New York-based stylist Kate Young has a nonstop schedule these days. Besides helping style Felicity Jones, and Natalie Portman’s new Dior fragrance ads, she’s also keeping Margot Robbie‘s look fresh while the actress is on the summer movie circuit for “Tarzan” and “Suicide Squad.”
Young has quite the roster of celebrity clients and experience on the red carpet. At a Kohl’s holiday collection reveal (which she styled), Young told FN that she felt successful at her job whenever she found the right look for the right client.
“I hope what I do is invisible, in a way, and that the girl is wearing the thing that is most suited to her and says who she is,” she said.
Get the scoop on Young’s fashion favorites in her own closet and the fashion houses she’s watching carefully.
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Shoe Designer of the Moment: “Gucci. It’s exciting to see clothes that are expensive and actually look expensive with the beading, fabrics and handwork. They’re not something you can find at Zara. I have Gucci’s fur mules, and I like that they’re not discontinuing them. If there is a must-have shoe that is discontinued, then it just looks old. I love that it’s becoming a classic.”
Must-Have Travel Items: “Because I travel so much, I have a carry-on bag that is packed all the time. It has a scarf and eye mask, Glossier balm and Urban Central wipes because I sanitize the entire place. And one of those cold-mist face sprays. It also has those cuddly, cheap cushy socks you find in the airport. Got to put those on.”
Brand I Can’t Get Enough Of: “I wear tons of Robert Clergerie. I like a clunky shoe.”
My First Designer Purchase: “The first that I bought with my own money were Prada velvet geisha platforms in the late 1990s.”
Latest Pair I Bought: “Alumnae black twist sandals at The Line in Los Angeles because I came from Paris and only had boots, and it was 100 degrees there.”
My Favorite Everyday Shoes: “I wear a pair of pull-on Louis Vuitton Chelsea boots in the winter or a pair of lace-up Saint Laurent ‘babies’ boots.”
Most Sentimental Pairs: “There are tons — [but the important are] my first Manolos and the Louboutins I got married in.”
Labels I’m Watching: “I’m excited about Dior’s new designer, [Maria Grazia Chiuri]. We’ve been in a little bit of a pause with all these fashion houses that I rely on so heavily for gowns — they are all designer-less, so it’s exciting to me to say she makes great dresses. I’m so excited there is a woman at Dior. It’s such a feminine house. And Maria makes gowns
women want to wear.”
Closet Essentials: “It’s good to have a pair of shoes that makes you feel amazing, whether it’s a beautiful pair of handmade wingtips or sparkly Louboutins. It’s nice to have a pair of shoes that aren’t uncomfortable and feel special, for when you do something that isn’t the mundane daily life. Shoes are kind of magic in that way. Putting on that special pair feels good.”
What It’s Like Being A Stylist: “I didn’t know this was a job. Usually, you were a magazine editor if you wanted to style. Because of Rachel Zoe, there is so much more attention on stylists now and people know what we do and are interested in us. It’s good and bad. I think it killed the magic a little bit, but I hope what I do is invisible in a way and that the girl is wearing the thing that is most suited to her and says who she is. That is what I try to do rather than make my own statement of my artistic vision.”
