Meet Theresa DeMaria

Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa DeMaria. She and her team share her story with us below.

Please kick things off for us with some background on the story.
Theresa found her calling at the age of 16 with her first job at the iconic Bonwit Teller, her favorite retail emporium. “This was where I set my standard for what fashion is. Bonwits was a superb outpost of refined elegance and discreet good taste.”

She attended Purdue University studying Fashion Retail, and from there she moved to New York to finish her design training at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Only three days after graduation, Theresa began her career in the fashion industry alongside Calvin Klein in his NY showroom. It wasn’t long before she made herself known in the industry and soon became the assistant to Tommy Hilfiger. She worked together with John Varvatos at Calvin and Reed Krakoff at Tommy before either had begun designing their independent collections. In 2000 Theresa returned to her hometown of Chicago to continuing building her portfolio and freelance styling full-time.

She has styled the likes of Michelle Williams, Demi Moore, Hugh Grant, Kate Moss, Blake Shelton, Maroon 5, Kerry Wood, Hilary Swank, and many other celebrities. Her work has been featured in Town and Country, Paper Magazine, Marie Claire, People Magazine, Art+Design, Premier Bride and countless other publications. She has worked with photographers including Susan Bowlus, David Leslie Anthony, Victor Skrebnesk, Akin Girav, Jeff Sciortino Kevin Sinclair, Michael Canavan, Michael Dar, Emil Sinanagic and Heather Talbert. Her long client list includes ShopBop, Shopko, Ashro, Meijer, Nike, Kohls, Bon Ton etc… Needless to say, no job is out of the question for Theresa and she brings 110% every single day.

Theresa, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the biggest struggle currently is that the market is flooded with wanna-be stylists who have little training and skill, offer low rates to clients and thus confuse the industry. Today, everyone is a “stylist.” It’s frustrating to those of us who have actually gone through the schooling, training and have years of hard work under our belts and experience. We get passed over because we won’t lower our daily rate and aren’t valued as we should be. These young “wannabe stylists’ think they should start at the top, but it doesn’t work that way.

Theresa DeMaria Styling – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am known for my impeccable, high end, fashion editorial works as well as my efficiencies and quickness with fittings and pinning when the day is calling for 150 shots to be done for a catalog shoot. I think what sets me apart is that I don’t have one specialty – I thrive in both creative editorial shoots for magazines, advertising, and catalog shoots. The diversity that being a freelancer gives me is what I love the most about my job. Every day is different and working with a large variety of clients helps you to stay fresh and on your toes. One should never become too comfortable with a client or type of work.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Actually, my proudest moment was from early on in my fashion career when Tommy Hilfiger asked me to be his assistant. It allowed me to have exposure to all aspects of the fashion world from PR to design to sales to business. It was an honor to be chosen for such a unique and special position and I am forever grateful and proud to have had that experience. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Tommy.

Pricing:

• My rate ranges from $50/hour – $100/hour depending on the request

Contact Info:

• Email: theresademaria@gmail.com
• Instagram: stylemetld
• Facebook: theresa demaria

Image Credit:
Photographers include: Emil Sinanagic, Michael Dar, Simon Perry, David Leslie Anthony, T Harrison Hillman

Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.