Thomas Doherty’s tattoos mix short phrases, small illustrations and a few larger images. Interviews and fashion portraits show ink across his wrists, chest, arms, finger and ankle, though they do not identify every mark.
Thomas Doherty’s Wrist Tattoos
In a W Magazine interview, Doherty points to “memento mori” on his left wrist. The Latin phrase means “remember you must die.” He says it reminds him not to resist life and to keep moving, because death is unavoidable.
A separate close portrait shows “love yourself” just above the bracelets and below his hand. The photo records its placement, but offers no explanation for the phrase.
The Chest Tattoo and Its Mirrored Text
Open-jacket portraits show a single line of writing high on Doherty’s chest, just below his collarbones. One fashion image is mirrored, so the letters appear reversed; the placement and layout are still clear.
Available interviews give no definite translation for the chest text. The photos show a dark line across the upper chest, visible when the jacket is open and hidden beneath a closed shirt.
The Forearm Collection in Recent Portraits
An L’Officiel portrait shows separate black tattoos from elbow to wrist: a leafy branch along the outer forearm, a circular or outlined mark lower down, and text near the wrist. Open skin separates the designs; they do not form a sleeve.
A Vestal interview identifies the lowercase word “surrender” on Doherty’s arm and connects it to his changing outlook.
The Arm Tattoos in Fashion Magazine
A Fashion Magazine portrait, shot in warm light, shows Doherty in a sleeveless cream vest. His exposed forearm has a larger open outline near the top, a small text mark below it and a rounded illustration closer to the wrist.
The designs differ in size and line weight, with skin between them. The image does not identify each mark or show when they were done; it gives a clearer view of their placement than a covered portrait.
Tattoos Framed by the Flaunt Portrait
The shirtless Flaunt portrait shows a dark tattoo wrapping near Doherty’s wrist and a lighter outlined design higher on the forearm. The plain backdrop and chain leave the marks visible, but the photo does not name every shape.
The First Tattoo and Lower-Leg Placement
Doherty has said his first tattoo was on the back of his leg, when he was 17. He recalled sending his mother a photo with his brother’s fake ID and joking that the first tattoo was only the beginning.
He has also identified an ankle tattoo in Elvish, connected to The Lord of the Rings, in British GQ. A later Vestal portrait shows a small mark near his ankle, but the image is too indistinct to confirm it is the same tattoo.
The La La Land Tattoo on His Arm
In an Interview Magazine conversation, Doherty calls the La La Land tattoo on his arm his favorite. He describes it as the film poster’s image of two dancers, from its central romantic dance scene.
The Smaller Personal Pieces
Marie Claire Australia records two other pieces: “Tommy boy” on his arm, done by a New York artist, and a small heart from his friend Eli Brown. Doherty described the heart as impulsive and said he later questioned the decision.
British GQ also describes an arm design inspired by the beauty of the female body, alongside the La La Land dance and Elvish ankle tattoo. The accounts connect the pieces to different interests, not one shared subject.
His tattoo counts have varied by interview: “probably six or seven” in one, eleven in another and thirteen in a later interview. They reflect different points in the collection’s growth, and small pieces may not always be counted the same way.
“Surrender” and “Is That So?”
Vestal records Doherty’s explanation of “surrender”: life does not revolve around him, and accepting that can help him let go of control. He also discusses “Is that so?” on one finger, a line from an old Chinese proverb. The same response follows events that first seem lucky or disastrous; their meaning can change once the consequences become clear.
How the Collection Reads Together
Doherty’s tattoos are spread across his body, with no documented sleeve or single large composition connecting the arm pieces. Portraits reveal them in fragments, while his interviews explain some of the words and images and leave other marks unidentified.