It would be easy to assume that dressing celebrities is a glamorous job, but ifHollywood favourite Elizabeth Saltzman is anything to go by, this is hardly the case.Saltzman, who lives in London with her husband, two sons, and a terrier named Fred, juggles being a mother and wife with being "fairy godmother" to stars likeGwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman, her role as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, being a consultant and mentor to designers and brands, and trying to squeeze in as much charity work as possible."It's not a nine to five job ' it's whenever and wherever," she said. "There are many months where I haven't seen a weekend ' it's the opposite of glamorous."Saltzman began her career in New York folding clothes at a store and working at nightclubs in the evenings. In 1984 she started working at Armani store, and shortly after was moved to Milan to work in the brand's design studio.Thisled her to a job at Vogue back in New York starting in 1985."I started at the bottom of the heap, but working for the greatest style editor, Polly Mellen," she said. "I considered that my college ' every job I had in the beginning I felt so lucky to be paid to work."She was promoted to senior fashion editor, a role which she held for eight years, then became contributing editor before she made the move to Vanity Fair as fashion editor in 1994, becoming fashion director in 1995."[Vanity Fair] is spectacular ' it's an epicentre and hurricane of ideas and people and brains, and it was such a treat to be able to be a fly on the wall," she said. "With a great leader [Graydon Carter], a real visionary, and someone who thinks outside the box, it's a gamechanger."In 2000, Saltzman decided to move to London, where she married her now husband. She continued to work for Vanity Fair travelling back and forth until 2007, when a friend she had made through her time at Vogue and Vanity Fair,Gwyneth Paltrow, was looking for a stylist."I liked her, she liked me, and I thought there was alot I could do for her," Saltzman said. "I started out and it felt right."Soon after, brands started to approach her to help them figure out how to reach America, get their pieces on the red carpet and select locations for shows. "It was everything I dreamt of, but it was actually just common sense to me because it was my world," she said. She hired a team in London, as well asNew York and Los Angeles, and set up an office in Notting Hill.Now, each morning she feeds her kids and takes them to school before heading to the office, reading the news, magazines, emails, and checking Instagram on the way.Her days involve juggling meetings with designers like Prada, fittings ' she paused our conversation for a quick fitting over FaceTime with Nancy Fallon, Jimmy Fallon's wife, who "needed to feel like the queen" for the Golden Globes ' and styling celebrities Like Paltrow, Uma Thurman, and Saoirse Ronan."I try and wrap up at the actual office at 6.30pm, as I'm trying to give my girls a life," she said.So how does she fit it all in'We asked Saltzman for her best pieces of advice on working your way to the top while balancing motherhood, a social life, and a healthy lifestyle. See her best pieces of advice below.1. Working harder doesn't mean working longer"For all the designers and celebrities I work with, whatever the job is, I try and sprinkle Fairy Godmother dust on it," Saltzman said. "I like to help people be the best they can be and build confidence. That's what I was taught by all of these great leadersMr. Armani, Anna Wintour. Each one showed me to work harder, which doesn't mean more hours, it just means being more."2. Listen to what people want ' and what they don'tInstagram Embed:http://instagram.com/p/BCWoPLVG2zV/embed/Width: 658pxSaltzman said that clients ask for "a lot of absurd things," to which she obliges. "I have taped ice packs to lower backs of people on red carpets on hot days, or used hand warmers in the strangest places on icy days.However, she added: "I like to listen to what people don't want to do and hear what their fears are," she said. "If people say 'I don't want to show my legs' or 'I don't wear sequins,' that's usually the first thing I'll do for someone."3. Be preparedInstagram Embed:http://instagram.com/p/0DpC1XGpzx/embed/Width: 658pxBe ready for any situation that comes your way, no matter your job. For Saltzman, this means carrying a "prop kit" containing "everything from mints to safety pins to different types of nipple covers in every skin colour you can imagine, ribbons for making a belt, chewing gum, tampons, razors in case you have to shave someone before a show, shoulder pads, ridiculous things."See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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