DRESSING ROOM : Star stylist brings fashion tips home
Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2008
Arkansas-born celebrity stylist Kevin Sanders recently returned to his home state for some fashionable appearances at Little Rock boutique RK Collections and its two sister shops, Impulse and Splurge.
Sanders’ touch has been seen on A-listers at the Oscars, Tonys, Grammys, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and People’s Choice Awards. It was he who dressed Jamie Foxx in the deep-purple Oswald Boateng suit the actor wore when he received the 2005 Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the movie Ray.
A native of Salem in Fulton County, Sanders is an alumnus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Possessing nothing but a dream and his innate flair for fashion, he left Arkansas for New York in 2002.
“I didn’t know anybody. I’d never even been to New York at that time,” he says.
And no one knew him, so no one in the fashion industry gave him a break. Sanders cooled his heels by waiting tables; then he got a job as the Versace specialist at Macy’s.
It was Renee Cullen, a Macy’s client and director of CNN’s American Morning, who led to Sanders’ “first gig” as a professional fashion stylist.
Having not opened the doors he’d hoped to open, the discouraged Sanders was on the verge of leaving New York when Cullen e-mailed him one day and asked if he wanted to meet then-American Morning co-host Soledad O’Brien. “I went in without a resume or a portfolio,” he recalls. “I went with a line sheet and said, ‘I’ll make you the bestdressed woman on network television. ’” O’Brien was pregnant with twins at the time and said she wanted to revamp her wardrobe. “I said, ‘ Really ? I’m your guy. ’” Sanders recalls. “Didn’t know what the hell I was doing, to be honest with you.” But he became O’Brien’s stylist and went on to dress most of the other CNN anchors. In the meantime he met publicists, agents and other personnel who connected him with additional clients — eventually including Maggie Rodriguez, co-anchor of CBS’ The Early Show; Foxx and his daughter Camille; and Reese Witherspoon.
Sanders says he makes it a point not to act like a “diva,” or otherwise make clients uncomfortable. “I will literally go in jeans and T-shirt out shopping. In fact I understyle myself so no one gets intimidated, because the first thing people say to me is, ‘How do I look ?’ And I want everybody to feel special. I never critique.” He tells them, “’I think you have a very special look. [But ] there’s always some special element you could add. ’”
During his Little Rock visit, Sanders shared a few fashion tips.
Must-have basic items for men ? “Men need a great pair of jeans. And a great pair of dress pants. And not khakis,” he says.
He advises men to keep their look simple. “I think men nowadays get a little bit overstylized.” He suggests taking simple elements and making them look stylized — take jeans and a T-shirt and add a great jacket and boots, for instance.
And for women ? “You’ve got to have that little black dress,” Sanders says. “One you can wear out and to work. Nowadays, since clothes are so expensive, you want to get [multiple ] purposes out of them.” If it’s a sleeveless dress, a shirt or turtleneck can be layered underneath for the office. It can also be belted at times, unbelted other times. “You’d never know it was the same dress.”
Men and women should have a signature piece that gives a flair to one’s look — a hat or an heirloom watch, for instance, he adds.
Sanders, who hates logos on clothes, also advocates eclecticism — for instance mixing high-dollar pieces with Target, Salvation Army or vintage-store garments. “I tell you now, there’s not much difference” between many of the most-expensive designer pieces and something that could be bought at a Target store, he says.
He advises wearers not to buy any piece they can’t wear with something else. Unadorned, easily interchangeable pieces are best. “Keep it simple. Keep it a uniform look. And dress age-appropriately. Please.”
Sanders encourages dressing for society in general. What does that mean ? “We’re in an economic downturn. Style down. And make it specialized.”
When dressing for Christmastime events, he says, be careful. Avoid the traditional colors associated with a particular holiday — in other words, don’t dress in red and green for Christmas.
“Don’t repeat something that’s so recognizable. Then, you have no style,” he says. “[And they’ll ] say you look like a Christmas tree. That’s the first thing that’s going through their head.” The Christmas-theme sweater worn over a white turtleneck ? Anathema. Instead, Sanders suggests, take one seasonal color and build on it with other colors. And again, to save precious time, take one dress and change it up.
Most importantly, Sanders says, everyone should have a good tailor on hand. Sanders sees himself as not just a stylist, but a motivator. His message to anyone who has a dream: “You can do it if you really want to do it.”
ANNIVERSARY TIME This year marks the 30 th anniversary of the original Ralph Lauren Polo fragrance, created in 1978. In honor of the occasion, its parent company has introduced Polo Modern Reserve, described as “a crisp, fresher interpretation of Polo” and made by Carlos Benaim, who produced the original fragrance. Polo Modern Reserve contains top notes of cardamom CO 2, fresh-cut basil and pimento berry; midnotes of vetyver-leather, liquid jasmine and precious myrrh incense; and base notes of humidor wood, patchouli and sueded leather.
Polo Modern Reserve will be available in a Deluxe Limited Edition ($ 200 ) featuring an 8-ounce bottle with 24-karat gold embellishments on the pony, cap and Modern Reserve signature. The bottle is in a leather box reflecting its numerical position (among only 3, 500 in the world ). A 4-ounce edition ($ 62. 50 ) will also be introduced and become a permanent part of the Polo collection. The fragrance is sold at better department stores and various online fragrance retailers.
BE YE TRANSFORMED The Transformation Fashion Show, a fundraiser for the Carousel Fit-4-Life Wellness Center, is scheduled for 6: 30 p. m. Dec. 13 at The Dream Center at Promiseland, 8923 Sunset Lane in Little Rock. This event will feature Carousel clients who took part in the Revelation Fitness Program begun by trainer and Carousel overseer Phyllis Hodges. The show will consist of a troupe of 15 clients, men and women, appearing in three scenes — an Opening scene, where they model their “before” clothes; a Look At Me Now scene, where they show off their “after” clothing; and a Show Stopper scene where, Hodges says, the clients show that “I’ve been healed and delivered.” All guests will receive a bag of healthful snacks and a cosmetics gift. Hodges promises the show will be “a wonderful night out” and a great dress-up opportunity.
Proceeds will be used to sponsor clients for the Revelation Fitness Program. Begun in May, this is a $ 140, month-long regimen of exercise and nutrition. The program consists of personal training sessions; chat sessions to discuss the challenges and benefits of weight loss; and unlimited visits to the center, 513 N. Main St., North Little Rock. “There are a lot of people who want the services but who can’t afford it financially,” Hodges says.
Tickets are $ 20 each for adults; $ 10 each for children age 14 and under. No tickets will be sold at the door. Call (501 ) 372-3348. Dressing Room is published biweekly. Send news releases to Helaine R. Williams, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P. O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or e-mail: hwilliams@arkansasonline. com
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