Vogue Education Presents Leading Stylist William Gilchrist
Vogue Education Presents was delighted to invite leading stylist, William Gilchrist to the college this week to talk about his incredible career.
Dressed in a black suit with wide lapels, casually styled with a grey t-shirt and Chelsea boot, stylist William Gilchrist took to the Vogue Education Presents stage this week to talk about the type of career most fashion stylists can only dream off. From the Rolling Stones to Jude Law, Gilchrist is the go to for some of the world’s most stylish men and has helped to cultivate their iconic looks. During his talk, students had the opportunity to ask his advice as well as get a real time snapshot into his exciting career straddling the fashion, music and film scenes.
About William Gilchrist
A leading fashion stylist and design consultant, Gilchrist is known for his rock’n’roll blend of sartorial glamour, attention to craftsmanship and love of quality, practicality and great design.
Working with some of the most recognisable men in the entertainment industry, his fine-tuned aesthetic has seen him collaborating with a host of celebrity clients including notably the Rolling Stones for many world tours, as well as other world renowned stars such as Jude Law, Rami Malek, Pedro Pascal, John Hurt, Michael Caine, Jeremy Irons, James McAvoy, Gary Oldman, George Clooney, Steven Hawking and Sergei Polunin, and most recently Cillian Murphy.
He has held positions as fashion director at Arena, Details and Jack, and has contributed to L’Uomo Vogue, Esquire, GQ and Telegraph Luxury amongst many magazine titles.
His design, consultancy and styling work with brands include Versace, Moschino, McQueen Menswear, Giorgio Armani, Oliver Spencer, Hackett, Dunhill, Belstaff, Hamilton & Hare and Nike.
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With a career immersed in fashion image making, William is always accompanied by his camera, and having worked so closely with some of the fashion industry’s most renowned photographers, William is now branching out into the world of commercial photography – a natural extension of his passion for aesthetics and storytelling.
Teamwork on set
A key theme that came through during Gilchrist’s Vogue Education Presents talk is the importance of teamwork. Notably, he talked about the importance of remembering the people you are working with and that there is a human quality to every shoot. He spoke about when things have not worked well due to clients not treating staff well and how that can tank a shoot as well as how important it is to look after your team and look out for your team.
Gilchrist also talked about the importance of staffing a good team through making sure you have the right people for the job. For example, making sure you use a photographer who is used to shooting in a studio if you are doing a studio shoot, as opposed to using someone who is used to shooting on location as you will get the best results.
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Key Takeaways from William Gilchrist’s talk
- When working with clients it’s important to respect their needs and requirements but do not be afraid to also push for your own creative vision
- When on a shoot, everyone plays an integral part, and without that, it just doesn’t work. The beauty of creativity is successful collaboration.
- Nothing should be too rigid, you’ve got to be flexible.
- In order to successfully develop your career, it’s really important to make mistakes in order to learn and do better.
- Don’t be afraid to trust your instincts when deciding on who to collaborate with on creative projects.
- Honest communication is vital; it is advisable to leave your ego at the door.
- Don’t be afraid to walk away when things aren’t working
If you’re interested in dipping your toe into styling, try our 6-week Online Styling course or our 5 Days of Styling. Want to make it your career, find out more about our Masters in Fashion Styling.