street trends

Jessie Cohan Interview: Kit and Kaboodle

The very talent Stylist Stacy Cunningham recently had to opportunity to interview Jessie Cohan who is a bi-coastal stylist, her incredible spirit of collaboration across many disciplines of art and fashion has lent to her great success.  As far apart as the two cities she works in, she works for clients as diverse as Art & Commerce, Dossier Journal, Nylon and the likes of Herbal Essences and Shiseido.

What is the most important thing you keep in your kit that you could not live without?

 A travel steamer and several incarnations of Spanx!

What was your made-it-moment so far?

Being flown to Stockholm for a WeSC advertising campaign and collaborating on my jewelry collection with Sidney Garber.  The collection is made in New York and all proceeds go to charity.  I’ve made jewelry for a long time and it was great to collaborate with a technical fine jewelry designer and a company that has been producing jewelry for a century.  I wanted to make slightly subversive jewelry, inspired by insects but made with diamonds.

Why insects?

I have seen a lot of insect vintage pieces, but wanted to make it more precious; small and subtle.  If you see a woman wearing a pair of earrings from far away it might look like a diamond but up close it’s a diamond hanging it off an ant.

Your celebrity styling portfolio includes a lot of characters from Tracy Morgan and Andy Sam-berg to the cast of the Jersey Shore, what do you bring in your mental kit when working with these famous personalities?

I have been fortunate to work with some interesting characters and I've learned to go with the flow and be flexible. Get to know the people and how they want to be portrayed. Try to bridge their personal style with how to make them look best for the camera and always retain their personality.  They are all so much fun to be on set with and most of them I meet that day.  The Jersey Shore cast was cool and fun, they brought their own clothes and it's my job to make them look the best for the camera and not to make them look like someone they're not.  Helping them to look/feel their best is my number one concern.  Freida Pinto was really sweet and easy to work with, and even easier to dress.  She looked good in everything, I could have put her in a paper bag and she still would have looked great. 

Who would be your ideal or dream celebrity to dress if given the chance?

The musician Robyn, she is absolutely inspiring as a woman and an artist!  The messages in her song are amazing.  Right now I love her music video for 'Call Your Girlfriend,' it's only one shot and she's outrageously dancing the whole time. 

How did your education at Brown and Rhode Island School of Design prepare you for your styling career?

Academically I come from a visual art and theory background and Brown/RISD was an amazing place to be.  It was extremely multidisciplinary and I got to collaborate with friends in film, video, performance, installation and more.  That spirit of collaboration is still what I love most about my job. It informs everything I do from styling, to consulting for a brand, and making jewelry.

What advice do you have for anyone that is interested in getting into styling?

Find someone you admire and apprentice them. Look everywhere for inspiration and have fun!  

Many thanks to Stacy. Check out her profile on LookBooks