We spoke with groundbreaking stylist Talia Cassel , whose curiosity and chameleonic eye have made her one of the most sought-after emerging stylists of the year. Born and raised in Long Beach and now living in New York, she is young but determined; her eclectic taste and roster of clients speak volumes about her virtuosic capacity for collaboration.
From Travis Scott to Lena Dunham and Fcukers — it is clear that she can read a room and understand what people need whilst ensuring her vision is never compromised or diluted. Talia Cassel shares her love for Future and Fran Drescher, rosettes as accessories and getting the ick.
What was your entry point into fashion? Was there a specific moment where you realised clothing was an art form and that you wanted to be a part of it?
Great question, I guess it depends on how I look at it. My first ever assisting job was a year after I moved to LA, interning or assisting, it’s so long ago I can’t fully remember, on a Surfaces music video. I knew absolutely nothing about styling but I loved being on set. Between random assisting jobs and serving at a restaurant in Beverly Hills, I eventually got my first proper job in fashion. I did marketing at an LA-based clothing brand for a year before diving into styling and assisting full-time. Even though I knew this was the career I wanted to pursue, I would say the moment I really felt like I was doing what I was meant to be doing was after creating my first custom look. It was the most fulfilling and exciting step in my career and as things have progressed for me, it still feels like that every time.
What do you listen to in your studio when you’re browsing for treasure online or when you’re prepping for a client fitting?
Ninety percent of the time I’m listening to Future. If I’m prepping to fit or meet a client, it’s always Future. While I'm browsing for treasure online and doing admin in my studio, lately, I’ve been listening to Underscores a lot; I’m kind of obsessed with her. I listen to a lot of Britney, obviously Madonna, mixed in with Bladee. There’s this London DJ called Surati who has a lot of fun mixes and if I don’t feel like thinking of what to play, I put on one of her mixes. She’s really fun.
I believe Karl Lagerfeld said “Trendy is the last stage before tacky,” Thoughts?
Karl was never wrong. I agree, the line between trendy and cool is so fine and often becomes grey. Something my dad has said to me from a very early age is “fashion fades, style stays” and of course while fashion is forever, he’s referring to trends and what’s considered fashion in that moment. That quote has always resonated with me because it’s so true. Style comes from within while trends are absorbed. Style is, and should be most of the time, timeless. As soon as something becomes overtly trendy, I get the ick.
Style is so subjective, and styling someone is truly a conversation. Tell us about your practice. You’ve styled Travis Scott, Fcukers, Lena Dunham, as well as shoots with Young Thug, Tinashe and Kourtney Kardashian, among others. Where do you begin when making a custom look for instance, and how do you make sure you’re aligned with the person you’re styling?
Styling someone is definitely a conversation, at least if you want to do it right and want the work to reflect that, it should be. Styling Lena and Fcukers has taught me how much more successful styling can be when there is a foundation between you and the client. I don’t mean you need to necessarily be close to each talent you are working with, but I will say, having that open communication and building on the relationships creates such a beautiful space to champion your clients. Oftentimes in the celebrity world this isn’t the case, so I feel really lucky to have built these relationships that allow me to create meaningful outcomes for said clients. It sounds obvious but it really makes a difference. For customs, it depends, with Lena it all started from one mood board I put together after a call we had early on after meeting. From there, I looked at each tour stop, city, special guest and created what I thought made the most sense for each leg of the tour. Collaborating with independent designers, the conversation would start by me sending them references and then the ping pong game of editing sketches begins. Once I landed on something that felt right to present to Lena, I did, and we would move forward. I’d be involved in picking the fabrics and creating an approval process as the pieces progressed to ensure they’re coming out the way I envisioned. Being aligned with the person you’re styling comes at the early stages and you carry it through as the looks progress because you are your client’s advocate. As the stylist, it’s up to you to make sure the looks you’re creating reflect the message they’re intending to get across, in the most fabulous way possible.
“As soon as something becomes overtly trendy, I get the ick.”
Imagine you’re pulling for your next shoot, what store in New York is your first stop?
