, the photography was on point and each shot told the story perfectly! So after an amazing day of shooting I then highly anticipated the arrival of the magazine in print! 3 months later I was going through some old scrap books that I used to keep from the age of 13 , where I would cut out pictures from fashion magazines and document my fashion trends, shows and designers. Whilst doing this my mum walked through the door handing me a package 'Deni I think your magazines have arrive' - ordering it online the magazine landed on my door step and I was literally bursting with excitement to open it. As I flipped through the pages landing on my story I started smiling ear to ear. 'The Runaways' read the title, Fashion Stylist - Denis Todorovic. I couldn't believe my eyes - it was such a full circle moment, here I was flicking through my old scrapbooks and mountains of fashion magazines to know holding a fashion magazine with a fashion story I styled in my hands! Its a moment I'll never forget! I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to make my dreams come true! No matter how big your dreams - never stop chasing them as they will come true! Check out some of the highlights from the final product xoxo Deni
