Sí Trends

Having good taste in clothes can get you a pretty good gig. Fashionista Michelle Ten can attest to that. The former Source Magazine fashion editor has been making moves in the urban industry, styling the likes of Dame Dash, Ciara and Snoop Dogg. Additionally she writes about the latest trends in fashion, consults celebs and will even help companies attain the perfect brand image. She does all this through her company Miss Fit Styles Inc., where everyone from Sean John, Def Jam Records and Urban Latino Magazine can hit her up for her flavor in gear. Si Trends caught up with Ten to talk about the fashion biz, what it's like to pick out a rapper's clothes and what's next in urban fashion.

Si Trends: What is Miss Fit Styles?
Michelle Ten: It's funny because it was just a name that came up. Me and some of the girls, my co-workers, that was like our crew name and everyone just kind of got to know us by it. It just kind of caught on and people were like, "Hey, Miss Fit!" So when it came time for me to start the company, everyone knows me as Miss Fit, so I just called it Miss Fit Styles.

Si Trends: What exactly do you do as a stylist?
MT: I'm primarily a fashion stylist. I work with different magazines, different celebrities, I still do some music stuff. I've worked with athletes; I've worked on some concert tours. I basically provide wardrobe and fashion to whatever project is at hand. I also used to write for The Source so I still do some occasional writing on the side. Plus other opportunities that are brought forth like clothing lines I've consulted for and things of that nature. Styling is the catalyst, and everything else kind of comes as a result of it.

Si Trends: Is there ever any tension between your taste in style and the taste of a celebrity that you're hired to style?
MT: When I first meet someone, I like to sit with them and just kind of pick their brain and see what they like as far as colors, is there anything that they love or hate. Just so I can have an idea coming in of what they like and the kind of stuff they don't like.

Si Trends: So it's more of a collaborative effort then?
MT: Well, there's a difference. When you're working with models for an editorial shoot, they don't have any say. We tell them what to wear. So in that sense, you tell them what to wear because you're putting together a concept for a fashion story, so there has to be a certain consistency. So whether the models like it or not, it's like whatever. A celebrity is different, you have to cater to what they like and sometimes you suggest things and they're receptive to it and they're like "I've never thought of this before so I'll try it now." Other times they're like "Hell no, I don't want to wear that," and totally take your outfit and rip it to shreds.

Si Trends: What would you say is your favorite part of your job?
MT: I would say the most fun for me is editorial. It's on me to kind of have the concept and figure out what everyone is going to wear. You have creative freedom to go a little crazy.

Si Trends: Do you get to direct the photographers during the shoot?
MT: It depends on the capacity of the shoot. If the photographer hires me to do the job, they'll say "I specifically need this," it's my job to do it. Other times it's more on me to come up with the ideas and figure out what's what.

Si Trends: Do you have plans to release a clothing line of your own?
MT: Sometimes, when I'm working with someone I enjoy having things custom made, however, I'm not a seamstress. So, I have ideas and I can roughly section them out, and I just go to a designer or a tailor and have them made. The things that I've done so far have come out pretty nice. But as far as me making patterns and sewing and stuff . . . nah. If I could do anything, I would want to have an accessories line, like bags and shoes.

Si Trends: Think you can clue us in on what's next in urban fashion?
MT: Well, everything right now is like bright colors and patterns and I think it's going to go back to [being] more minimalist, because of the overkill of the patterns and the bright colors. And because of the economy, people aren't shopping the same, so I definitely think it's going to tone down. Like anything else, fashion goes in a cycle. So things come and go at their own pace. Sometimes people are reluctant to accept that fact, they say, "It's not gonna happen," and then it does. I try to be as ahead of the curve as possible, I like to predict things before they happen. I remember working at The Source years ago when jeans were at their baggiest. We had an editorial meeting; I told the editor-in-chief at that time that jeans are going to get tighter on guys. He was like, "You're crazy, that's not gonna happen! Hip-hop is baggy, blah, blah." But hip-hop in the beginning, they wore like super slim Lee jeans. He emailed me like a year and half ago and told me I was right.