Over the past few years at 20/20, I’ve been given the most amazing and life-changing opportunities. Many of my firsts have happened as an editor here—my first photo shoot, my first feature story, my first celebrity interview, my first trade show and my first trips to Las Vegas and Paris… just to a name a few. This month for our Women’s Eyewear issue, I was given another first: my first opportunity to manage a cover photo shoot and in-depth interview.

With an extreme amount of help from Art Director Iris Johnson, I was put in charge of managing and coordinating a one-day photo shoot and interview with our cover star, celebrity stylist Kate Young. Iris was great at answering my never-ending list of questions and helping me to make sure everything went accordingly. Our location was at the offices of Tura, who designs and manufactures Kate Young’s eyewear collection, Kate Young for Tura. Originally, our concept was warm natural light with a simple white background but Mother Nature had a different plan for us, and one of the most dreary and rainy days in New York City happened to fall on the same day as our photo shoot. Luckily, our photographer Stephen Mark Sullivan used his lighting expertise to create the perfect scene as we used a few rooms throughout the office for different looks and moods. Kate was extremely diligent in selecting both her attire and eyewear for each shot and making sure each frame complemented each outfit. It was interesting to see how Kate selected each pair of eyewear, by trying on multiple pairs and examining how they worked with the outfits she selected.

After we wrapped up the shoot, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kate to discuss her collaboration with Tura, among many other things. We gathered in her makeshift dressing room (an extra office at Tura) with a space heater between us and chatted about her career and of course, her Kate Young for Tura collection. I was immediately intrigued by the passion Kate had for her career. Every time she told a story or described part of her past experiences, her eyes lit up. Even remembering one of her first jobs at Vogue, she spoke with such nostalgia. It was inspiring to see and hear how much time and energy that Kate invests in not only her clients and career, but her friends and family as well. Before interviewing Kate, I wasn’t too sure about the responsibilities and tasks taken on by a stylist to the stars. But now I’m well aware that it is MUCH more than just selecting incredible outfits. Be sure to read my full interview with Kate to learn more about her and her eyewear collection.

This was another one of my amazing firsts at 20/20. With a new year and new eyewear styles ahead of us, here’s hoping there’s more where that came from.

• Victoria Garcia
Associate Editor
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