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Learn How to Become a Celebrity Stylist From the Pros

Anita Patrickson, right.
Photo: Cedric Ribeiro/Getty Images

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In the same way that all good ideas are born, celebrity stylist Anita Patrickson and Sarah Boyd of Simply Stylist — a company that puts on a lot of fashion and beauty conferences — thought up the concept for the International Style Institute over cocktails. “We couldn’t believe how hard it was to find a good assistant” for photo shoots, Patrickson told Racked.

The International Style Institute is a three-day bootcamp of sorts where participants can learn how to jumpstart a styling career through hands-on classes and face time with industry leaders. The first two sessions in LA were a huge success, and now the duo is bringing their magic to New York City on Friday, June 17th for a three-day boot camp that includes advice from industry professionals, styling classes, a photo shoot in Condé Nast’s studio, and much more.

“To be sitting in the same building as Anna Wintour is pretty rad,” said Patrickson, a former West Coast editor at Allure who’s worked with celebrities like Emma Watson, Julianne Hough, Emmy Rossum, and Chanel Iman (just to name drop a few).

Should you participate, you’ll leave after graduation — yes, there is a real ceremony — with a Stylist Starter Kit gift bag, a one-year subscription to Dripbook and Allure, a professional photo styled by you (courtesy of a Brookfield Place gift card), and a binder filled with contacts and notes to kickstart your career.

And in addition to learning the basics, two students will be chosen to assist Patrickson on an upcoming shoot.

“These are things that I wish I would have known 10 years ago,” Patrickson said. If styling isn’t your jam but blogging is, stay tuned — ISI is expanding to include a course on the matter.

Tickets are $1950 (hey, careers don’t come cheap), and you can get yours here.