Derek Warburton, LA based Celebrity Stylist and T.V Personality is talking to Pied a Terre Blog about how he developed his aesthetic, his unique approach with his clients and what to wear this fall!
With a career that spans 20 years of television/ talk show tours, styling magazine covers and a celebrity laundry list including Jessica Alba, Miranda Kerr, Beyonce Knowles, Molly Sims, Jamie King, Heather Graham, James Van Der Beck (“eeeeek” high school me) & Zack Braff, Derek is having his cake and eating it too with the recent launch of his marketing company Visionary Creative Group.
Derek appears on 80 plus talk shows a year such as Good Day New York, The Daily Buzz, Live Well Network, NBC and FOX. He spreads his philosophy of “help, teach, inspire, love and have fun”. His televised style advice has led to cameos on The Real Housewives of New York and co-hosting programs like the UK’s Fashion Avenue and Style’s Big Boutique. In print he has worked as a featured editor for Maxim, Ocean Drive Style, and Interview magazine. Most recently he was the International Style Director for Hong Kong’s West East, helped re launch NY’s Bella Magazine and was featured himself in Elle Malaysia.
I met Derek on one of his TV segment tours when he stopped in Houston and needed models for Great Day Houston. Since then I’ve been so lucky to develop both a friendship and more professional relationship with him as well. He is so inspiring to me as a creative and business person in fashion not to mention he’s just as fabulous on the inside as he is on the outside, very.
Chiara: Where do you draw your inspiration from in your style aesthetic?
Derek: My inspiration is kind of everywhere, sometimes I’m inspired by art, sometimes by interior design, television and movies. A lot of times Im inspired by the street [style]. I study magazines like crazy too so it really comes from everywhere. As we get older and become more sophisticated our styles change and grow.. but frankly a lot of trendy things I get from my interns. I always have young, cool, kids, whether they are girls or boys, around and they are always on the pulse of what’s kinda happening. So thats a great way for me to stay in touch with everything thats going on while keeping the aesthetic I’ve developed over the last 20 years of working. You know, I’ve had a fabulous life, I’ve traveled, lived in St. Tropez, lived in Italy, I’ve done the rounds of what someone would consider a dream life and when you have those kind of things to pull from your going to broaden your horizons tremendously as far as aesthetics are concerned.
C: When styling your clients what is your goal for them?
D: I’m very pushy when it comes to styling my clients because I see who they can be when sometimes they can’t. What I love to do is give them very young style but always age appropriate and a lot of my clients are older because they are the ones that can afford it. I have clients ranging from, well I used to have clients ranging from 22 that were supermodels and I would help them be more sophisticated, thats why I’d be hired, and for older clients I get hired to make them younger and cooler. I just think it’s about elevating people’s taste level, and a lot of times the clients learn, and they’re like ” oh I made this outfit myself because you taught me to do A, B, C and D..” which is kinda amazing.
C: What does every girl need to have in her closet this fall?
D:
Girls:
Blinged out shoes, yes, I think this season, for sure, its tights, cool leather skirts, sweaters and a blinged out shoe. I love that look, I think it’s very now. You know, bohemian is still around, so if you get something really funky and it either has stones or some fringe or something that really makes pop it, thats the way to go.
Guys:
I think this year it’s about having a rich colored blazer, something in a jewel tone, very deep. Because that girl [see above] looks hot with that guy. So if a guy is wearing a turtle neck and a pair of jeans, I want to see him in a jewel toned color blazer, something even in a chocolate or a suade or a deep, deep, deep burgundy in velvet. I love that, I think its very chic and if they don’t want to wear a blazer then the biker jacket is still around and I love something in that tone in a biker jacket.
C: What exciting things are coming up for you this year?
D: Oh! 100 exciting things! Its going very well. I started my new company Visionary Creative Group and thats going very well. We help small fashion companies from interior to apparel become a bigger name. The industry is so tough now because you kind of don’t know where to turn and with social media it can be tough to get out there in a unique way that defines the company properly for the fashion industry because everyone is putting stuff out there. Any small fashion company can put their stuff “out there” be I know and Visional Creative Group” knows what needs to be done from the bigger fashion and design perspective. So we are helping the clients through televisions, print media, photoshoots, social media etc.. to become and best they can be.
I am on the cover (with and 8 page spread) of the first national issue of La Palme Magazine, which is really exciting. It hits newsstands at the beginning of September and it’s their September/ October issue. La Palme Magazine is Florida based and has the same national distribution as Vogue. So thats super fun.
Im heading up to London for the Scottish Fashion Awards. I’ve given International Designer of the Year for years and Im so excited to go back to the awards, walk the red carpet and have fun, see all my Brit friends. So I’ll be doing press for an entire week there starting the 1st of September.
Also, there is a big T.V project starting mid September and I’m so excited about it. I can’t talk about it exactly yet but thats starting around the 15th. So thats big news of course.
Im also working with an organization here in Los Angeles called Saving Innocence they are a amazing. They have a drop in centre and provide advocacy for young boys, girls and trans kids that are being sex trafficked right here in LA. They focus on “Prevent, Rescue and Restore” which includes training so individuals can recognize a child in a commercial sexual expoitation situation, work with law enforcement to provide long term advocacy, mentoring and more to survivors. I went to their drop in center a week ago, I was in tears, these kids are 11-18 years old being sex trafficked on the streets of LA, its heart breaking. The gala is October 17th, Im working heavily with them. I got La Palme as their media sponsor. Its going to be a big Hollywood even at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills.
C: Who are you excited to see at Fashion Week?
D: Good question,
I can’t wait to see Carmen Marc Valvo on the runway for men. I just wore Carmen Marc Valvo for the cover of La Palme and the men’s clothes are just absolutely amazing, so I can’t wait to see what they put down the runway for men spring.
I’ve also been following a new brand Georgine, I think it’s the new sophisticate. It’s young but yet mature, very chic, the fabric is divine and they never disappoint. -
Need more Derek in your life? ( of course you do!)
Instagram:
@DerekWarburton
Twitter:
@derekfabulous
Website:
www.instafabulous.com
Special thanks to Daniel Colvin Photography .
