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There’s no getting away from it, people judge people by appearances. We all have something about our bodies that we’re not entirely happy with but we’ve learned over the years how to work with what we’ve got. No-one can empathise more with this than style and image consultant, Suzanne Jaya. She talks to City Life about her passion for fashion, body issues and zest for life.
LIFE LAUNDRY
What were your early style influences?
1950’s movies, my mum’s Vogue magazines and, bizarrely, when I was very young I used to draw pictures of Medieval and Tudor period costumes. I must be reincarnated from back then.
Who are your style icons?
My parents – both my sister and I got our fashion-sense from them. My father and mother were very glamorous. My mum was always on-trend but not a fashion victim. She always looked classy. I still remember her white kinky boots that she wore in the early ‘70’s! Even in illness prior to his death, my dad always took pride in his appearance and even now my mum never fails to find a shop window to glance into – my three year old niece is beginning to take after her and my sister is very much a yummy mummy who always takes time to put on her lipstick and a smile.
How would you describe your own style?
Created - not bought and a bit eclectic. I’m Anglo-Indian, so the Indian side of me really gets drawn to all sorts of embellishments, beads, sparkles and bold colour. I love mixing colours, textures and pieces together.
There’s a bit of the Boho Bollywood in me but I execute it with a Western approach. I love wearing bindis on my forehead to parties and once spent the whole night on my hands and knees because it fell off and it was my favourite. Needless to say it found its way through the crack in a floorboard never to be seen again! For work I play this side down, particularly when dealing with business clients. My style still has some dramatic details but with a more European approach.
What are your signature accessories?
I love hats; also scarves of every shape, size, texture and colour.
What’s your one indulgence?
Regular hairdos because I have wild curly hair which although I love, needs a bit of control and I’ve always got better things to do with my time and energy.
Greatest passions
Food, family and friends in that order.
Tell us your best kept beauty secret.
It’s a secret! No, really it’s ritual, ritual and ritual. When my sister and I were young, our mum drummed into our heads the importance of a good skincare routine. We’ve always followed it and so far it’s paid off. It doesn’t always have to be expensive - I used to make face masks out of store cupboard items as a child and still do today. I always seek out products that use no synthesised chemicals or preservatives and a high content of botanical ingredients.
Embarrassing style moment
I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance during a long period of serious ill-health. A couple of hours before being taken ill, I’d smothered my hair in coconut oil to condition it. I ended up being taken to intensive care before having a chance to wash it off. It sounds so vain, but even though I was ill I kept really fretting about it!
What would you take onto a desert island?
Something alluring to attract a passing sailor to rescue me.
Favourite places?
London because I spent so much time living and working there – I still love the buzz of the big city. In complete contrast Cornwall where my family now live and it’s the only time I mange to really dress down and get away with it. Wales, of course because it’s where I was born and bred and I love the landscape. Australia because I connect with it on some deeper level and finally India for all its chaos, colour and people. Told you I was a bit eclectic!
What can’t you live without?
■ Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankincense Nourishing Cream
■ Perfume by Creed
■ Loads of water
■ Books
What could you live without?
Handbags. As gorgeous as they are, I feel totally encumbered with one and am liberated each time I leave the house without it.
What are your biggest bugbears?
We live in too much of a throwaway society so I guess it’s the ‘new money’ mentality – those who know the price of everything and value of nothing. The computer saying ‘No’.
Favourite designer?
I don’t really have a favourite, nor am I a slave to top end designer labels. However, I have some pieces from Scandinavian designers such as Malene Birger, Day, Birger et Mikklesen and labels such as Noa Noa. Karen Millen and Zara have pieces that make me feel curvier and fit my frame perfectly. Some of my favourite styles of clothes are only seen in Asian magazines so I tend to admire them from afar.
If money were no object…
I’d have all my clothes bespoke made by Phillipa, a designer in Monmouth - she’s amazing.
Have you ever made any fashion faux pas?
