AN Irish celebrity stylist revealed her top tips for rocking swimwear, trends to avoid and how to dress on a budget.
Fiona Fagan told how she went from being a dancer to dressing DWTS hosts Doireann Garrihy and Jennifer Zamparelli.
She told The Irish Sun: “I’m from Finglas but I moved to London. I lived there for 21 years where I was a dancer.
“Then I was a fitting model for lots of fashion brands which led me then into styling.
“So I used to be a fit model for Victoria Beckham, Burberry, Topshop, ASOS, All Saints and lots of brands.
“It was through that I got into styling because I worked very closely with the designers.”
The Dubliner told how Victoria Beckham “was fab” to work and her head stylist would try out her iconic jeans on Fiona.
Fiona said: “It was before her brand became really big. Her clothes are really good quality. They really are, they’re cut so well.”
While working in London for five years, Fiona built up a star studded client list.
She gushed: “I styled Graham Norton who I thought was just such fun. I love him, he’s amazing. His personal style is so cool.
“I also styled Randy Jackson, a judge on American Idol. We got on like a house on fire.
“He’s so cool and he’s so into fashion for a musician. We would go shopping in Brown Thomas every time he comes over. I would pick out a load of things for him.
“He will ask for my opinion. It’s like he’s a fashion designer. So we have so much in common. I love working with him because he’s so into fashion.
“I love working with Laura Whitmore as well, I work with her quite a bit. She always looks fabulous.”
After making the big move home, Fiona became a stylist on RTE’s DWTS.
Fiona said: “That was so cool. It was just like going back to when I was a dancer and being on set. Recording live, all the costumes, all the lighting.
“It was just so familiar to me. It was like it was in my DNA.
“I loved it, it was so much fun and there were some great people on it. It was nice to come back to Ireland and do something like that.
“It’s a really good show, it’s done really well. And it’s really nice to see that being done in Ireland.
“It’s just fun. It’s hard work now but it’s a great team effort as well.”
While everything looks cool and easy on screen each Sunday, there’s a number of factors that come into play before style.
Fiona explained: “I will pick something I think that suits them. But it’s generally the producers [who decide]. We have to camera test it to see if it looks good in the lighting.
“Then I’m also trying to pick stuff that’s in stores now so people can go and buy it.
“But you don’t always get to put what you want to put on them [the hosts].
“Options, options, options, that’s the key word. You always have to have loads of options.”
CAMERA CAPTURES ALL
A main struggle in dressing for TV is lighting and how items appear on the camera.
Fiona said: “Lighting can make things look funny. On camera things do look different than they do in real life. So a lot of shape and structure is really good for TV and the camera.”
The stylist suggested influencers and vloggers choose what they wear in their videos wisely.
She said: “Horizontal stripes generally do make you look wider for sure.
“Sometimes a really fine polka dot is fuzzy on your eyes. So sometimes it doesn’t look so good.”
Fiona told how DWTS glitter and sparkle is not just for Christmas as it has already hit the high streets this summer.
She said: “Sequins is a trend that seems to be adapting from Dancing With The Stars. I have seen quite a few bits in Zara for summer.
“A little skirt with sequins can look really good with flip flops or even a trainer. You see Joanne McNally often rock something like that and it looks really cool.”
STAPLES FOR EVERY WARDROBE
Whether dressing for online, TV or daily life, Fiona insisted “classic” and “timeless” staples are key.
She said: “I always say style tips for your wardrobe always have really core basics.
“Whether it’s a good pair of jeans, a nice relaxed fit, high rise. Always look super clean and super classic and stylish.
“And you don’t even need to go overboard with buying,spending lots of money. It’s just about finding stuff that fit you really well and that’s the key. It’s trying and trying and trying things on.
“Wearing things that suit your body shape I think is really important. Don’t follow fads and trends so much.”
BUDGET STYLING
The fashion lover insisted looking stylish can be done on a budget.
She said: “Buying key core pieces like a good fitted blazer, have that on your wardrobe. A nice pair of black trousers.
“I go into a load of vintage shops and charity shops as well. They have amazing stuff at the moment, especially NCBI. You can find lots of designer stuff in there.”
Fiona stressed the importance of dressing for your body shape and size.
She said: “If you’re really short, don’t cut yourself off with a pair of boots, a long skirt and a top – then you cut yourself off in three ways. You’re just going to look shorter.
“If you are tall, you can wear things that cut you in half a bit, if they make you look in proportion.”
As the temperatures rise, Fiona urged shoppers to spend time finding swimwear that flatters your shape.
CHOOSING SWIMWEAR
Triangle bikinis, microkinis, tankinis, crossover, bandeau, cut-out swimsuits – the choice can be overwhelming.
The former dancer said: “I think the triangle bikini just really looks good on young people, in their 20s, that don’t have big boobs.
“I love a really nice fitted swimsuit, a really nice black fitted swimsuit.
“A one shoulder swimsuit always looks really stylish on people who have busts. Also on older people, people more in their 30s or 40s.
“A high waisted bikini bottom looks great with a bandeau top, on all sizes of women. They suck your tummy in.”
The DWTS stylist told how Marks and Spencer is her go-to place for swimwear at the moment.
She said: “Marks and Spencer are just brilliant at the minute. They’ve had a load of new designers in. The quality is really good.
“I know it’s a bit more expensive. Their swimwear collection is so good. They’ve got lots of nice cover-ups, really cute cover-ups for swimwear.”
STYLE NO-NO
When it comes to fashion-faux-pas this summer, it’s long denim skirts that are top of Fiona’s no list.
She said: “They are not flattering. I know they had a bit of a comeback last year but I thought ‘oh god no’.
“I just don’t think they are flattering on anyone – whether you are slim, tall or curvy. I don’t think they look good and they cut you off. I think they’re an absolute no-no.”
Sparkly or glitter trainers are also another fashion fail for Fiona.
The number one thing for shoppers to remember this summer before hitting stores is to plan ahead.
Fiona said: “You are wasting your time if you go into the high street shops thinking ‘It’s summer, I just want to buy a lot of stuff’.
“Think clearly about what you’re missing in your wardrobe. Think clearly on what you will wear that might carry you over into the winter.
“I would think ‘buy more cleverly’. Buy your timeless pieces that will stay in your wardrobe and you think you will wear again.”
