MORE PHOTOS: MARY ALICE STEPHENSON AT SAKS' FALL WANT-IT TRENDS
Cab to Saks Fifth Avenue: $10.
Hot pumps from Intermix: $300.
Seeing Mary Alice Stephenson dial her old BU pal Manos the nightclub lord from Mike Diskin’s phone to make plans to go to Underbar later: fucking priceless.
Yuka Okajima, move over: I may have a new girl crush. Don’t get me wrong — I still want to have tea and meet your family in Japan. But at the moment I’m just slightly smitten with the ever-so-fabulous Mary Alice Stephenson.
MasterCard welcomed the style expert and fashion’s resident babe to Saks Fifth Avenue at the Pru last night for an informal fashion show of “Fall’s Want It!” trends. It wasn’t really an event, per se — it was more of a style-ambush PR stunt. But it was kind of cool nevertheless. Mary Alice picked out unsuspecting shoppers and paid for their loot (with a MasterCard, of course) while photographers caught it on camera. Me, me, me! Mary Alice, pick me — I really need this Pucci dress! I guess I was disqualified for being there to interview her. Damn it, I should have gone incognito. Bitter. Very bitter.
Moving on. When I first approached her before the style ambushes began, Mary Alice greeted me with a huge smile (BTW, are those veneers or just some serious whitening?) and said, “Oh my God, you look so cute, great outfit.” My heart stopped. This woman has seen models like Gisele naked, and she was digging my look. And so the girl crush began.
We got to chitchatting about peeps we know in common from my New York days, and I discovered she went to BU. Wait, I went to BU. It was all just too fabulous to take. She told me about her days partying at BU and mentioned a man named Manos. Mike Diskin (who I forced to be my photographer for the night) chimed in, “Hey, I know Manos” (of course he does). “He’s a promoter in this city; I have his number in my phone.” Mike flipped to this dude’s number on his contact list and Mary Alice proceeded to call the nightclub lord, who invited her to Underbar later.
I loved that a TV personality and style guru to the stars was making plans — on Diskin’s phone, no less — to hang out with a nightclub promoter later that night, after she was done being glamorous, doing interviews, and ambushing unsuspecting Saks shoppers. Truly priceless. Thank you, MasterCard.
Once her plans for later were made (p.s.: she asked us to come with her), I asked the sparkle princess a few questions. I knew the various PR ladies surrounding her would have liked me to ask a bunch of softballs about the “Want It” trends and gush about how fabulous it is to have a MasterCard, but my card is probably not nearly as fabulous as hers. And anyway, I’m much more interested in her life, her BFF Liv Tyler, and getting her contact information so we can hang out in Brooklyn. (Did I mention that I’m dying my hair blonde and getting a bob cut and veneers? Single White Female’s got nothing on me.)
Q: Which celebrities do you currently style?
A: I do red carpet for Michelle Monahan. She’s eight months pregnant but just wore this incredible Lanvin dress for her movie premiere. I also style magazine covers for Harper’s Bazaar and have worked with a lot of different celebrities, like Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler.
Q: What’s the story with Liv? People say you’re BFF. How did you meet?
A: We are really good friends. She is a fantastic, normal, real person. I styled her for a Harper’s Bazaar cover and that’s how we met. Then I started styling her for the red carpet. When we became really good friends it was hard to be her stylist. You have to work hard at being professional.
Q: What’s your best TV gig ever?
A: CNN is great, but I have to say it was this show I did: America’s Most Smartest Model is by far the best. It is a fun, kooky spoof. I believe the models I have worked with — Tyra, Gisele, Heidi — they are so smart. I wanted to debunk the myth that models are dumb.
Q: Have you had any Devil Wears Prada moments in your career?
A: Oh, I’ve had many — but I’ll never tell you about it, honey! I will say that everything you do, you have to do with style, authenticity, and grace. There’s an old school and a new school in fashion. Some of the old-school editors broke ground for people like you and me. They are stars and responsible for some of the incredible imagery coming out of this century. When you are striking and good at what you do, you have to be powerful and strong, and that takes a lot of strength and energy and being able to deal.
It’s a kinder and gentler fashion industry now. This used to be a very insular biz and now, thanks to TV and the Internet, editors are being put in the spotlight and have to like to do everything and be more versatile. There is enough to go around for everyone.
Q: What about when Nina Garcia wants a dress and Anna Wintour wants the same dress?
A: When Anna wants a dress, Anna gets the dress. But let’s talk about Saks and fall trends!
Q: Okay, okay: tell me about this list and some of your personal picks for fall.
A: You and I know a lot about fashion, but the average woman coming in off the street has so much coming at her. The list makes it easy for real women. It’s really helpful. I personally like the statement necklace. It’s an easy, fast way to update your look and create a “wow moment” around your neck. I also love the romantic blouse. Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana all did them. It doesn’t have to be puritan — just super feminine.
Q: How do you feel about fall’s return to elegance?
A: I’m happy that fall is all about glamour and elegance. The runway can get vulgar. Fashion is about real clothes and accessories, not a strip of fabric.
— Erica Corsano
