Inspirations – Holly McDonald

Brighton-born stylist and costume designer Holly Macdonald, who entered the industry after working in film and magazines, finds inspiration in the physical world around her.

“Not to sound like a clichéd twat but [I find it in] pretty much everything!” she laughs. “My mum, who is a vintage clothes and textile dealer has always had the most amazing things, and the most incredible knowledge of anything made of fabric.”

Although Holly works with a roster of high-profile clients and artists, recently styling a 12-minute short for A$AP Mob and Skepta, directed by Dexter Navy – “an absolutely insane two-day shoot with hundreds of costume changes but I got through it and was proud of the result.” She lets ideas flow from the bottom up.

“I’m fortunate that lots of my friends are crazy talented,” she says. “From photographers, to stylists, designers to artists. I think exposure to as many things and people as possible is key.”

Here are a few of the things that have inspired Holly lately

Nina Manandhar: I like Nina’s portraits; they’re not too staged.

This was shot at Repton Boys Club – with Dean Martindale.

I love Josep Tapiro Baro’s work, because of this use of colour and texture (A Tangerian Beauty, c 1876, Dahesh Museum of Art, New York, USA Bridgeman Images).