MEET LUCINDA GRAHAM
An interview between MERDE’s London based contributor Matt Spratt and his dear friend and collaborator, stylist Lucida Graham. The two break down what a stylist really does, because it’s not always clear to those outside the fashion bubble.
What's your early memories that made you fascinated in clothing?
My earliest memory would be my best friend and her mum coming to visit me on one of my many hospital stints as a child, she brought me a pink plastic drawing pad where you could colour in little fashion paper dolls. It sounds niche but I can remember every inch of that little drawing set! I couldn't access clothes much at this stage so getting to design my own clothes and enter my own little world that took me away from being bed bound was everything to me.
For someone that doesn’t know what a stylist is, what do you define it as?
I always tell people that styling is 90% admin - like communications, emails, logistics, managing budgets, building good client and PR relationships through strong communication. Then 10% dress up. Most people think it's the other way round. It's only as you grow and develop as a stylist that you get to really flex your creative muscles because you have a grasp on the industry and hopefully a paid assistant to help ease the admin load.
What's your favourite colour?
Hard to say. I naturally surround myself with a lot of pink (think tuscan pink, not a saccharine pink) - however I don't wear that much pink? I suit stronger shades and cool tones, but I find pink walls to be extremely calming. It feels like a safe colour.
Who do you want to see show at London Fashion week?
The LFW production's of Susan Fang shows are always spectacular, and really sustainably minded, However dream show attendance will have to be Simone Rocha or Huishan Zhang.
3 brands everyone should be looking at in 2024?
1.Nicklas Skovgaard (my fave)
2. Nicholas Daley
3.Tara Hakin
4. AZ Factory
5. Gui Rosa
How do you know when it's “right”
It totally depends on what the job is, whether its client, commercial or communicative (editorial/music video). But I would say that it's a gut feeling, when you are so wrapped up in what you're doing that you forget about everything else. When it's right it should feel like playtime. That and seeing people around me react to what I'm putting forward. My best trait is my inclination towards references and storytelling, and I do back myself in this regard, but it is important to feed off the energy of your team and how the artist/actor/client is responding to what you're putting down. For me, the essence of it, 'being right' is that everything feels cohesive as a visual language, but still makes you want to look at the subject, and not scroll or skip or flick the page.
“I find it really important to build up other female/non binary led teams on set as our voices can be quashed, and surprise surprise, it’s always our time and budget that gets cut.”
Can styling be considered High art?
I think it is 100%. Customers and stylists like Patricia Field and Law Roach have really pushed the envelope for those of us coming up after, for us to be heard and respected as visionaries and storytellers, and also simply, to get credit for building whole visual languages and worlds that an artist, character or actress lives in. For example, Matthew Joseph is FKA Twigs stylist, and his role is to allow her to visual communicate to extenuate the music that she puts out into the world. It's the same way that Lana del ray is Cherry Cola roses and white picket fences, While Ethel Cain is prairie cottons, tattered band tee's and VHS. True art is both iconic and accessible, and stays alive in the hearts and minds of people across the globe. What do you think has been viewed more, the Born this way music video, or one of Jeff Koon's Balloon Dogs?
What fabric should make a full comeback?
Marbled metallic taffeta á la Martine Rose suiting AW 24. It exists in my world due to my obsession with vintage prom dresses and Dynasty, (especially Joan Collins character Alexis who was prone to a gold lamé!)
What's an artist and talent you would pair in a dream world?
Ethel Cain and David Hammons body prints. She lays her body and soul bare in her music and I feel like prints of her body adorned in lace would carry the haunted narrative of her past works. Documented by Sean Baker because I feel like the 'fashion' world can learn a lot about humanity from how he documents the everyday life of characters in his movies
What's the responsibility of a stylist in a project?
Much more than steaming clothes, that's for starters. As a stylist you have a huge responsibility to your team whom you're dressing. They've given you a lot of trust with their image and that intimacy is something that I never take for granted!! SO that looks like putting talent at ease, listening to their concerns and empowering them to say NO to a look, even if I think it looks amazing. You learn over time that even if something looks amazing to me as a stylist, it will never read well on camera if the talent doesn't feel gassed and empowered by the look. You're often negotiating a lot of emotions that people feel able to share with you that they will hide from the wider team for the sake of 'professionalism' - so the changing room often becomes a makeshift therapy session too. I've taught more models and talent alike how to do grounding techniques. It's easy to forget that while every job is just another job, you are also working with real people with real fears who need to be reassured and calmed on set. A good stylist will also help guide the talent in the garments, because you are helping channel the director's vision. Depending on the set up, almost 90% of my experience is that HMUA's work very closely with stylists to communicate the right tone. I find it really important to build up other female/non binary led teams on set as our voices can be quashed, and surprise surprise, it's always our time and budget that gets cut. So learning how to stand your ground and defend the importance of styling has become an everyday occurrence in my line of work. Stylists are also the end of the line when it comes to clothing rental and leasing agreements, meaning that the safety of designer pieces are in our hands and we will be held accountable if anything happens to them. This requires clear comms with talent and directors alike so they know not to have a model on a trampoline in a silk couture gown for example lol.
All this being said - when the chaos dies down and the project is well underway - just ask people if you can help them. Hold a gaffer's ladder, make lighting crews cups of tea, never think that being in fashion gives you a sense of superiority because it doesn't. You are on set to do a physically demanding task, and when the majority of our job is done off set, it's just nice to fill in the cracks and help out where you can see help is needed.
Images by Matt Spratt