Modern fashion styling

By Diana Cavagnaro

Liese Hoffmire is a fashion stylist and the creative director for her business, Liese Victoria. Fashion styling can include working for individuals, fashion houses and brands of clothing. Hoffmire said of her day-to-day responsibilities, “I create concepts, storyboarding, coordinating teams, directing and producing editorials, look books, and catalog shoots.”

Hoffmire got started on the road to fashion because she wasn’t seeing any styles she liked. She began doing DYI projects and taking sewing classes in Seattle where she lived at the time. Although she was passionate about fashion, she was not good at sewing so she made the decision to go into merchandizing to work on visuals. She received a degree from Seattle Central College and was working at a printing press to supplement her income. When the crash came in 2008, she was laid off. She decided to take a break and moved to San Diego. Jumping back into fashion, she enrolled at Mesa College in the Visual Merchandising & Styling Program. At that time, she was fortunate to get her work experience with fashion icon Dame Zandra Rhodes. This was a great experience that taught her many things including fashion show production.

Among the favorite fashion events Hoffmire has worked, was a fashion show during Comic-Con at Groom for Men, located Downtown.

“This was one of my favorite fashion shows and I remember that people from the convention center would come in and watch. The biggest fashion shows were at The Headquarters at Seaport District. Red Carpet runways were set up in the open-air corridor surrounded by boutiques and specialty shops,” Hoffmire explained.

As fashion stylist and creative director, she has done styling editorials with “FINE Magazine” and other publications such as “ENVI,” an online publication from Japan. In 2017, she decided to move back to Los Angeles and get her Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Merchandising online from Southern New Hampshire University. Continuing on with her education, she received her Master’s Degree in Merchandising and Product Sustainability from the University of Arkansas.

For the past five years she has been doing her favorite project which is the San Diego County Fair Fashion Show.

Since then, she has worked on many memorable editorials. She remembered one project with photographer Danny Suhendar in Escondido. The models were shot to look like famous artists. It was intended to be for a gallery showing and included mixed media with painting images on canvas. Other memorable photo shoots were outdoors with photographer Natasha Hayes and one with fashion designer Territa Torres at Old Town. Hoffmire was the Creative Director for an extravagant event with the Salk Institute which was a collaboration between fashion designers and scientists. She worked with the models, hair and makeup for the photoshoot.

Currently she is the senior stylist for the business Stitch Fix where she virtually styles men women, and children all around the US. The looks can be casual business to special occasion. She also has begun teaching merchandising courses at Mesa College. I asked Hoffmire what her favorite thing was about her job. She said, “I love the Team Work and Collaborating with other creative professionals”. For more information about this talented stylist visit her Instagram at @bellablankxo.

— Diana Cavagnaro is an internationally renowned Couture Milliner based in Alpine, California. Learn more about our hat designer, teacher and blogger at DianaCavagnaro.com.