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Thursday, December 06, 2007

Breaking into Fashion: June Ambrose

Hi Guys,
Next up in my Breaking into Fashion series is none other than stylist extraordinaire...
...June Ambrose!
If you haven't heard of June, she's outfitted the likes of Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Ciara, Mariah Carey, Ne-Yo, and Jay-Z, just to name a few. She worked closely with video director Hype Williams during his “Gimme Some Mo’” days and was the stylistic brains behind a ton of epic hip-hop videos past and present including “Big Pimpin’”, “All in my Grill”, “We Belong Together,” and “Sexy Love.” She even styled ‘Mo Money, Mo Problems” (Remember those shiny suits???)
She was kind enough to interview with The Fashion Bomb to give you aspiring stylists tips on how to get your foot in the door.
June knew from a young age she had a passion for fashion. She says, “I was always interested in clothing. When I was in elementary school, I created our first school fashion show. I got everyone involved, whether we were making pocketbooks out of crepe or skirts out of construction paper….

“… All those things were a part of my entrepreneurial spirit. I wanted to separate myself from the masses and be an individual. That was always me.
A marketing major, June’s first job out of college was at an investment bank. Finding that crunching numbers wasn't her calling, she threw caution to the wind and interned for a short period at Uptown/MCA in their marketing department. Her drive got her noticed by Jive Records, who hired her as a stylist for groups such as Hi-Five, The Backstreet Boys, and R. Kelly.
After her stint at Jive, she worked as marketing director for the 90’s uber-brand, Cross Colours. She says, “Cross Colours was the biggest and the only urban brand in the marketplace at the time.” As a marketing director, she placed Cross Colour clothes on the hottest acts of the moment, including TLC and Kriss Kross. She managed to make enough artist connections to become a freelance stylist.
For those wanting to break into the business, she says, “The industry is saturated, but if you’re going to go for it, take a course. Get an internship with a credible stylist or a magazine. It’s a business, not an industry. If you’re only interested in meeting celebrities, forget about it!
She continues, “Build your portfolio. Have a plan as to how you’re going to market yourself to acquire clients. Do a really great internship that will allow you to experience and understand everything that goes into it.
She credits her success with her insatiable search for fashion knowledge (sound familiar?) She says, "I was a sponge and OK with learning as I went. It was my passion and everything that I did. I wanted to know where clothes came from before they went to stores. I dreamt, lived, and breathed fashion."
Need a bit more fashion knowledge yourself? Lucky you, June compiled all her best style tips and fashion advice in her book, Effortless Style:
In it, she discusses everything from the importance of fit and wearing the correct undergarments to buying the right accessories to achieve a celeb glam look.
She says, "Effortless Style talks about capturing fashion and interpreting it into your own look...using the right tools to translate celebrity and runway looks into the style of an average person." Sign me up!
Effortless Style is now in paperback (easy to tote around). Get your copy for $11 at www.amazon.com.
Smootches!
Fashion, News, and What Nots
* Beyonce plays with color in Paris....
...mixing pretty purple with pink and red. Bold, but does it work?
*Learn more about June at her website, www.juneambrose.com.
*In NYC? Take a styling course at FIT for $280.

12 comments:

Treschicstyle said...

Excellent Interview...

Anonymous said...

June is gorgeous. Kudos!

Yannize said...

gotta love that June! shes a hot tamale!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Claire for the post. June is right up my alley. I love her!! All the info she gave was useful

Anonymous said...

i coped her book after i saw her on BET last year. Didint learn a lot of new things which was a good thing coz it me see that i was on the right track with fashion, a fashion bombER indeed. The new things i learned have earned me the title of one of the stars of the uni,the one to look out for. I passed the book to a couple of friends and now they are as fierce as i am. Feels good to have a personal stylist so cop the book if u can.

Anonymous said...

June always looks great, but her book was muy disappointing. It seemed like all she wanted to do was brag about her multitude of celebrity clients . . . she talked a lot about trends but did not really emphasize the fact that not all trends work for every body (every body, not everybody). I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know.

najahf said...

I really like Beyonce's dress in that picture, but I thought the accessories were all red. Even if they're pink, I still think its cute. Do you know where to get something similar?

Anonymous said...

Loved the interview and I will pick the book up from the library (why buy when you can borrow? :) I think Beyonce looks a little too costumey here. She is slacking on her look lately.

Treschicstyle said...

Hey Sweetie, You've been tagged...
Visit my blog, www.treschicstyle.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed the insight. I breaking into this industry, and was debating if I should take a course or just network. But I think I got my confirmation right here. Thanx.

Fashion Critic said...

The dress Beyonce is wearing is Chanel. I featured it on my site.

I even gave her best dressed of the week

Anonymous said...

I'm such a fan of the purple/red combo! I actually wore an outfit recently with this combination. I love it!