Kate Young is frequently described as a power stylist, a super stylist and a stylist to the stars. All true: Her taste has transformed the looks of Selena Gomez, Margot Robbie, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman and many other red-carpet standouts and led to her own lines for Tura sunglasses and Target. But for us at PRIOR, Kate’s superpowers stem from the fact that this daughter of Pennsylvania academics studied English and art history at the University of Oxford, then learned the ropes as Anna Wintour’s assistant at Vogue, rising through the fashion-closet ranks to become sittings editor, followed by stints at Interview, Teen Vogue and InStyle. When she decided to leave the magazine world in 2010 to dress celebrities full-time, it was, she has said, a dirty little secret, not seen as cool — “at all.” She followed her intuition straight to the top.
For the last year, Young’s beat-up Rimowas have been stashed in her home in Woodstock, New York, where she lives with her husband and two sons. But she’s looking forward to getting out into the world again — not just with double-sided tape in her bag. This summer, road trips to the Adirondacks and Maine will replace the family’s annual trip to Europe in July. The only downside, says Young, is that “No trips to Europe means no glamorous summer dresses.”
Christine Muhlke: What’s the one piece of clothing and one accessory you never travel without in summer?
Kate Young: A bikini. Even on work trips. You never know. And sunglasses from my line for Tura. I have pale eyes and need sunglasses all the time.
How do you handle laundry when you travel? Are you a wash-in-the-sink type, or is it all about laundry service?
I’m sort of a high-low traveler: I love camping and road trips and then fancy European trips. So I hand-wash while roughing it and use laundry service when in a fancy hotel, because the clothes I pack are so different.
Which city or country has the best summer style?
The South of France.
