There's a part of styling nobody likes to talk about in our industry.
Everyone calls it buy and return. But once something has been worn on a shoot and goes back to the shop as if it hadn't, that's the same practice retailers call wardrobing. Nobody in fashion uses that word, but it's worth naming.
How it happens
It usually comes up on commercial jobs, or when styling emerging talent who aren't established enough to borrow from PRs. If the client wants luxury brands and the PRs won't loan, the stylist is often expected to pay for the clothes personally, sometimes thousands of pounds' worth, style the shoot, then return everything afterwards. Some clients even expect this to come out of the stylist's own fee rather than a separate budget, which means you're funding the production out of your own pay.
It's treated as completely normal.
To be fair, many of my advertising clients budget properly. And a good stylist will still bring extra options, going over budget with their own money and then returning whatever isn't needed. That part is normal and fair: the unworn pieces go back, and the client's budget covers what was actually used. Most clients will also pay for anything damaged or refused by the shop.
The job that walked away I recently quoted for a job that needed some luxury pieces. When I explained the real cost of the float, I suggested hiring clothes as an alternative. It's practical & more sustainable, but it still costs money. If there's no wardrobe budget at all, hiring doesn't solve the problem.
Emerging talent often want the luxury brands too, which are nearly impossible to borrow, and hire services won't always have the latest season. I understand why. An artist want to elevate their image by alining with a brand. But aspiring to drive a McLaren doesn't mean you get one. The client pulled out. I don't blame them for the budget. I blame an industry that's normalised stylists fronting thousands for somebody else's production.
What other people in the industry said
When I first shared this on LinkedIn, the replies showed me how common it is. One stylist with 30 years in the business said she now asks for the budget upfront so she's never left paying out of her own pocket, and if a client walks away because they think she's too expensive, she's happy to let them go. Someone who'd worked on the brand side explained they used to lend everything for free and only charged for damage, with a small hire fee for video work.
The right client understands, and so does a stylist with experience. It's much harder for someone new who's trying to make their mark. We've all been there. But that doesn't make it the right way to work.
How to budget wardrobe properly
If you're booking a stylist for a shoot, this is what makes it work for everyone. Talk about the wardrobe budget at the start. Every job is different, & the cost depends entirely on what the brief asks for. Luxury designer pieces and high street basics are very different numbers. In my experience producers are usually honest about what they have, and that honesty is what lets a stylist plan properly. Keep the wardrobe budget separate from the stylist's fee. The fee pays for the work: the ideas, the sourcing, the time, the judgement. The wardrobe budget pays for the clothes. When the two are mixed together, the stylist is the one who ends up paying. Agree a damages clause before anything is bought. Once a piece has been worn, it can't go back to the shop. Makeup marks, a scuffed sole, a stretched seam: those pieces belong to the production, and the production pays for them. Be open to the options. Borrowing from PRs, hiring, mixing in pieces from the high street. A good stylist will tell you which route suits your brief and your budget. Invoice for what's used. The stylist returns the unworn pieces, and the client pays for anything worn, kept or damaged. No drama. That should be the standard. Great styling doesn't need expensive labels
It's also worth challenging the assumption that great styling needs luxury brands at all. It doesn't. Great style comes from ideas, judgement and knowing how to put the right pieces together.
I'm Rebekah Roy, a London fashion stylist and style director with more than 20 years of commercial, campaign and catwalk work. If you're planning a shoot and want to talk through budget honestly from the start, get in touch.