The stylist’s job looks pretty simple on the one hand — you can finish a couple of courses, look at a ton of glamour magazines, but on the other hand, a true fashionista is not able to put her soul and intuition into her craft if she herself does not have a sense of beauty. Valeriia Bekher (https://www.instagram.com/valeriyabecher/ ) — a talented stylist from Miami who is able to create a basic wardrobe within several hours and find that delicious detail in each of her clients. What inspires our fashion expert today in the world of fashion and glamour?
Valeriia, why did you decide to become a stylist in the first place?
I am a personal stylist, certified image designer, working in the field of fashion for more than 10 years. For me working as a stylist is more than a job. It is a calling. For quite a long time I was doing fashion shooting styling and working as a personal image-maker. When you see how a client’s life is changing for the better, how he or she expresses a confident and vivid personality through his/her wardrobe, well this is the most important result of my work. The greatest inspiration for me. And that is the reason why I became a stylist: to make people see their uniqueness and simply make them happy.
What is the key detail of a women’s wardrobe?
As for me, I love traveling, I like to study folk customs and culture, collect national accessories, and buy fabrics and vintage accessories. We all should be more creative and blend eclectic images with special details that we find on our way. Frankly speaking, I have a passion for unusual shoes. Perhaps, it’s impossible to imagine a woman’s wardrobe without shoes. In order to make your image individual, wearable, adaptive to any time of the day and occasions, you will need different shoes, a lot of shoes. I think that psychologists can tell a lot when they see someone’s shoes. And I also know a few tricks (smiles).
You have worked with different magazines during the past year. Which collaboration is your favorite so far?
Thank you for that question. Working with all the teams was an amazing experience. But my favorite is the styling of L’Officiel Hommes Kazakhstan cover in August 2019. The cover girl Alisa Bartova was an amazing model! You know she is the kind of person who switches on her professional mode on the set and nothing can stop her. The photoshoot was made in the United States and all the images have a unique summer gloss. Styling a cover photo is a very tricky thing as all the books are judged by its cover.
Tell us more about your style project How to be Wow! (https://www.instagram.com/howtobewow/).
We founded this project with my sister, Ksenia. The main goal is to prepare a girl for any occasion: a photo shoot, wedding, editorial shoot, for a date or girls’ party. We combine all services that a girl needs, starting from makeup and hairstyle to apparel and photoshoot itself. That is definitely a dream job! We see happy and gorgeous clients every day and we capture the best moments of their style transformation. We have already worked with more than 300 women and still, there is a huge road ahead.
If you could exchange your wardrobe with anyone, who would you choose?
For me, such style icons are Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Bianca Jagger, Sade. Having impeccable feminine forms, they proved to the whole world that a man’s jacket and wide trousers could look sophisticated and sexy. I would love to try on a vintage collection they had. In general, I adore beautiful and well-dressed people, both men and women. But I also love style freaks — it is easy to find inspiration for watching them mixing colors and textures.
Whose lifestyle inspires you?
Today we broadcast our lifestyle every minute through social media, photos, blogs, posts, but, frankly, this is usually just a beautiful picture. No one exposes his photo in tears or after a hard and long day. I’m not good in all these celebrity news and rumors but I have always had a certain standard — the parents’ life. They always inspire me. Sometimes I find myself thinking that at my age and with my energy, I do not have time for everything that they do during the day. They always find strength for sincerity and care for each other. Energy generates energy — this is the truth.
Describe your perfect morning.
(Laughs) I do not like mornings, frankly. But having an avocado toast or going for a hot yoga class could definitely turn my day for good. I like to start my day when there is a lot of sun in the room and when my calendar is fully booked. Miami is a good place to start loving mornings.
