Suzanne Newman spends a lot of time shopping at Northbrook Court. In and out of stores she goes, looking for the perfect outfits, the little black dress, the fun boots, and other wardrobe additions that would make any woman feel great.
But Newman isn’t at the mall for herself. Shopping is her business. She’s the owner of her image and wardrobe consulting company, “Find Fashion Happiness,” that just celebrated its 10-year anniversary.
“My job is to make people feel good about themselves,” said Newman, a University of Georgia graduate who in the past has worked as a sales executive for Liz Claiborne and as a freelance makeup artist. “I try to empower them by giving them the tools—the makeup, the hair, the outfits.”
Newman started Find Fashion Happiness a decade ago when she was going through what she described as “a horrific divorce,” and needed to make money while still being home with her then 12-year-old daughter.
She attended a life planning class at The Women’s Exchange in Winnetka, where she met several women who, just like her, were trying to figure out their next steps in life.
“For years, I’d been helping my friends shop for outfits and reorganize their closets,” Newman said. “I was the person everyone went to. So, the women all told me to go into business, and one of them said, ‘I’m going to be your first client.’”
Word began to get around and Newman said before she knew it, she had a book of clients.
Newman, who is remarried and who lives in Vernon Hills, caters to clients in transition, such as divorce, death of a spouse, retirement, or going back to work. She also works with busy professionals.
“They don’t have time to update their looks,” she said. “I take that stress out of their lives.”
Here’s how Find Fashion Happiness typically works. Newman goes to the client’s home and looks through his or her wardrobe, while asking questions about lifestyle, and what kind of image they want to project. It’s a process she said is very collaborative.
She and the client then make piles of clothing: thing to keep, things to donate and things that need to be altered. What usually follows next is a trip to the mall, where Newman says she “fills in the gaps.”
“We get the essentials, the things the client is missing, and sometimes I’ll create a spreadsheet with events coming up and we’ll pick out outfits for each event,” she said.
Cheryl Barnett of Buffalo Grove is the senior manager of creative strategy for a financial services company and a mom of two young kids. She’s been a client of Newman’s for several years.
“I’ve never had time to spend on my image, and Suzanne makes everything so easy,” she said. “She goes through the racks and picks things, some of which I like and some I would never pick, but I try it on because I trust her, and 99 percent of the time she ends up being right.”
Barnett recently shopped for an outfit with Newman for her son’s January 25th bar mitzvah. It was no surprise to Barnett that they found the perfect suit.
“I love it,” she said. “My husband actually whistled.”
“It’s sexy on her, but in a classy way,” Newman said. “She has beautiful curves and it shows that.”
Newman, who charges by the hour said she works with all price points and at all stores, from designer clothing boutiques to Banana Republic to T.J. Maxx.
“The ideal closet makes you feel happy, calm and prepared for things,” Newman said. “If I won the lottery, I would still do this for people who asked.”
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