The whole of the 1980’s I reckon! Actually I remember once going to a medical conference with my father. One particular day, I stepped out with him in a posh frock with a donkey jacket over it. I was about seventeen at the time. He was horrified, so much so that he took me straight to Howells department store in Cardiff, bought me a brand new coat and then we went off to the function. He told me that I looked like I was wearing a coal miner’s jacket!
Favourite shops?
Too many to mention this time, but anywhere unusual, cosy, friendly and with nooks and crannies, or with an opulent boudoir kind of feel to it. I love shopping in Havana in Cowbridge Bryl’s Boutique in Barry and Pink Zebra in Llantrisant Old Town for their fabulous pieces, value for money and excellent customer service.
What style advice have your parents given you?
My dad always said that a woman who leaves a little to the imagination is far sexier than one who flaunts it. He said he preferred a glimpse of a slim ankle or something backless rather than frontless so to speak.
My mum always notices men’s shoes and my sister and I have developed that same eye for detail. She has brought us up to never let ourselves go and even if we have only a penny in our pocket to keep ourselves tidy enough that we look like we’ve got much more. I think that comes from her experiences post War where people took pride in themselves but were going through an economic crisis. Also, that style is not just about how we look, it’s also how we conduct ourselves – it’s all in the detail and gestures. Just one thoughtful act can add to the style factor.
We notice that you use two names
Yes, I’ve always loved my Indian middle name Jaya, which means Victory. My family surname Raghavan has been the inspiration for a doctor’s character in the Welsh sitcom High Hopes. The character is based on my father which is quite amusing. Suzanne Jaya has stuck with people because they find my last name unpronounceable and as my dad has posthumously found fame on TV I’ve continued using Jaya in my business name.
Funniest moment with a client?
I was out shopping one day with a male client. He was sneakily checking himself out in a mirror as we left a shoe shop and had failed to see the pile of shoe boxes in his way. Needless to say he went flying, bumped into a pillar and a passing sales assistant. He knows who he is!
Any advice for young people?
Play with your style – it’s the only time that you can rebel a bit and experiment. Creative expression is natural – there’ll be plenty of time to get sensible about clothes when you start work.
What’s your take on modern day fashion?
Really, designers just rehash the best bits of 20th century trends. The only difference between the industry now and since the mid 20th century is the cutting edge technology available to make clothes more comfortable.
Fashion isn’t as iconic nowadays; Nothing mind-blowing has happened since the padded shoulders of the 1980’s and I can’t imagine what will be remembered in the same way that the mini skirt is for the 1960’s.
What type of clients look for you?
Anyone who needs to redefine themselves or has lost touch with their sense of style or has got into a fashion rut. In particular those people who put others first and believe that they are not worthy of looking their absolute best. Style is so subjective because it is creative, but there is a science behind it too in terms of adapting fabric, cuts and designs to an individual body type.
There are some hard and fast rules too, particularly in the business/corporate sector where professional wear still needs to reflect industry traditions.
I love the way that some simple changes can increase a client’s confidence to the extent that they get a new job, profit their business, a relationship or even rekindle the flames of an existing one. Basically, I just want people to look and feel the business!
But aren’t personal style and image consultants just for the rich and famous?
Absolutely not. Why should they be the only ones who get to look good! We might not all get to be seen on TV or in the media, but every single one of us has to get up each day and put in an appearance somewhere, do a job and put our face in front of dozens of people.
Hiring a stylist is just about using another person’s skills to achieve your aims. It’s perceived as expensive because of all the celebrity endorsements, but actually I deal with many clients on a piecemeal basis – you can’t create a new person overnight – effective style has to evolve over a period of time and each client has to embrace it as their own.
Do you have any famous clients?
Can’t say - client confidentiality etc.
You mentioned that you had been ill for some time – is it something you want to share with us?
