Do Celebrity Stylists Now Wield More Power Than Print Magazines?

Karla Welch, Elizabeth Stewart, Ilaria Urbinati

While the decline of print fashion magazines seems to have reached a boiling point of late, it's actually been happening for quite some time — Fashionista has been covering it since I began working here over six years ago. But despite dwindling circulation numbers that proved print titles were losing their influence and relevance, most designers and publicists continued to hold them in the highest regard, believing a Vogue editorial placement, or even a relationship with the magazine, could make or break their business.

But a new group of industry professionals is giving them real competition. As titles fold and employees are laid off, these men and women are taking on new clients, inking collaboration deals and creating content on social media. We're talking about celebrity stylists, or at least, a select few who are at the top of their game right now. Three who are inarguably among the most influential (The Hollywood Reporter ranked them at numbers one, four and six this year, respectively) — Karla Welch, Elizabeth Stewart and Ilaria Urbinati — participated in an educational panel discussion for CFDA members at the W Hollywood on Monday night, part of a new partnership between the CFDA and The Wall Group, the management company that represents them. And the magazine analogy was theirs, not mine.

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