"The sumptuous, photo-packed rags-to-glad-rags story of a plumber-turned illustrious celebrity stylist. "
A statement piece gift for lovers of fashion and the world of celebrity styling, Vanity Project tells the rags-to-glad-rags story of Dave Thomas, an erstwhile unemployed plumber whose hard graft and flair for styling saw him take the fashion world by storm.
Featuring over 300 iconic photographs of notables from many fields across three decades - models, musicians, actors, sportspeople - this huge book celebrates the work of a pioneering stylist while also paying homage to the Prince’s Trust grant that enabled Thomas to get his stylish foot in the door, with 10% of the cover price being donated to the Trust, and a foreword by Prince Charles. The book also features original contributions from some of the celebrities Thomas has worked with over the years - Lionel Ritchie, Anna Friel, Boy George, and the Spice Girls, to name but a few - plus fascinating press cuttings, and intriguing insights into the impact of styling.
| Primary Genre | Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure |
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In the 1980s David Thomas was an unemployed plumber with a seemingly impossible dream: to become a fashion stylist. He ran away to London, landed a job selling cassettes in Tower Records, spent weekends and evenings washing dishes and working as a lavatory attendant, and every spare moment hammering on the doors of fashion editors until one of them opened a tiny crack. As well as telling the touching and funny story of the Billy Elliot of fashion's bumpy ride to success, Vanity Project examines the fascinating relationship between the fairytale worlds fashion and celebrity. It describes how the discipline of styling has evolved from the 1980s to now, from the streets of London to the red carpets of Hollywood. This story is told largely in the words of those in the front row seats: actors, musicians, designers, photographers, editors, directors, artists, and music business power brokers. In short, people who have shaped popular culture over more than three decades. This beautifully designed book features more than 300 iconic images - photographs, sketches, magazine covers, Polaroids, iPhone snaps, and press cuttings - that illustrate the creative process from the mind of the stylist and the client's brief to the end result. The rich visual archive is brought right up to date with a specially commissioned portfolio of never-before-seen portraits by some of the world's leading contemporary photographers. Vanity Project is a tale of stars, of clothes, and of the skill and sweat that goes into creating those glittering moments on stage and screen. Above all, it's the story of how, with the right kind of help and belief, one boy's dream came true.
Vanity Project features in the following genres: Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure, Gift Books, Fashion and textile design, The Arts, Design, Industrial and commercial arts, illustration, Fashion and textile design: accessories, Photography and photographs, Photographs: collections, Stationery and miscellaneous items, Non-Fiction Books of the Month, Recommendations
Vanity Project is available in Hardback
Vanity Project was written by Dave Thomas and published by Unicorn Publishing Group
Vanity Project has 376 pages
£45.00