I don’t mind sharing if it helps others, although it’s probably a story within its own right. I was born with major heart defects – congenital heart disease. This condition affects about one in a hundred babies. Surgeons were only just pioneering surgical and medical solutions for this when I was young and many patients didn’t survive. Apparently I’m lucky to have got this far. I’ve had my fair share of cardiac surgery and procedures, have been hospitalised for many months over the years and have had some very dicey moments.
Ultimately we learn at a very young age to live with the disease. It hasn’t been an easy ride for either me or my family. Support and help from outside the family hasn’t been forthcoming – we’ve had to find it and fight for it and generally keep knocking on doors and be persistent. It’s because as a group of cardiac patients, our disease falls outside of the norm which is why it is a specialist branch of cardiac medicine. Most people have heard of coronary artery disease or bypass surgery but being born with heart disease is a different kettle of fish, as we have other complications to consider.
A charitable patient association called GUCH (Grown Up Congenital Hearts) offers fantastic support at all levels for its patients and the carers and families of those patients. They have been an invaluable resource and comfort to me over the years.
The past ten years have been some of the most challenging of my life but it has made me more determined to do only work that I love, create balance in my life, put my health first and help people to reach their full potential. Being self-employed allows me to be flexible with my working hours and if I’m having a particularly bad health day then I can just stay home in my pyjamas and no-one knows any different.
What’s your tip for survival?
Have a sense of humour - some of my funniest moments have been borne out of the most dire and fearful situations. Realise that self-confidence is not narcissistic – it’s best to hang out with people who are upbeat, positive and genuine as anything else is just draining on our energy. Recognise that giving-in to illness is sometimes the most practical and deserving thing you can do – we all need a rest now and then, so don’t let others make you feel guilty for it. Finally, support your local community – it’s the only way any of us are going to survive anything.
What would a suitor have to do to win your heart?
Little things really are the most endearing. Afternoon tea or a surprise picnic always do it for me or a spontaneous weekend away, or just having a cup of tea made for me.
What does style and image mean to you?
I think of it like a stick of rock – consistency all the way through, no matter where you cut it!
That well-known saying ‘perception is reality’ really rings true. We do make judgements about people within seconds of a first meeting. It’s human instinct and it is primal, even though we are taught not to judge a book by the cover. The human race would have died out long ago if we’d hung around to find out if the woolly mammoth heading our way was a friendly sort. We were given instincts for a reason and they are still a basic human requirement even in modern times.
Quite unknowingly we create our own personal brand and are unaware of the effect that this has on others or our own success. Having a personal brand image reflects our ethos and values and it quite accurately communicates our true self. The style element is just about how we execute it through our thoughts, behaviours, gestures and thoughtful acts, or with a little verve and cheekiness. Politicians and people in the public eye can be taught it this but if it doesn’t come from the heart it just doesn’t ring true and we begin to see the flaws over a period of time.
Is there anywhere yet to discover?
I’ve done a lot of travelling but would love to spend more time in Scotland; I’m always drawn to it. Also I’ve got this idea of jumping in the car and taking off for 6 months or so to travel the length and breadth of the UK.
Where do your clients come from?
Cardiff, Vale, Bath and London.
So, have you any hot tips for attracting Mr or Mrs Right?
Mmm.. put it this way, we will be noticed if we look great, behave well, have a GSOH and socialise regularly, yet if the love of our life hasn’t yet crossed our path, then all the clothes in the world won’t bring them to us any quicker. Let’s just say, always be prepared to look your absolute best, be the best version of yourself and the rest is just serendipity.
Shot on location at Holm House, Marine Parade, Penarth www.holmhouse.co.uk Photography by Martin Phillips www.martinphillipsphotography.com Suzanne is wearing silk dress and cardigan by Nougat, dress by Nougat and cardigan by French Connection. Cardigan and linen trousers by French Connection - all available from Bryl’s Boutique, High Street, Barry. www.brylsboutique.net Top, skirt and hat - Suzanne’s own. Coat from Pink Zebra, Llantrisant. Hair by Kudos of Pontyclun. www.kudoshair.co.uk For more information about Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients Association (GUCH) www.guch.org.uk
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