'How to Build a Fashion Icon' is stylist Law Roach's guide to image architecture

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

Stylist Law Roach grew up in Chicago watching his grandmother get ready for church. He said observing her process first exposed him to the art form of being a woman. Since then, Roach has become what he calls an "image architect," styling celebrity clients like Zendaya, Celine Dion and Anya Taylor-Joy. Roach's new book How to Build a Fashion Icon is both a memoir and a manual that adapts the stylist's fashion guidelines for a non-celebrity audience. In today's episode, Roach visits NPR West for a styling session and conversation with NPR's Ailsa Chang about reflecting power and confidence in one's external image.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. You know that feeling you get when you put
0:06.6	on your favorite shirt or your favorite pair of shoes or even your favorite pair of underwear?
0:11.2	It's like an immediate boost to your self-esteem, an extra bit of armor to get you through the day.
0:17.5	Lawroach's job is to give people that feeling every day. He's one of the biggest
0:22.3	fashion stylist working today, and he's got a book out titled How to Build a Fashion
0:26.4	icon. And yeah, sure, his usual clientele are some of the most famous people around. But in this
0:32.1	interview with NPR's Elsa Chang, he talks about concepts that I think are really worthwhile
0:36.6	to the rest of us.
0:38.0	That's coming up.
0:39.7	A lot of short daily news podcasts focus on just one story.
0:44.0	But right now, you probably need more.
0:46.7	On Up First from NPR, we bring you three of the world's top headlines every day in under 15 minutes.
0:53.6	Because no one's story can capture all that's
0:56.3	happening in this big, crazy world of ours on any given morning. Listen now to the Up First
1:01.8	podcast from NPR. I recently got to meet the man behind some of the most memorable looks on
1:08.8	the red carpet over the last few years, La Roach.
1:12.9	I'm Laugh. We can hug. I felt the emotion of a hug coming in.
1:17.3	Like remember when Zendaya showed up to the Dune 2 premiere wearing a silver robot suit?
1:23.3	That look was La Roach. Or Celine Dion's surprise appearance at the 2022 Grammys in that ethereal ivory dress, Law Roach again.
1:33.5	So with this fashion genius right here at NPR West, I thought this was my chance to have him assess my look.
1:43.6	Welcome to NPR West. The first place I'm going to take you is the look. Welcome to MPR West.
1:45.4	The first place I'm going to take you is the bathroom.
	...

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