What attracted you to personal styling, rather than, say, fashion design?

Oh, that’s easy. I like making people feel good, and I like people being able to discover who they are. I just really enjoy helping people use personal style in different situations in life. Teaching people to use fashion as a tool to enable them to be seen the way in which they want to be seen is very rewarding.

Is styling a “regular” woman any different than styling a celebrity? How?

No. The concept is exactly the same. It’s about making each person look their most beautiful and making them feel really good about themselves. The only difference with a celebrity is that their lifestyle is different, so they have many more events, red carpets, interviews, magazine articles and television appearances; the amount of opportunities for them to be seen and photographed is more than the average person. 

What is the number one mistake women make when dressing themselves?

The number one mistake is that women don’t know what colors they look good in. That’s a big thing for me. You could wear the most beautiful jacket or the most beautiful dress, but if you don’t know what your color is, it’s never going to work. We all have examples of this in our wardrobe—there are certain things you get compliments on and certain things that no one ever says anything about because they don’t flatter you. The compliment is, ‘that looks great on you,’ not, ‘that’s a beautiful jacket.’ You want people to notice how great you look in the clothes, not the other way around. And that really is the full tale, because when you look great, with the right color and the right silhouette, people will notice you—that’s when you know you’re wearing the right clothes for you.

What’s your favorite trend for spring?

This spring I really like some of the ethnic prints, the tie dyes and some of the beautiful colors. They are quite beautiful if you just use them sparingly. Maybe have one or two pieces in your wardrobe and mix them with your solids and casual garments. They make an outfit fun and happy.

What do you like about the Carlisle and Per Se collections this season? 

I think that they have wonderful pieces that really put a whole wardrobe together for a woman. You can buy different pieces but all the colors, fabrics and silhouettes work together. They are very geared towards a woman’s body; Carlisle and Per Se understand a woman’s body so she just looks terrific in those clothes.

You are the artist that puts together the amazing mannequins at the Carlisle showroom each season.  Where do you get your accessories, as they are always so spot-on?

So many different places. Anywhere from SoHo, to East Village, to Madison Avenue, to 5th Avenue. I do very well at Henri Bendel, and the shoe department at Saks is amazing. Bergdorf’s and Barneys both have really cool accessories and bags. It’s really a conglomeration of a lot of different places. 

Do you have any pointers for women who want to build a more cohesive wardrobe?

Your wardrobe becomes cohesive when you know what colors and fabrics you look good in. And make sure that you have the certain pieces for all the elements of your life, in terms of great business clothes, great weekend clothes, a great bathing suit for summer and a terrific winter coat for winter. You don’t need a lot but you need the right pieces.  Know whether you look good in silver jewelry or gold jewelry. Usually dark complexioned women look really good in silver with their skin tone. And generally, blondes and red heads tend to look very good in gold jewelry. So know which jewelry you look good in, make sure that the belts and accessories match.

If there’s one thing that women should remember when dressing each day, what is it?

When you go out into the world, you’re making a statement. When you walk into a room, people look at you and they automatically make a judgment about you based on the way you look. You need to take that opportunity as an opportunity to let them see you the way you want to be seen, and use clothes to do that. Style is your weapon. If you want to be taken seriously, utilize powerful colors and a beautiful suit. If you want to look sexier or softer, maybe it’s a beautiful dress and a great pair of heels. If you want to be seen as fun and easy, pair jeans with a sweater, cool boots and a great jacket. You can use clothes to say what you want to say about yourself and be seen the way you want to be seen.  

Take the time to feel good, and take time for yourself. Because if you do that in the morning, by picking out your clothes and taking time with your hair and makeup, you’re going to radiate positive energy during the day. People will respond to you in a very positive way. When you care about yourself, other people care about you. The goal is not to look “dressed up,” the goal is to take time for yourself. And then all the rest just happens naturally.