Harry Lambert is a busy man, what with being one of fashion’s sought-after stylists. You may have seen the catwalks he’s assembled for London-based designers Steven Stokey-Daley and Harris Reed, or his British Vogue and Dazed editorials. But it’s his styling work with another Harry – Styles, heard of him? – that has elevated him to semi-celebrity status and helped to redefine masculine dress codes for the better, sequins and all.
We can't imagine there are many days on his calendar that aren't accounted for, so it's perhaps surprising that Lambert has had the time to take on the role of fashion designer for a new collaboration with Zara, titled Cutie Chaos. Inspired by his fashion-hungry student days, Lambert imbues a vintage sensibility onto animal-printed shirts, classic tweed tailoring and retro outerwear.
“This felt like a real opportunity for me to create the wardrobe that I've always wanted and have been trying to collect over the years,” he tells us over voice note (as we said: busy guy). To find out more, Esquire spoke to the Norwich-born stylist about how a chaotic wardrobe can be beneficial, where to find the best vintage gems and how a fashion faux pas isn’t always a bad thing.
The word 'chaotic' is thrown around a lot these days, especially on social media. Do you think people would benefit from bit of chaos in their wardrobe?
Maybe my assistants would say I was chaotic. I think I'm chaotic in the sense that I find it really hard to switch off and to not want to work or be busy. My brain is always constantly going.
I think chaos in your wardrobe is always good. Whenever I work with talent, I always try to bring in one look that is a bit of a wild card to most fittings, something a bit unexpected. It's good to challenge ourselves in what we're wearing, and I think sometimes when you see something on the rail in a store and you think it’s not for you, it's good to try it.
There’s a retro energy to this collection. What’s your favourite fashion decade and why?
I think growing up in fashion, I have a big love for a stylist called Alister Mackie and he is kind of my style inspiration – even the way he dresses himself. Early on, there was something that I saw in his work that really inspired me.
I'm not sure where this kind of 70s aesthetic comes from that I love so much. But probably from that era of pop star where men were having a lot of fun [with fashion] and it was very innovative and exciting.
When I was in my twenties in London, vintage shopping was so fun because there's this element of finding hidden gems and maybe I've lost that a little in trying to hunt for [specific] pieces. You can get amazing designer vintage these days, but a lot of that good 50s/60s/70s stuff is very expensive or in archives, so there's an element of bringing that into this collection. There's this brown suede jacket that all of my friends want to own, because it's a jacket that's really hard to find vintage.
Many look back at the sartorial choices made in their student years with a bit of embarrassment, but this collection is partially inspired by them. What’s been your worst fashion faux pas? What did you learn from it?
Well, during my student years I fell into the era of new wave with lots of neon tracksuits, and I look back at that with a bit of embarrassment. Even when I look back five years ago, sometimes I'm like: 'Oh god, did I really wear that?' But then I remember that at the time, I felt great and I was really happy with what I was wearing.
Fashion faux pas are sometimes for the best, because fashion is really linked with memories. I might remember an outfit and might not want to wear it now, but it reminds me of a good time. And there are also things that I got rid of that I now regret; fashion is always a journey.
Do you think your student self would have a particular favourite in the collection?
Yeah, I really love the yellow shirt with the bunny on and its matching tie. That's something that I would never be able to find in a shop when I was growing up and if it was it would be extremely out of my price range.
Individuality seems to be harder to come by nowadays, where would you recommend people shopping for one-of-a-kind pieces?
I really like looking on Etsy, it’s amazing for vintage T-shirts. I recently went away on holiday and found some really fun ones. eBay is really great for designer vintage, and they authenticate everything now so you can shop with a bit more confidence. Depop is really great as well.
What I hope happens with this collection is that when people are finished wearing it, they sell it on or give it to someone else. We've put a focus on good fabrics and good detailing because I don't want this to be a trend collection that you wear for one season and it gets chucked away. It's really important that this collection will live forever, and I hope there's a sense of timelessness to it.
If you could share one styling tip what, would it be?
Don't wear something if it makes you feel uncomfortable, even if you think it looks good. I'll go out and then will question why I’m wearing it when it’s too tight. It sounds cheesy, but if you're comfortable in what you're wearing, you're going to look more comfortable and look better in it.
Cutie Chaos launches on zara.com and in selected stores from November 13.
