Local hairstylist Melody Choate had a hair-raising triumph last month as she was chosen to join the expert stylists on the Odete DaSilva Hair Team, which works with the Global Fashion Collective. The international team consists of only 18 stylists from around the world that work backstage to prep models for the most iconic Fashion Weeks across the globe: New York, London, Milan, Paris and Tokyo. She recently tressed to impress at the New York Fashion Week, Feb. 9-14, and the Milan Fashion Week Feb. 20-26.
Choate was chosen based on her spectacular audition performance after a class with DaSilva. She described the audition process as an “impeccable style in 10 minutes or less.”
“One of the main things when working this kind of event is timing, so you have to work very well under pressure because there is a lot going on around you, and everything is very fast-paced,” she said. “With all these really high-shine lights, they catch every single stray hair, any imperfection, so you have to make sure that’s perfect for photography and be able to do it very quickly.”
Choate said they sometimes must complete as many as 30 models an hour, along with makeup and dress, but that she thrives under that pressure and loves the chaos, as it helps her stay laser-focused on the end goal.
“It really is a team effort. There’s not any ego involved or any competition, because everyone is just working to create the same goal: to get all those people out on the runway looking perfect,” she said.
In addition to being 12-year stylist, Choate is the Director of Education for Hair Peace Salon in Riverside and has spent five years as a Color Educator for Goldwell – the color line used by Hair Peace – teaching classes to other stylists in salons along the East Coast.
She plans to attend the fall 2024 New York Fashion Week as well. Her 2025 goal?
“Next year, I’d like to do all of them.”
