Fashions fade, style is eternal – an afternoon with Jeff Lack.
Fashion and grooming. Love it or act like you take yourself too seriously to care about what you look like, fact is that no matter how far removed you might perceive yourself to be from the status quo, it affects one in a myriad of ways.
If I was to pinpoint the qualities of a good stylist and mentor in the fashion department, I would probably not only look for the ability to astutely assess one’s shape and clothing their client will feel comfortable with and enjoy wearing. What I’d look for is the ability to source aesthetics and looks constantly while gently guiding and managing their client’s egos.
I guess in essence, the trick of a successful stylist is to find the middle ground beyond a thorough understanding of design, the vision of what could be and the client’s happiness.
Needless to say, a self-confident yet grounded demeanour, a dash of adaptability, an eye for proportion along with a bit of self-deprecating humour and graciousness, goes a long way. After all, people are trusting you with their time, image and buckaroos.
Enter Jeff Lack.
With a toolbox refined by over thirty years of fashion industry experience– be it in the realm of editing, styling, modelling, mentoring and content creation, both on centre stage as well as behind the scenes - the man has spent his life dedicated to become fluent in the instant language that is fashion and the art of becoming your best self.
I recently had the opportunity to spend an afternoon under the benign guidance of Jeff as part of one of his masterclasses, and it was intriguing to see the man in action, especially in moments where the façade dropped a bit and he shed light on his personal trials and tribulations, which added a welcome facet of authenticity, credibility and depth.
In his idiosyncratic engaging, swashbuckling manner and intrinsically motivated to address and incorporate the audience’s individual takes and questions, the workshop was a tour de force in Jeff touching on grooming habits, wardrobe advice and being an overall sounding board for personal growth.
An afternoon well spent and a reminder that self-care and grooming is not mutually exclusive with femininity or masculinity.
