HOW ARE ARBITRATION FIRST LADIES GATHERING FOR SPECIAL EVENTS? Anastasia, the most sought-after stylist in the field, talks about the peculiarities of arbitration fashion in the "How Was Your Fashion" column

HWYD: Tell us about your childhood: where, in what family were you born?

Nastya: I was born in Kyiv into a family of doctors, thanks to whom I have a strange sense of humor and am not afraid of blood))

HWYD: What were the first manifestations of your desire for style in clothes and images from your childhood (maybe dressing up dolls or something? - describe this memory)

Nastya: I always say that deficit is the father of creativity. I grew up in the 90s, and in order for me to look stylish, my mother would look for friends who brought clothes from Poland or look for them in second-hand stores. I am very grateful to her for that. ❤️

HWYD: What did you dream of becoming and why? Did you consider becoming a stylist back then and why?

Nastya: When I was little, I dreamed of becoming a meat seller 😂 We didn't eat meat every day and it was considered a festive dish. That's why saleswomen in puffy oilcloth sleeves and gold rings on each finger seemed to me to be the rulers of the world. My love for fashion came later, when I had already eaten enough meat))

HWYD: How did you gain your professional experience? Perhaps you studied somewhere or absorbed images from glossy magazines or TV?

Nastya: I have always been interested in fashion because it was a world of beautiful clothes, graceful shapes, and as soon as I learned to draw, I drew clothes for some reason, and all my family was sure that I would become a fashion designer. Maybe someday I'll live up to their expectations (spoiler alert - no).

HWYD: How did you approach your own style? How did you experiment? With what exactly? How did you choose your outfits and looks and what did you decide on?

Nastya: I thank my family for their unquestioning acceptance of my stylistic expression; I was literally allowed to wear whatever I wanted and was not corrected in any way, for which I often received flak from the school administration and sometimes from classmates who did not have such freedom. I remember when we were allowed to wear business suits and were told that the color didn't matter (before that, we were required to wear dark green jackets). I came to the first of September in a bright pink pantsuit with white stripes. You should have seen the surprise of my class teacher when she heard that this was not only a costume for the holiday, but my school uniform from now on))

HWYD: Describe your first professional commission: what kind of image was it? Who were you doing it for? How nervous were you? Would you change anything about it now?

Nastya: I received my first order while studying to become a stylist, it was a wardrobe revision and shopping, I warned the girl that I was still studying, but I was incredibly excited.

HWYD: Where and how I spent my first earnings

Nastya: Frankly, I don't remember now.

HWYD: How did you gain popularity? How did you become a sought-after master?

Nastya: I have not gained any and do not have such a goal at all, I strive to be professional, I am constantly working on it. Perhaps, as my skills grow, my recognition will somehow grow organically, and I take it as a nice bonus))

HWYD: How did you get into traffic arbitration?

Nastya: It so happened that my best friend, Olga Sapogova, has been working in this field for more than 10 years, and gradually her friends began to approach me. For which I am very grateful to them all ❤️

HWYD: Who among the famous personalities in our field have you made insults to?

Nastya: Unfortunately, I can very rarely show or tell about the people I work with, except for those who mention me in publications. But I can say that I worked with girls from the following teams: Dephouse, G Partners, AFFHUB, Traffic Devils, Moon partners. It seems to be obvious which vertical I like to work with 😂.

HWYD: How do you find working with girls in affiliate marketing? Are there any peculiarities and subtleties in the work that distinguish girls from the industry from other girls?

Nastya: The peculiarities lie in the position the client holds. Because the style of an affiliate manager, CEO, or media buyer is significantly different, as job responsibilities and lifestyle have a significant impact on the wardrobe. The most prominent feature of all "arbitration" wardrobes is high stylistic flexibility. Simply put, a wardrobe should be able to quickly transform from casual to evening wear and be appropriate for a conference and an afterparty in a few hours.

HWYD: What are some of the most embarrassing moments you can tell us? For example, putting it together in the car on the way to a gala event in 20 minutes, or picking it up from your own things in the wardrobe, or running to buy something at the nearest store, etc.

Nastya: About two years ago, I received a request for a look for a theme party in Ibiza. I had to come up with the image, create it and send it in 3 hours, as it was the only way to deliver it to Spain as soon as possible. The fashion designer sent the dress from the workshop, which is located far from Kyiv, by some minibus, then I met the dress at the train station, handed it to the driver, who took it to Odesa, and the next day - to Moldova, and finally to Spain. In short, that dress had a very busy schedule and itinerary)) Most often, requests: "for yesterday" are for some themed parties or holidays like Halloween. And I love such tasks, because the less time you have to complete the task, the higher the price 😈

HWYD: How much do your services cost now? What do you base your price on?

Nastya: Currently, a wardrobe revision costs 300$, shopping - 200$, for those who are not yet financially ready, I have a consultation that costs only 100$. I have a very affordable price for a specialist of my level and experience. The price is formed according to experience and various forms of advanced training. That is, if I invest 1500$ in my training and professional growth, my time is already worth more, because I can already give more to my client than before training.

HWYD: How competitive is your specialty in our niche? Are there any of your colleagues whose work you don't like and why?

Nastya: I always say that I have no competitors - only colleagues. Some are more experienced than me, some are less, some are on the same level as me, but have a different "handwriting" and, accordingly, clients who like this "handwriting". And some people only like the way I work. And I usually reciprocate. ❤️

HWYD: Have men ever approached you? With what kind of request?

Nastya: To a greater extent, I still work with women, but lately men are increasingly delegating their wardrobe to a stylist because it is very rational in terms of financial literacy and time management. And men are prone to a rational approach and optimization of all processes. In this regard, it is very easy to work with them, and they usually trust more)

HWYD: How would you generally comment on the average images of the so-called arbitrators, summarized in the "expensive-rich" category - balenciaga sneakers, Louis or Gucci T-shirt with a print across the chest, stone island jackets and off-white hoodies?

Nastya: I can only say that, according to my observations, the higher the position of a specialist, the less prone to logomania he is)) But I do not condemn such manifestations, everything has its time and age, the "Philip Plain" phase must also be passed))

HWYD: What advice would you give to guys and girls in the industry who don't yet have the opportunity or need to hire a personal stylist?

Nastya: There's a good joke about this: "Advice is free, consultation is for money. My advice to you is to go for a consultation." Seriously, mindlessly buying clothes is much more expensive than going to a stylist and rationally allocating the most modest budget. To do this, I added the "consultation" service, after which you can put together a cool wardrobe even at a second-hand store.

HWYD: And for those who have such a need and opportunity, how do you choose a stylist to walk proudly on the red carpet of nominations?

Nastya:

There are a few points that need to be addressed:

1. Education. Because a stylishly dressed person or a person whose style you admire will not be able to express you properly through your clothes if they do not have the appropriate knowledge.
2. Look through the works, it's cool when a stylist has his own "chips", the main thing is that he does not dress everyone "like a copy", or the same as himself. A professional stylist should be flexible and work on your request, not implement their own vision.
3.  If you hear from a stylist: "How to look expensive/cheap", "How not to look like a collective farm" - run away as soon as possible, a stylist who operates in such categories is unlikely to have a positive impact on your style. The main thing in cooperation with a stylist is trust, if for some reason the specialist does not inspire it in you, look further ❤️