Today I am really excited to bring you this interview with celebrity stylist, Anita Patrickson.

Anita is a South African currently living and working in Hollywood, Los Angeles where she has been working as a fashion stylist. I asked her to answer some questions about her exciting line of work in the entertainment business…

How did you end up as a celebrity stylist in Los Angeles?
I left South Africa for University in London and then after London I found myself in LA trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life…. I ended up working as the Assistant West Coast Editor of Allure Magazine in LA. After some time I then realized I did not want to work for anyone else and so made the natural progression to styling on my own.

Which celebs have you had the pleasure of styling? And the displeasure? :)
I have styled many wonderful people, a few of my more memorable ones have been Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emma Watson, Joel McHale to name a few…. I’ll leave it to you to guess which one of these was not a pleasure :)

Which was your favourite outfit that you styled?
I would say 2 of my favorite outfits (I can’t just choose one!) were Emma Watson’s Oscar De La Renta gown from the Harry Potter premiere in London and then the after party dress by Elie Saab she wore that same night. I am obsessed with both these designers!

How do you decide on a particular outfit for a client?
It’s a combination of their personality as well as the event and then my 2 cents…

What’s the best part of your job? And the worst/ most challenging part?
Best would be that I get to work with fantastic people and the worst would be the hauling of clothes and bags and shoes from one place to another to shoots and fittings etc.

Who would be your “dream” celebrity to style?
I feel very lucky to have styled (and currently styling) the celebrities I have, however I do LOVE Vanessa Paradis’s style…. but then I guess she’s so chic she doesn’t need me!

What is your typical day?
What I love about my job is that there is no typical day. One day I’ll be in Malibu styling a shoot for Vanity Fair, the next day I may be on a plane headed to NYC to get a client ready for the MET Ball!

Which designers do you enjoy working with?
I love Oscar De Le Renta, Valentino and Elie Saab

What three classic items should every woman should have in her closet?
Great fitting, simple black jacket to wear with jeans or over a dress, a fabulous pair of elegant ballet flats and a fantastic show stopping colourful cocktail ring to wear on your index finder to jazz up any look.

Thanks so much Anita for agreeing to be interviewed and taking time out of your hectic schedule to answer my questions. Congratulations on all your success – may your star continue to rise and shine! To see more of her portfolio visit her website: anitapatrickson.com

This interview is part of a new series I am starting called Women at Work – albeit a rather glamourous one in comparison to most women’s jobs! I will be posting similar interviews with a variety of women in the working world. This is in order to inspire women of all ages to aspire to a career which they LOVE (especially teens, university leavers and moms who have been raising kids and have been out of the job world for a while!!)

If you, or a woman you know, has an interesting job and would be happy to be an interviewee please do contact me.

Emma Watson in Oscar de la Renta and Elie Saab

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