Fashion Media’s Styling Course Provides Industry Experience for Students

Starting in Fall 2024, Meadows’ Division of Journalism will be rolling out a new curriculum, including a host of new classes for both its journalism and fashion media majors. Some students have been getting a preview of the new curriculum with a special topics course this semester — Styling & Visual Culture.

The Fashion Media students learn both theory and practical skills for careers and graduate education in fashion-related fields ranging from business and law to public relations, social media marketing and creative direction. Many students in the program are considering a career specifically in styling, and the Styling & Visual Culture course, which will be listed as FM 4500 under the new curriculum, introduces them to the five primary areas of styling: editorial, commercial, personal, celebrity and runway. While there is a lot of practical know-how that that goes into styling a person for a photo shoot or an event, it goes far beyond just the clothes on display.

“Styling requires the ability to understand and think critically about history, global culture, and visual culture,” explains Professor Jenny Davis, who teaches the styling course in the Fashion Media program. “It isn't something you can learn without hands-on experience.”

Fashion Media student Ellie Cogan works on set taping shoes for protection during an upcoming photo shoot.

And the Fashion Media program provides ample opportunity for students interested in styling. In February, celebrity stylist K.J. Moody, whose clients include Beyonce, visited the class and led a review of student work. Later that month, students learned a variety of practical skills, from tying ties to taping shoes to protect them during fashion shows and shoots. In March, students attended an editorial fashion feature shoot that appeared in the April issue of 360 West Magazine. Professor Davis produced and styled the shoot, and her students lent a helping hand by preparing clothing, organizing merchandise and assisting with props. An image from the shoot even made the cover! The final portfolio project included an original photo shoot that required students to create and lead a creative team.

“Professor Davis’ Styling & Visual Culture class had been a big hit with students,” says Ethan Lascity, director of the Fashion Media program. “Students have been clamoring to take it, so we’re excited that it is going to be offered more regularly from here on out.”

To teach the class, Davis draws on her decades-long career as an editorial fashion stylist and her experience in celebrity styling (past clients include an Olympic medal-winning athlete and a country music singer) and runway styling and dressing (she’s worked on shows for Dallas Market Center and Carolina Herrera). Davis also wrote the textbook used for the course (Style Wise: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Fashion Stylist — now in its third edition). In addition to teaching, Davis also serves as the media advisor for the school’s award-winning lifestyle media brand, SMU Look Media, which includes a print magazine, website, social media and live events.

Fashion Media students Arden Eiland (left) and Zoe Rodriguez (right) pose on set with with Mint Dentistry co-owner Sabrina Harrison.

“The most rewarding part of the styling class, for me, is teaching students about how styling and visual imagery has changed popular culture, affected beauty norms and supported human dignity,” says Davis. “It is a powerful method of communication that involves art, commerce, education and also culture.”

The Fashion Media program is unique because it one of the few in the nation that is combined with the foundations of journalism. The division prepares students for traditional journalistic careers and offers tracks in business, and sports, as well as fashion media. The new curriculum, which was informed by nearly two dozen industry professionals, will prepare students for the contemporary media environment, in which flexibility is key.

“Our new curriculum ensures students graduate with professional portfolios that demonstrate a range of storytelling skills, from video to audio, photography and writing,” says Melissa Chessher, Meadows’ Belo Foundation Distinguished Chair of Journalism. “And the division focuses on areas that SMU and Dallas are known for and that is fashion, news, sports and business.”

SMU as an institution places great value on a multidisciplinary education and this philosophy also extends to the Fashion Media program as a whole. Students in the program are required to have an additional major to their fashion media degree in order to graduate. Expanding their education to more than one subject helps ensure students are well-rounded and ready for a career in the real-world, in whatever industry that may be.

Follow the Fashion Media program on Instagram at @smu_fashmedia, SMULook Media at @smulook and Professor Davis at @jennybdavis.