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Stylist vs personal stylist

The differences between stylists and personal stylists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a stylist, becoming a personal stylist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a stylist has an average salary of $37,985, which is higher than the $35,212 average annual salary of a personal stylist.

The top three skills for a stylist include good time management, POS and data entry. The most important skills for a personal stylist are customer service, product knowledge, and POS.

Stylist vs personal stylist overview

StylistPersonal Stylist
Yearly salary$37,985$35,212
Hourly rate$18.26$16.93
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs49,29622,408
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4044
Years of experience24

What does a stylist do?

A stylist is responsible for providing fashion advice, choosing the appropriate clothing for models, maintaining the fashion style, and supervising photoshoots. Stylists must always be updated with the latest fashion trends for recommendations. A stylist must have excellent communication skills to connect with various brand management and fashion stores for purchasing items or inquiring about clothing collections. In some cases, stylists are usually consulted by a team of the fashion brand to give inputs on the appropriate style, including color schemes and overall design.

What does a personal stylist do?

Personal stylists must be individuals with an eye for visual composition and proportion, commercial awareness, the ability to meet deadlines, and excellent work ethic. This position requires an associate's degree in fashion merchandising, 4 to 5 years of personal fashion styling, and AICA certification. Personal stylists are expected to help clients to choose clothes and accessories that fit the client's body type and needs, provide style advice, and assist with hair and makeup.

Stylist vs personal stylist salary

Stylists and personal stylists have different pay scales, as shown below.

StylistPersonal Stylist
Average salary$37,985$35,212
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $53,000Between $22,000 And $55,000
Highest paying CityDenver, CO-
Highest paying stateWashington-
Best paying companyColumbia International University-
Best paying industryHospitality-

Differences between stylist and personal stylist education

There are a few differences between a stylist and a personal stylist in terms of educational background:

StylistPersonal Stylist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorCosmetologyBusiness
Most common college-University of Pennsylvania

Stylist vs personal stylist demographics

Here are the differences between stylists' and personal stylists' demographics:

StylistPersonal Stylist
Average age4044
Gender ratioMale, 13.6% Female, 86.4%Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage12%8%

Differences between stylist and personal stylist duties and responsibilities

Stylist example responsibilities.

  • Manage salon, payroll, purchasing and inventory utilizing corporate policies.
  • Manage cleaning up activities after hair care appointments by ensuring appropriate cleanliness and sterilization of cutting and trimming equipment.
  • Perform general receptionist tasks such as answering phones, using POS system, handling money transactions, and scheduling appointments.
  • Create personal``Lookbooks"for clients through social media.
  • Assist in marketing and social media via Instagram, Facebook and USD club meetings.
  • Contract great clips for service to hire temps on a temporary basis to assist shifts salons need.
  • Show more

Personal stylist example responsibilities.

  • Manage daily operations of the gallery including budgeting, small payroll and reconciling business accounts, eliminating off-site accounting fees.
  • Train and develop new associates on POS systems and sales methods.
  • Maintain company's costumes and accessories efficiently to ensure their quality and richness
  • Build presentations through extensive research to help develop advertising campaigns and magazine editorials.
  • Develop portfolio PowerPoint presentations for interior designers and assist with bookkeeping of sales and merchandise inventory.
  • Schedule meetings by contacting key decision makers and analyzing customer profiles, prepare PowerPoint presentations, prepare and edit marketing materials.
  • Show more

Stylist vs personal stylist skills

Common stylist skills
  • Good Time Management, 14%
  • POS, 11%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • Excellent Training, 8%
  • Safety Standards, 8%
  • Product Knowledge, 6%
Common personal stylist skills
  • Customer Service, 24%
  • Product Knowledge, 17%
  • POS, 13%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 6%
  • Inventory Control, 6%

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