A Masterclass with David Thomas

16 Jun by Joe Miller

On Thursday, we had the privilege of having a session with the world-renowned and one of the most sought after Hollyywood’s stylist David Thomas, who has a star-studded list of clients such as John Legend, Britney Spears, David and Victoria Beckham, P. Diddy and Calvin Harris, among many others. He has also become the youngest fashion editor at British Esquire and went on to contribute to Vanity Fair and Vogue Homme.

The session was organised by the College as a way to gain valuable advice and knowledge from a leading professional on how to advance our careers. As an added bonus, we were also treated to a brief sneak peak of him working on John Legend’s styling with his team in Malibu.

However, it was the the life lessons that he shared with us that struck as being useful to a budding stylist.

Here are the 5 most invaluable tips that he shared:

1. Build credibility with assisting-styling

For anyone looking to begin their careers, it is essential that you get onboard with doing assisting-styling; performing consistently throughout all the tasks of a stylist will help you gain the trust of the working stylist. Over time, you’ll be trusted to do more high-level tasks, and eventually build a network with people in the industry to source from. What is a skilled stylist, without good resources?

2. Work hard, play hard

One thing we were advised to do was to find a balance between working hard, and having regular breaks. Time away from work can help refuel your creative juices, maintain psychological health, and make sure you’re delivering consistent work. Its also a great way to look back at your progress, the skills you have built, and think about your future.

3. Don’t be frightened to turn down jobs!

If you know you won’t be able to perform well, you shouldn’t be afraid to decline on a job. You want to ensure that your work continues to look good, so that it reflects well on your brand and service. When clients are happy with your service, you’ll get more recommendations on future prospects.

4. Superstars are people too

It might be easy to get starstruck, but try to remember that its not about working with celebrities. It is important to get to know the character of a person, because that will help you in your decisions when styling them. Feeling out a person, seeing how they react and being sensitive to their needs — will build a style that fits the person.

5. You don’t have to be the best…

….in the world to have a successful career. Your hard work and dedication to always trying to get better is what you can use to win peoples hearts. If you want to achieve something, don’t give up, its about always striving to be better.

This article and photography has been created by LCS foundation styling student Jeera Abdullah. Check out her fashion blog www.jeeradoesfashion.com and follow her on Instagram @jeeradoesfashion to stay tuned with her incredible fashion adventures!