The top stylist talks about turning 'normal people' into pop stars for The X Factor, 'white bread' fashion for the masses, and why glamour magazines are not to blame for body dysmorphia.
Perhaps the biggest misconception of people who work in the fashion industry is that they are fashion. When uber-stylist Grace Woodward, 33, an excitable flap of huge eyelashes and chocolate-coloured eyes, lets me into her top-floor Islington flat, she makes no bones about being barefoot and dressed solely in a Katharine Hamnett T-shirt, holding a box of fried chicken. It's not what you'd expect from the woman named stylist of the year by the British Fashion Council.
Now about to front her own TV show, Chick Fix, which sees her doling out lifestyle advice to women with issues, is she setting herself up to steal Gok Wan's crown? No, the show is "nothing like Gok Wan's, no offence Gok". In fact, it's less fashion-oriented than you'd expect, instead promising to be an antidote to "faux girl power". Indeed, it seems the only fashion giveaway is the huge, thick-rimmed pair of Retro Super Future glasses Grace is known for wearing. It's not her fault, she insists, that she can't see terribly well…
You were responsible for injecting high-fashion into last year's X Factor. How did you get involved?
Simon [Cowell] is a very good barometer for the British public. But he's also a businessman and is acutely aware that when the finalists come out into the world they haven't yet become products. So last year he started involving people like me who work in the industry to help turn the contestants into pop stars.
Some of the outfits had lukewarm receptions. Was your work lost on the public?
You're talking about Katie Waissel and the helmet? Ha. With Katie we wanted to set a bar. That hat had been shot in loads of magazines but it didn't go down well on TV. Why? Here's my halfpenny's worth: people are afraid of things they haven't seen before. Outside of the creativity industry, anything new is threatening. My styling took a while to settle with the public, but it did eventually.
Whose style do you admire more: Cheryl or Dannii?
The last series showed the two of them at their pinnacle, but I hugely dislike comparing different women of different ages. People want me to say I'd love to style Cheryl, but that's not what I do. I create images and fantasies. Cheryl has her own stylist. In terms of the contestants, Katie Waissel was definitely the most game and the most misunderstood. She is showbiz.
Are you going back this year?
I have no idea. Last year I was given two weeks' notice. X Factor was a nightmare. But an amazing nightmare. You are working with normal people, yet I've never heard so many people say to me, "Erm, this dress isn't me." I just say: "You want to look like a pop star? Listen to me."
Are you very experienced at styling pop stars then?
I did Florence Welch's first image overhaul and press shots. I also did La Roux, but my favourite artist was Fever Ray because, unlike other women, she doesn't rely on her sexuality. But I guess all of them are freakish. Talented but freakish. In a good way.
To me, styling is about making fantasies. It's only recently that people have understood that it's not about pairing shoes with handbags – rather it's like painting, using texture, cultural references like Queen Elizabeth I, and movement, not just clothes. X Factor aside, I've never styled real people. I probably wouldn't know how. Real life doesn't get my creative juices flowing.
Were you obsessed with fashion as a child?
Growing up very unhappily in a council flat for my formative years, I am – according to Penny Martin, [editor of biannual style magazine The Gentlewoman] – "inspired by the bourgeois". My parents were both too busy navel-gazing to notice. My dad once said something glib about me being a professional shopper, so I think we stopped talking about it after that.
Have you always lusted after beautiful clothes?
I've always been a dresser- upper with a penchant for the theatrical. I wore my mum's shoes as a toddler. I'm a child of the 1980s, so brands matter to me. I suppose it all started with a pair of Doc Martens. When I studied at the London College of Fashion, I was often faced with the dilemma of buying food or saving up for that Vivienne Westwood T-shirt. So I'd eat baked beans for a week and get the T-shirt.
So how do you decide what to wear each morning?
I'm a style tart. Dressing is a form of self-expression so I dress how I'm feeling. Today I'm wearing a T-shirt, mainly for practical reasons.
Have you always wanted to be a TV personality?
My sixth form college was theatre-based so I've always had performance in me. I once, embarrassingly, did an opening casting to be a presenter on The Big Breakfast. It was during the Kelly Brook era. Luckily I didn't get it. It's only now that I have the confidence to do TV.
Are you good at it?
The hardest thing is to come across well while also imparting knowledge about my side of the industry. I'm usually in creative control of everything I do, but when you go into a public arena like X Factor you can lose creative control of what goes on screen. You have to be wary about compromise.
You're also a familiar face on Britain's Next Top Model. Do you feel responsible for the young, inexperienced models on the show?
Yes. Some of the psychological challenges seem ridiculous but they are a metaphor for what will happen in the industry. They need to know it's not glamorous and it's not always fun. A lot of the models try to be charismatic to win us round. We're just thinking: do you look good in a photograph? You quickly see the arch-manoeuvrers.
You mentioned Queen Elizabeth I. What else inspires you?
My mother liked the Pre-Raphaelites and had a framed print of Millais's Ophelia, so women in art are always inspirations to me. Ultimately, when creating any image you are trying to make it iconic .
Fashion is often perceived as a lowbrow, fluffy subject. Does that annoy you?
Fashion is art, and there are designers who are geniuses. It's highbrow. Are you saying Hussein Chalayan isn't a genius? I have felt demeaned when saying I work in fashion but that's only because people don't understand what I do. They confuse styling and fashion with the high street.
So what is the difference?
Fashion, in its purest sense, is about breaking rules. High street is a watered-down interpretation. I am a stylist, and style is neither fashion nor high street. Stylish people tend to shop the least because they aren't swayed by what's on-trend or in-store.
You're not a fan of Primark then?
I appreciate the high street but "fashion" for the masses is everywhere, like processed white bread. Everyone eats it.
The fashion industry is often accused of being run by interns. Do you agree with this culture of unpaid work?
I blame universities. They are taking 60-plus students on their fashion courses when there just aren't enough jobs out there. It's irresponsible because they end up interning for no payback. Why is there no accredited apprenticeship scheme with fashion houses, where designers get paid to impart a trade that makes you viable? I have thought about going to David Cameron about it. It's giving fashion a bad name.
You seem passionate about the ethics of the industry – what's your take on the body image debate? Do you resent fashion getting the blame?
Fashion magazines shouldn't have to bear the weight of the responsibility. It's a lazy observation, cultivated by the media. Like I said, we are trying to create a fantasy, not tell people how to look. I know it sounds like a flimsy argument but I don't think you can nanny people. It's a psychological issue. It's not fashion's fault.
So the rise of curvy women in fashion, as seen on the last cover of Vogue Italia and among models like Crystal Renn , is a positive thing?
Chick Fix is about helping women cope with lifestyle problems such as infidelity or workplace competitiveness. Do you think women are more competitive than men?
No, but competition between women in fashion is very fierce. That was one of the reasons I left – I knew I wasn't strong enough. I had a job I used to leave every night in tears because of a female editor.
Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model starts on 4 July, and Chick Fix on 12 July, both at 9pm on Sky Living
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/26/grace-woodward-fashion-stylist-interview
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