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Seasoned stylist Kate Young never arrives at any event unprepared. Whether it’s the red carpet, a shoot, or a press function, she always brings a strategically packed Rimowa suitcase (or, if sending a client to an event on her own, prepares one for her) that doubles as a fashion first-aid kit. On the seventh episode of Hello Fashion, created with The Slowdown, Young shares some of the essentials she places inside every travel bag, along with insider tips and tricks.
Young devotes one side of the suitcase to “hardware,” including black matte safety pins, dressmaker measuring tape, a sewing kit, and a leather hole punch, the latter of which she uses to add extra openings in belts and shoes. “People often like to wear their shoe straps a little tighter so they feel secure, especially if they have to walk across a stage,” Young says. Other items are less expected, such as double-sided tape, originally created for men’s toupees, that can solve last-minute tailoring needs in a snap; and CBD lotion from Lord Jones, which Young recommends for soothing sore feet wedged into high heels. She also always brings a sweater stone from The Laundress. “It takes any pilling off of a knit,” Young says of the device, noting that she often works with samples that have traveled through multiple hands. “Plus it’s lightweight, so it’s easy to pack.”
The other side of the suitcase holds soft goods—body-shaping garments that add, support, and accentuate a client’s curves. Among them: a stick-on NuBra that Young says provides a “little bit of lift” and “togetherness,” individually boxed Commando thongs, a Cosabella corset, and Wolford bodysuits in both white and black, which Young uses when she wants to achieve the look of a T-shirt under a jacket. “You don’t have to worry about it coming untucked or buckling,” she says. “And the fabric is really dense and matte, so you don’t get that shine across the front.”
Near the end of the episode, Young reveals her most surprising essential. “One of the things I do that’s a little unconventional is padding bodies,” she says, holding up a pair of black butt-padded panties. “I learned this from a costume designer: Sometimes, the way to make areas of the body look smaller is to make other areas look bigger.” She’ll often remove the pads from the underwear and sew them into an evening gown, or tuck them into a Skims bodysuit, to enhance a small-framed client’s hips. “Everybody remembers when they used to tell people to wear shoulder pads to make their waists look smaller,” Young continues. “This is the same thing.”
Watch new and previous episodes of Kate Young’sYouTube show Hello Fashion at youtube.com/kateyoung.
