By Karalee Miller
McClatchy Newspapers
Fashion stylist extraordinaire Kate Young isn't one to name drop. But she easily could. The 32-year-old New Yorker has worked with everyone from fashion editor Anna Wintour (she was her assistant at Vogue) to legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld to actress Natalie Portman.
Her resume also includes styling major ad campaigns for Carolina Herrera, Armani Exchange and Neiman Marcus; creating red carpet looks for Hollywood's youthful A-listers Portman, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz and serving as fashion editor-at-large for Interview magazine.
Her latest endeavor teams the platinum-tressed Young with Kiehl's, the iconic New York-based skin-care line for men and women that's been around since 1851.
With the "Choose Your Attitude" tour, Young and Kiehl's traveled to six major cities nationwide and met with customers to help them determine the skin care and hair care best suited for them, based on their personal style, individual needs and daily routine.
We chatted with Young, who's due to give birth in March, during her recent tour stop at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. She dished about everything from her favorite Kiehl's products (available at all Neiman's stores and Nordstrom as well as online at http://www.kiehls.com) to what it's like working for Wintour.
•On being asked by Kiehl's to partake in their new venture
"My first reaction, honestly, was 'Do you think I can get some free Kiehl's stuff?' But then I said, 'Well, let's see if this can work.'"
• The difference between celebrities and the not-yet famous
"Movie stars are much more self-aware. ... Celebrities are one way in front of the camera and another in their day-to-day lives. My doorman didn't even recognize Natalie Portman. He saw a rack of clothes come through our building with her name on it, and he asked if she was coming. I told him, 'You just let her up five minutes ago.' Real women don't typically have a going-out persona. They have other concerns -- I have kids, a career, not much time. They want to know how few steps they need."
• On her longtime love of Kiehl's
"The first time I visited Kiehl's, I was 16. My mom would have thought it was ridiculous to go to the East Village to buy a cream. It was one of my first trips into the city without my mother (Young grew up in Pennsylvania). I'd read about Kiehl's in magazines and read that those were the products always used on models ... and I'd always see the products in the background of photo shoots in magazines."
• Favorite Kiehl's products
Epidermal Re-Texturing Micro-Dermabrasion, Everyday Facial Moisturizing Sunscreen Cream, Creme de Corps, Creme with Silk Groom, Lip Balm 1
• On working with Anna Wintour
Young, who studied English and art history at Oxford, worked at the fashion tome for five years (one year directly with Wintour).
"She was fine. I was her second assistant. With that job, I learned about New York City. I had a driver and went all over the city. I learned where to shop if you have the best money can buy."
• When she started at Vogue, Young thought she wanted to be a fashion writer.
"But I noticed that it was the stylists who had all the racks of clothes in their offices and all the jewelry. The writers were in a dark corner typing."
• Things she can't live without
Kiehl's Lip Balm 1, T3 Wetto-Dry Flat Iron, Chanel 2.55 handbag -- she has 11 ("I've worked with Karl Lagerfeld, and he's very sweet"), Derek Lam dreses
• Style icons
English actress Charlotte Rampling ("her look from the '70s") and Margit Carstensen from Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films
• Style staples
"I like shorter dresses and really big, clear colors; a defined waist rather than a blouson, voluminous shape. And I like platform shoes. For face, I really like a coral lip with a defined brow and almost no other makeup."
• Favorites
Spring runway shows: Lanvin and Miu Miu; designer: Derek Lam; city: Stockholm; movie: "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant"; TV show: "Big Love"; band: VietNam; indulgence: lavender bath.
