Photo Credit: Jiro SchneiderIn the midst of filming her new reality TV show, L.A. Style, stylist and Rachel Zoe alum, Taylor Jacobson, found time to give us the straight scoop on what it's actually like to work in this suddenly buzzy industry (hint: most stylists don't have meltdowns when their assistants decide to branch out on their own). Read on to learn more about Jacobson's show, what she thinks about nasty tweets and how she stays above the fray.
What can you tell us about your new show, L.A. Style?
It's another reality TV show [and] it's on the Oxygen network. It's going to premiere in [the] spring and it's basically going to portray different stylists -- more of the younger generation stylists. We're all very different in the types of styling and it shows the different dimensions of styling because there's red carpet stylists, editorial stylists, music video stylists, you know? I'll have some of my clients on it, I'm going to Fashion Week and it will show where I am and what I've been doing for the last two years of my life.
When did you guys start filming?
Golden Globes. I literally started filming two weeks ago. I did the Peoples' Choice Awards, Golden Globes [and will do] New York Fashion Week. It's gonna show six months. Oscars. It changes so rapidly because things come up so last minute, like, "Oh, gotta go to Europe!" [Oxygen's] totally cool so they understand my schedule does not permit filming all the time.
So talking about the younger generation of stylists, as someone who's a part of that group, what are some of the differences you see between these young Turks and the more established stylists?
Younger stylists want to take more of a risk. They want to push the envelope. But I also think it's [about] the new generation of actors and actresses. Elle Fanning is very young [but] she wears fashion-forward clothes on the red carpet. There's kind of a new, more fashion-focused/not-so-much-caring-about-what-is-traditional, like, "Oh, cocktail dress with a ring." I think that people are trying to push the envelope a little bit more.
With the recent spate of reality TV shows, what are your thoughts on the sudden "trendiness" of being a stylist?
I feel like everyone thinks they're a stylist but they're really not [laughs]. And I think that Rachel [Zoe] definitely did pave the way for a job that was often behind-the-scenes and made it front and center. It's weird 'cause I'm in it and I have mixed feelings. I think you should keep certain things behind-the-scenes, behind closed doors, like, no one wants to know the fact that the dress didn't show up until 1 o'clock in the morning and you're screaming and freaking out because the messenger actually lost the dress and the tailor fucked up the hem and the client is screaming at you like a maniac because she has to present. There are certain things that no one really wants to know about but then [at the same time] they do because it's interesting. I'm a nosy person. I love to see how things operate. I love to see the mechanics and how people get from Point A to Point B. I'm actually kind of a reality TV show junkie.
What are you watching right now? Are you watching Brad's [Goreski] show [It's a Brad, Brad World]?
I have not seen it but I completely support it and he's great. He has so much charisma and such great style. I heard it's fabulous but I have not yet watched it. And I fell really behind on the Kardashians. Or Kourtney and Kim -- whoever's in New York. And I missed Gossip Girl this week. I'm so upset..
Did you see that Rachel re-tweeted something like "Brad's show will fail" during the premiere of Brad's show?
Ugh, so desperado. I think everyone needs to stop hating and concentrate on their own lives and their own careers and where they're going. Or a child maybe? I don't know. I think if I had a baby, I'd be concentrating on my child rather than tweeting shit in the middle of the night but that's just me...
So how competitive is the styling profession actually? Given what we see on TV and read in the news, how often are stylists actually trying to steal clients or horde dresses during awards season?
I think that like any profession, it's really competitive in the entertainment business. I think in the fashion world people are catty -- it's a little bit more intense. I think that fashion designers, PR people, everyone's trying to outdo each other, steal each other's clients. I don't get caught up in it because I don't care. I love the girls that I work with. I think everyone should just concentrate on themselves and making themselves better and leave everyone's clients, everyone's jobs, all the shit-talking at home. It just becomes so toxic.
Along those lines, on Rachel's show, it seemed like it was a huge deal when you and Brad decided to leave. Isn't that the whole idea of someone in the styling industry to ultimately establish your own business? How big of a deal is it actually when an assistant leaves to go out on their own?
I think it's just that particular camp [Rachel Zoe's] that breeds that because if any of my assistants wanted to leave to pursue their own career, I'd support them. I'd help them in any possible way. And I'm friends with other assistants that assist very credible stylists and they've spoken to their bosses about branching out on their own.I think that's just [an] isolated [example]. I had worked with other stylists before I assisted [Zoe] for four years and it's not like that at any other camp. And it's definitely, I know, not like that at Brad's and it's not like that at mine.
So lastly, any teasers or names you could drop that we'll be seeing on your show?
[In silly voice] You gotta watch it! You have to tune in to Oxygen network!
Taylor's show, L.A. Style is set to premiere in May.
