he value of a good stylist is never lost on the Instep gang, because we have seen great outfits look sad on really pretty people, and really pretty people pick the worst outfits over and over.

In the last few years, we have seen some celebrities definitely look much, much better than they ever have on red carpets and at photographable events. Some of these folks, forever in the public eye, have probably decided to take the guesswork out of styling themselves and handing the task to the pros.

Saba Qamar, who turns up looking wonderful everywhere, from her ‘gram to film premieres, has worked with Sana Anver and Alishay Adnan on occasion. Sana Anver, who has a distinctly soft, feminine aesthetic has pulled off some great looks that agree with Qamar’s neutral but glam vibe, while Alishay Adnan matched her vibe for vibe during promotions for Kamli.

If you’re anything like us, you will have turned to Pinterest in the good old days for style inspo, or googled favorite celeb looks when trying to create your own. More recently, we’ve realized that following stylists is a great way to stay acquainted with smaller brands that you may not clock otherwise, and the plus here is that through the stylist, you can actually see the potential of that powder blue dress that looks rather plain on the brand’s website.

One of Instep’s favorite stylists, Mehek Saeed, recently styled-off with Alishay Adnan for Al-Karam Studio’s Calico collection.

As Adnan explained later, Calico is workwear, and the brand likes to keep it casual with flats and low-key accessories. However that’s where your friendly neighborhood stylist comes in handy; just because it’s meant to be casual doesn’t mean it has to be dull.

While Alishay Adnan’s top tip is that most outfits can be elevated from work to meeting to evening with the right accessories, Mehek Saeed points out that letting your personality speak through your style is equally important.

“The whole idea of me stylizing it the way I did was to take it up a notch and show girls how they can wear it even to a tea party or work meeting,” Alishay Adnan told Instep. “You just need the right accessories, shoes, hair and makeup. You can basically transition each outfit into any kind of look you want. I also added pops of color for the oomph factor, as the outfits were mostly neutral-toned.”

Mehek Saeed has a very distinct aesthetic, and her inspiration for Calico styling came from her models.

“They are influencers,” said Saeed after the event. “Which means that they will have big personalities and that was supposed to come through on the ramp and it was important for them to be comfortable in their looks.

“I had a girl who was five months pregnant walking in my team and I kind of just thought about how each girl would step out for a daytime event in that outfit and just kind of elevated what their existing style would be in that outfit.”

Styling-wise, though brief, these notes from the stylists reminded us that almost every outfit in our wardrobe can be tweaked and accessorized to fit any occasion, and that an important part of any look is to allow your personality to come through.