Japanese-American stylist Shirley Kurata on being both a collaborator and a muse

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At this frenzied time in fashion when eclecticism rules supreme, the role wardrobe mix-masters play has taken on new gravitas. Designers, editors and celebrities alike depend on a stylist's astute eye to bring unique looks together and inspire us all to new sartorial heights. Enter Shirley Kurata, a spirited young Japanese-American stylist from Los Angeles who's become iconic in style circles for her "mod secretary" mid-century references, her cinematic sensibility and her keen attention to detail. Beloved by her ultra cool clients from Lena Dunham and Zooey Deschanel to Beck and Pharrell, her simple, whimsical approach to mixing unexpected, carefully curated pieces is regarded as both cheeky and compelling. Kurata has styled collections for the celebrated label Rodarte since its debut over 10 years ago, and regularly styles collections for Danish-born, London-based designer Peter Jensen. For his spring 2016 collection, Kurata was cited as Jensen's muse. I spoke with Shirley recently about her retro aesthetic – dubbed "futuristic folky" – her celebration of individuality, and why she thinks people should take more risks.

Was this a career that you aspired to from the get go, or was there a different fashion career that you initially had in mind for yourself?

From the age of 10, I wanted to be a fashion designer and I actually went to fashion school for that. But being from L.A., I felt like it wasn't really the place at that time to start my own line and be a fashion designer. And there was something about working on TV and films and comworld mercials and styling for print and editorials that appealed to me; that world seemed to be a little bit more what I was interested in. So it wasn't a direct path. I went from studying fashion design to going into costuming on TV and film and learned the ropes that way. I do some celebrity work, some editorial work, some commercial work, and I like that variety.

You had some great styling adventures with the Rodarte sisters, and were instrumental in terms of pushing them and celebrating what they were doing. I imagine a great kind of synergy goes on there.

They're very talented, intelligent girls, and they're pretty clued into what they want to do in terms of the direction of their clothing line. I think because of that, we get along. I'm not like one of those usual stylists that will try to direct them into something that they're not comfortable with. Sometimes there is a power play where a stylist comes in and pushes a direction that a designer might not always be comfortable with. I think that the Rodarte sisters already have an idea of what they want to do. And we all think outside the box. We're kind of the outsiders of the industry because we came from L.A., which didn't have a big fashion scene. So we were all a little separate from the mainstream world.

There's a sense of playfulness and whimsy in your work, and your style is so distinctive. Is that something that takes a long time to cultivate?

I think it just sort of comes naturally. You have something already within that you're drawn to. And yes, you can cultivate that. But there's also something innate or intuitive about it, too. I try to work with things that I enjoy, and work well together. I don't know if it's always so deliberate – it just sort of falls into place for me. It's hard to explain because it's an abstract thing. A lot of styling is about what your natural aesthetic inclinations are, and working off of that.

How good do you think people have become at styling themselves? And what about the risks people take when it comes to mixing it up?

I wish people would take risks a little more. I know it's hard do when people are so prone to criticize you on the Internet or in magazines, so I can understand that caution because it comes to a point where you can only hear so many personal attacks on the way you're dressed from strangers. And I find that unfortunate because you have to take risks. I admire the people that want to do that, and aren't so bothered by all the negative comments that might come out of it. Sometimes in the "What Was She Thinking?" section of magazines, I actually like the outfits being criticized! At least it's fun as opposed to a very safe gown that you've seen a million times before.

Well, the red carpet has, in some ways, watered down individual fashion statements. There's an air of propriety and good taste that prevails that wasn't there when I was a kid growing up. What are your feelings about the red carpet?

I agree. Like, as crazy as that Björk swan dress was, it was so much Björk's character that I loved it. And I'm not saying we should all wear a swan dress on the red carpet, but sometimes you need to express something fun. I think people are just too scared to do that now on the red carpet. There are a few people that take the risk and that's great, but it would be great to see a little more spirit.

We've been seeing a lot of irreverent, unexpected mixing going on. Take Gucci's last collection, for example. Do you see that as a trend that is just going to keep on growing, with people embracing it more and more, or do you see a nod towards minimalism creeping into the fray?

It's sort of like a yin and yang. I think there's going to be both – that's the way the world runs. I love what Gucci's doing because it's my comworld. But I also appreciate the minimalism of Calvin Klein, or what Helmut Lang did. Not everyone's going to be able to pull off a Gucci head-to-toe ensemble, but then there are people like me that would love to wear it.

It's great that we're living at a time when anything goes. But does that threaten the role of the stylist? If anything goes, why do we need an expert eye to put it together?

I wouldn't say anything goes. There is a limit to what looks good together. I think stylists are needed but I think that there's room to play around with things. There's also a need to make sure that it's done tastefully or appropriately, I guess.

Your vision serves as a source of inspiration for many. You were even a muse for Peter Jensen's recent collection.

Yes, I was very honoured and flattered, especially because his past muses have been women that I've been a huge fan of, like photographer Cindy Sherman and actress Shelley Duvall. It was definitely a great honour to be one of his muses, and I was very excited to see what kind of collection he would come up with with me in mind.

How did it make you feel to see all the looks that you inspired?

It was exciting and I loved it! I've always been a big fan of his work, and to see a Shirley collection was definitely a big treat for me. It struck me as maybe "Shirley-on-the-go"… but I know it's always hard to describe your own style. I like to say, "If Harold and Maude had a child, maybe she'd be dressed like me."

Were you always confident about your style sense when you were growing up?

I went to a school with school uniforms, all the way from kindergarten through 12th grade, so I think when you're stuck wearing uniforms you want to get out of that and start experimenting with your own outfits. I think that kind of started the path for me.

Do you ever project about fashion in the future and the way we'll be dressing? There was a time when people speculated that we would all embrace a uniform because it would take up less time.

No, I don't think that'll happen. I think we're all too individualistic to ever want to dress like everyone else. There are enough of us who have a desire to not want to dress like everyone else. There are enough rebels out there.

This interview has been condensed and edited.