Oh, that’s hard, it totally depends on the creative of the shoot, so it’s not that black and white but Retail Pharmacy on the Lower East Side is my go-to. Sophia, the owner, is truly amazing and she lives for the art and the fashion and I love collaborating with her when I can.
Let’s talk about the Famesick book tour and working closely with Lena Dunham. How was your first meeting, was it an immediate alignment?
Our first meeting was the photoshoot I styled for the New York Times. I had a few calls with her team prior, but this was the first time Lena and I properly met and worked together. Definitely an immediate alignment, as you can imagine, she is so warm and easy to connect with. It felt right from the start. The shoot went really smoothly and from that moment forward, we were locked in with each other and have been since.
She’s always taken risks in her wardrobe and she certainly doesn’t shy away from the whimsical and sultry. I really loved the rosettes you incorporated into the suited looks for instance. Tell us how you translated her vision, and yours, for the looks on the tour?
Thank you! The rosettes were a fun touch. I liked having a cheeky ode to Lena’s past and present incorporated into the looks, each rosette had a reference to either Girls or Famesick or just some insight to Lena’s life, like a picture of her bunnies. Lena obviously has range when it comes to her fashions. It was so much fun being able to help guide that and convey that range during this tour. She had a vague vision inspired by a Lolita Lempicka suit she found on eBay and I ran with that vision and she loved it. It really was as simple as that.
Who are some emerging designers that you’re championing or that you’d love to work with?
I feel really lucky to have worked with so many emerging designers that I have looked up to for a while on this tour. Laura Andraschko was a huge inspiration to me. I really love her work, she’s so talented. I loved Malene Specht’s work and was really excited to work with her, and Christian Cowan of course. Each designer we collaborated with felt like a bit of a dream. Some names I’m crossing my fingers we get to collaborate with on our next project are Simon Carle, Nicklas Skovgaard and Yasmina Atta.
“Confidence to me is living a life I feel good about.”
I just read a book called Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott about a modern woman who is divorced, marvellously dressed, and living an unconventional life in 1920s New York. Clothing essentially becomes one of the novel’s protagonists. Is there a particular book, music video, film or painting that comes to mind, where clothing is centred in a way that moved you or left a lasting impression?
Sounds like a delicious book, maybe I can borrow it from you. I’d love to give you some deep-cut answers but I’m going to tell you the first thing that comes to mind and it’s The Nanny with Fran Drescher. I watched that show religiously growing up and it made me realise from an early age that I needed to be around fabulous, well-dressed women, and become one myself.
You’ve worked on a few music videos — styling for film seems an important part of your trajectory, for instance you styled Travis Scott’s Beep Beep. How does the brief, the prep and time on-set differ in this environment?
It’s different for each project, Beep Beep was the first job I worked on with Travis. It was actually my first lead job ever. His team called me at 4 p.m. on a Monday saying they had an opportunity for me to style one of his music videos the next morning in Houston. I dropped everything and prepped as much as I could and flew out the next morning. The shoot went well and I ended up staying in Houston for the week working on other projects for him. There was no briefing or real time to prep for these projects but generally, you meet with the client and the agencies, and thoroughly go over the creative as well as the expectations. Then, depending on the magnitude of the project, the amount of prep days reflects what needs to be done. Something I love about styling is how specific each project can be and how different that can look. It keeps you on your toes!
What is confidence to you and how do you infuse that into your own wardrobe as well as someone else’s?
Confidence to me is living a life I feel good about and letting that ooze into my wardrobe, my friendships, my work. In my mind, intention seeps through in everything. You can feel when someone’s intentions are pure, and when they are, confidence typically follows.
Any fun projects, tours or editorial shoots that you can tell us about, and that you’re looking forward to working on?
I just shot a really fun group in LA. It was my first time working with this talent and I’m excited to see where it goes for sure. Lena also has a really exciting year ahead and I’m looking forward to switching things up a bit with her. Other than that, I’m just so excited to see what this year has in store for Fcukers, it’s been so amazing working with them and I’ve seen them progress and grow so much in the past year I honestly cannot wait.
