Concepts Come To Life With Gracie Gianokous
Image Courtesy: Instagran
When we open up the pages of a magazine, we’re instantly drawn to the design, the layout, the aesthetic, the culmination of everything perfectly carved out for our eyes to perceive it. There’s a lot that goes into a single issue of a magazine, from teams of graphic designers to production assistants, makeup artists to models, writers, and more. When it comes to the fashion department, it is extremely interesting to think about how these concepts we see come to life through the visions of others! To touch further on this topic, I had the pleasure of speaking with the fashion director of Strike Flagler about her process in curating pieces for the shoots and what goes on behind the scenes. Graduating senior at Flagler College, Gracie Gianokous, is both the Fashion Director of the Flagler chapter as well as a photographer.
When asked what her main role is as the Fashion Director, Gracie talked about how she facilitates a team of six to seven stylists for shoots, as well as being in charge of sourcing pieces, thrifting, buying, and borrowing for each shoot.
As someone who is full of energy and creativity, Gracie seems to really enjoy her work. “I have always liked to express myself through clothes, I always went shopping with my mom when I was younger and bought stuff that was kind of out there. I’ve always liked stuff that stands out,” Gracie stated. When it comes to envisioning how a shoot is going to look fashion-wise, it all starts with a concept. Once the concept is available, Gracie’s first step is to sit on it for a while and really visualize what it might look like. One way that this is done is through different mood boards and Pinterest boards.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
From there, it is all about finding the right pieces. There has to be a few things taken into account, such as models and their sizes as well as budget, time, and resources that are readily available. The clothes really can come from anywhere, whether it be something that a model, stylist, or staff member already has in their closet, or if it is something that must be searched for. Her experience in photography also comes in handy when choosing outfits for the shoots. Gracie says that knowing how certain lightings will look upon different backgrounds really help her to decide what might look good on camera depending on where the shoot is happening and so on. However, Gianokous does not do all of this alone, nor does she take credit as such. She works and collaborates with a bunch of different teams to make this happen! According to Gracie, there can be around 30 people on each shoot.
My final question for Gracie, who has worked on the magazine since the beginning of Strike Flagler, was this:
What has being a part of Strike Flagler taught you and brought you?
“Strike has taught me to pace myself and to respect the realm of production, how to work with other people, and how to work collaboratively, effectively. Strike has also taught me that I love photography and want to take that on as my career,” Gracie exclaimed.
Overall, Gracie’s view into the world of Strike Flagler gives a fresh insight into how the magazine’s fashion is styled.
Strike Out,
Writer: Macie Hebert
Editors: Marissa DeMaio & Madison Sloan
St. Augustine
