Christina Allen is a stylist and illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York. She talked to us about her influences, growth since moving to the big apple, and how her different mediums and talents all play off each other. 

Where are you from? Where are you now and how did you end up there?

I’m from Richmond, VA and am currently living in Brooklyn, NY. I’ve wanted to move to New York for most of my life and had put it off for too long. Once I lost my job in 2020, I started freelancing between New York and Virginia and it felt like a risky but long-overdue time to make the leap. I wanted to keep freelancing and explore different types of projects, assist other stylists, and start figuring out new processes so I could learn and keep growing. New York has (naturally) been perfect for it.

Tell us about your journey to becoming a stylist. You work in wardrobe and props, do you prefer one over the other?

I was working at Need Supply Co. in customer experience with the goal of moving into the creative department as a graphic designer. A few years in, I realized that I didn’t really want to explore graphic design...and I also wasn’t very good at it.

I remembered working for a design firm a few years prior where I was able to explore photo and styling to create images for marketing campaigns and I really enjoyed it. So I quit customer experience and applied to work as a styling assistant. It all fell into place from there.

I immediately enjoyed that job more than any other. I started with props, was asked to try my hand at wardrobe, and luckily with the systems in place in the studio, I was able to explore both as a full-time stylist.

I’m still figuring out which I enjoy more. Prop styling — creating still lifes and sets — has felt more intuitive and comfortable. I think it feels similar to illustration, where I can interpret a subject and put pieces together to communicate in a more visually stimulating way. With wardrobe styling, I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It also feels intuitive, but more intimidating – I think wardrobe is easier to critique and pick apart (which also feels exciting!?). I think style is subjective, but putting garments together to tell a story or evoke a certain emotion is so much fun.

I still have a lot to learn with both, but feel lucky to be learning the way that I am.

“I think I’m largely influenced by my family, and I hadn't realized that until recently.”

How would you describe your aesthetic, and who or what has influenced it?

If I had to describe my aesthetic, I would say it’s nonchalant and eclectic, but intentional. I like to interact with my work in a way that feels natural and effortless but I also try to keep it clean and precise, which goes the same for how I try to dress myself, how I put my home together, etc. I think I’m largely influenced by my family, and I hadn't realized that until recently.

My family is pretty diverse, so I was exposed to so many different things all the time. I am the youngest of 3 siblings by 10 years, so I learned a lot from them but was also able to spend time learning and figuring things out on my own. Growing up, my mom and sister always had their own special ways of doing things. They would both wear specific, special things for years at a time and it felt like a part of them and I admired it so much. I think that’s where the uniformity comes from in my work. I was also highly encouraged by my brother to explore the strangest ideas possible. I would sit and finish his drawings with him and admired his talent so much — it almost felt competitive. I think those influences along with my dad’s tenacity and ability to make anything happen have truly been the things that have shaped the way that I approach my work.

You also do illustration, does that ever play into your work on set?

I’ve only used illustration on a set once and it worked out really nicely. I’m definitely open to exploring how I can merge the two. My illustration work is typically small and fine line so it doesn’t always translate well on camera, however, incorporating it on a larger scale one day with a full set design could be cool to try.

I do carry over the same way that I approach illustration into styling – mainly with sculpture and still life building. I like to really focus on the objects I’m using and appreciate them outside of their conventional use. That definitely came from studying things to draw. When you stare at something long enough, it turns into anything you want it to.

“When you stare at something long enough it turns into anything you want it to.”

What projects are you working on currently? Do you have a goal or dream project?

Right now I’m dabbling in a little bit of everything. I have a few set dressing jobs that I’m working on regularly along with some more commercial wardrobe clients and a few fashion assisting clients I try to juggle as well. I’m trying really hard to manage my schedule and get back into creating work for myself that feels good. I took a break from styling in 2020 to work in marketing for a more stable income, but that work pulled me away from the projects I was building on my own. So, while the plunge back into hustle mode has been great, I look forward to having some idle time to create things alone and with my friends again.

I think right now my goal is to use my off time to explore creating things on my own again. I want to tap back into what I enjoy creating without needing to have a firm objective or a product to showcase. It’s easy to get lost in the work that I’m doing and feel too exhausted to just play around.