Building Relationships — both with his team and his clientele — is a critical part of David Crain’s success as a personal shopper at Saks Fifth Avenue at the Somerset Collection. It’s a career he built from the ground up, moving to metro Detroit from a rural town called Corunna (located between Flint and Lansing) at age 30 with some work experience in a school system and a partially completed education at a beauty school.
Through friends in the area, Crain was introduced to Bashar Kallabat, an iconic hairstylist with an eponymous salon in Birmingham, who died in 2020. Crain convinced Kallabat to hire him as his fourth assistant. But after years of working at the salon, Crain hadn’t bothered to get his cosmetology license. “I didn’t really enjoy it the way I thought I would.
Having always loved fashion and feeling a need to “switch it up,” Crain interviewed for a position in the fine apparel department at Neiman Marcus at Somerset and got the job. Within six months, he was recruited by Gucci, where he stayed for seven years, until Renee Janovsky at Neiman Marcus convinced him to come back.
“She said, ‘You’ve got the skills, you’ve got the ability, you have everything it takes to be a very successful personal shopper,’” he recalls. “Between Renee and Bashar and the opportunities they both gave me, it built a foundation for my career and how I run my business and how I want to treat people.”
Crain worked as a personal shopper at Neiman Marcus for 13 years, leaving only a year and a half ago for Saks.
“I love being able to be creative,” Crain says. “I love being able to service people. I love building those relationships. I love understanding how one’s mind works so that I can be three steps ahead of them.”
Fashion Insights and Advice with David Crain
My favorite current fashion trend is … Whatever speaks to you.
My go-to work outfit is … A fun pair of sneakers, a great blazer, an interesting T-shirt, and a nice-fitting pair of trousers.
My favorite fashion era is … The ’80s. I love it because it’s fun and you get all these different mixes of materials and colors and patterns. You could be so free in the ’80s.
When considering an outfit for a big event, one should … Absolutely own it. Feel comfortable in it. Wear it. Don’t let it wear you.
The most stylish people … Are creative.
I encourage clients to try new things by … Building confidence in them.
To best shop your closet, you should … Let someone else come in and get a second opinion.
The best style advice I received is … Have fun with fashion
This story originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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