Styling on tap
She made her mark as the owner of a Perth fashion house but these days earns a penny culling orphans for fun. Fraser McEwing talks to a stylist with a difference.
Kandy Russo is her own advertisement.
Dressing with double-take flair, perfectly groomed, and with an engaging personality, she is a professional stylist. You could imagine women in her main target group of mid 30s to 50s telling her: "I want to look like you".
Russo's early training pointed her in the designer direction. She finished a fashion degree in Perth in 1978 and worked for a couple of labels until she opened her own upmarket fashion house and was named Perth's designer of the year in 1982 - in three different categories. The well paying wedding business then beckoned and she dressed brides until bridal madness began to rub off on to her and she sold the business.
Family making, a stint in the UK accompanying her merchant banker husband and the establishment of a new label, Collezoni Russo filled in the years until 2003 when she launched What Will I Wear? in Sydney.
"I realise now that I always wanted to dress people, starting with Irving, my toy koala when I was three," she says. "I love the personal involvement of making somebody look great by helping them choose the right clothes. I advise on hair, hands and makeup as well."
Attending a Westfield Bondi Junction stylists meeting and presenting her credentials gave her a major boost. The shopping centre has three stylists consulting to it. Russo became one of them, taking people shopping in Westfield to choose clothes to enhance their images. But more than that, Russo has developed the skill to give her clients the confidence to combine and wear what they buy.
Where clients do not come from Westfield's personal styling service, Russo roams a little further afield to other shops in Bondi Junction, Woollahra and Double Bay - which she says is the best place for shoes. But Westfield usually has more than enough for her clients. Russo is in and out of the shops so often that she knows their stock, their fit, their price ranges and their personnel. Often the retailers will offer a discount. She passes it on to her client because that's who she is working for. Russo's styling and buying fees are $150 for the first hour and $120 for subsequent hours.
The function of a personal stylist would appear to be a series of shopping expeditions where clothes are chosen specifically for, and with the client. But, in fact, that is the final phase. When she takes on a client, Russo begins by going through their wardrobe to cull the orphans and the worse-for-wears. For people who can't decide what should go or what should stay, Russo has devised a quick test. She says:
"For the next month, after you wear something, return the item on its hanger facing the other direction. At the end of the month if more than fifty per cent of your wardrobe remains untouched, then you are definitely in need of a wardrobe rescue.
"And it isn't just clothes that can spoil your look. Chipped and scuffed shoes, loose threads, missing buttons, stains and pilling: anything that is not up to scratch has to go. Never compromise. Keep the best, turf the rest!"
With a full book of appointments and a growing client list Russo still sets aside vital research time so that she knows what's coming next in fashion. She reads Women's Wear Daily, a big cross section of fashion magazines, keeps a keen eye on MTV and Max Music shows to see what is 'hot' and 'on trend'. She also takes full advantage of being a member of the Fashion Group where trend information is disseminated. And as if all that were not enough, Russo is armed with her designer's intuition.
One of the marks of a professional is to show how it is done without fearing you will do yourself out of a job. Russo doesn't just select for her clients, she teaches them the fundamentals of good buying. The aim is to have a wardrobe where all the pieces are versatile, making it easy to match the clothes to the occasion, be it casual, business or formal. Her company website is full of free advice. On it, for instance, she tells people that they cannot wear red unless they are dark and Mediterranean or Asian.
Currently, with the trend towards plainer pieces, the fashion twist is left to jewellery and accessories. If you follow her advice to wear tight, black, straight -leg jeans, then you need a stunning belt to go with them. Russo is a great believer in accessories. "Don't go past great bags and quality shoes to define your look," she says. "And well kept hair will transform you. If your hair lets you down, no outfit can save you. Make your hairdresser your best friend. And smile. A smile exudes confidence. It is a vital accessory."
It is obvious that Russo is a lot more than just an advisor on clothing - or even fashion in the broader sense. She gives her clients - who can be men or women, teenagers or elderly - belief in how they present themselves to the world.
By Fraser McEwing