A Conversation With The Guru Of Style - Lloyd Boston

For twenty years, America has known TV host and style expert Lloyd Boston best from top shows such as The Insider (CBS), the popular companion show to the Emmy-winning Entertainment Tonight.

Mr. Boston joined MONARCH for a conversation providing insight on his personal style, career, and influences; the launch of his next book; and the business of style.

MONARCH: Good Afternoon, and thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. So we are going to have the pleasure of receiving a new book from you in 2020— congratulations!

LLOYD BOSTON: My pleasure, thank you. Yes, it will be released on Kensington. This will be my fifth book and first novel.

MONARCH: That’s so exciting. It’s a busy time writing a novel and being the resident style expert on The Wendy Show. How did you get started in fashion?

LLOYD BOSTON: I was always interested in fashion as a child. I just loved putting clothes together in a special way. I went to Catholic school most of my life, so weekend clothes and play clothes were really special to us. We had a chance to put together stuff that most public school kids could do every day, but we could only do it off of school time. I’ve always loved the texture, color, and patterns. I could draw anything I could see or imagine; art was always in my bones. Clothes were an extension of my love for art and creativity.

I got started in the industry professionally at nineteen when I landed my first internship with Tommy Hilfiger. I met the designer in a shopping mall, where he offered me an internship. I stayed there for well over a decade, leaving as the VP of art direction.

MONARCH: With social media providing visibility transforming the majority of Americans into celebrities, do you think it’s easier to be a stylist today versus when you began?

LLOYD BOSTON: I was only a stylist for a short period, mainly internally at Tommy Hilfiger. And then when I launched my career as an author and fashion journalist. But I’m very close to the world of styling. I do think with social media it is easier to gain exposure as a stylist, but I don’t know if that always translates into work, into dollars and cents. For many years a designer would hire a stylist and have them put their collection together in a unique and clever way so that it would “make noise” on the runway. A magazine would hire a stylist to put together arresting, fresh editorials by pulling clothes from lots of different brands. Music labels would hire stylists to style their artists, and big brands hire stylists to style their catalogs. These are still the main clients/bread and butter for stylists, and I don’t think they are turning to social media to hire stylists. I’m sure many of them still use top agencies that represent stylists to hire them. Social media can’t hurt, but it’s not the only avenue. I don’t want a young person to think, “Because I have a cool Instagram, I’m going to get as much work as an established, agent-represented stylist who’s in a big city like New York or LA.”

MONARCH: How would you describe your look?