Amanda Ross (Kunst)

*****
Stylist. New York
Ladies and gentleman, we’ve got an industry veteran on our hands, and we can’t wait to share the ins and outs of her sartorial choices with you. Let’s start from the beginning. Stylist Amanda Ross is known for both her sophisticated and refined eye, which she developed throughout her years in the fashion industry. As the former Market Editor at Harper’s Bazaar US, she uprooted her NYC digs and headed west where she helped spearhead the launch of C Magazine (where another one of our favorite guys - George Kotsiopoulos – is also the style editor). But boys and girls, she’s back in the Big Apple and besides styling recent stories for Town & Country and L’Officiel (yes, even in this day and age we love nothing more than a physical magazine), we knew we had to shoot her when we became aware that she was the Style Consultant for one of our all time favorite shows Lipstick Jungle. #RIP. She’s taken the spotlight as one of the style experts on the season finale of Project Accessory, and continues to work alongside celebrity clients like Mariska Hargitay, Vera Farmiga, Naomi Watts and... wait for it… Steve Martin! Talk about the epitome of CLASSY. Ross was also named the Global Fashion Director to W Hotels (I guess we can thank her for our Veuve-induced hotel lobby shopping sprees) where she was responsible for creating Fashion Next, a program to support emerging designers at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. When we shot her in her NYC pad (where she just so happened to receive a massive Elsa Peretti cuff while we were digging through her archives - #jealous), she uttered the nine famous words we live by: ‘I never met a Chanel bag I didn’t like’ – and since then, it’s been a longwinded girl crush. From her drool worthy Alessandro Dell’Aqua coat to her Naeem Khan dress encrusted with bird features and rhinestones, one of her most coveted dresses just so happened to be gifted from the designer himself. “This dress was a going away present from Alber and the PR team at Lanvin when I left Harpers to move to LA”. Talk about a fashionable exit!

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W Hotels is staking a claim on the fashion world with its latest hire.

The ultra-chic hotel chain announced the appointment of stylist Amanda Ross as its first-ever Global Fashion Director. Ross, who has consulted for Dennis Basso and EIie Tahari and served as the wardrobe stylist for "Lipstick Jungle," spoke to StyleList about her new gig, which designers she could see creating hotel uniforms and what she'll be wearing this spring.

StyleList: What does your role as Global Fashion Director for W Hotels entail?
Amanda Ross: I'm honored to have been chosen as W's Global Fashion Director -- it's the first position of its kind for any hotel. Essentially, I will create the strategic framework for W's global point of view on fashion, whether it be through creating partnerships between W and designers, fostering relationships between the brand and influential members of the fashion community or recommending collaborations for W Hotel The Store's exclusive designer collection, Global Glam.

SL: How did the position come to be?
AR: W has two primary passions -- fashion and music. Last year, they appointed a Global Music Director, Michaelangelo L'Acqua and wanted to hire someone to guide the brand in the world of fashion. As W continues their global growth (they are opening nine hotels this year), they needed someone with an international perspective on the fashion industry. They approached me and I happily accepted!

SL: Which W Hotel property will you be working on first?
AR: Most of the ideas I have for the brand will be rolled out on a global scale and we're not announcing those just yet. However, the first property I will be visiting is W Barcelona in March. I will also be heading to Paris Fashion Week, where W will be opening a hotel in 2011.

SL: Which designers do you think would create great hotel uniforms?
AR: Derek Lam, Thakoon, Diane Von Furstenberg, Stella McCartney, Giambatista Valli, Christopher Kane, Narcisco Rodriguez and Proenza Schouler.

SL: How would you describe your personal style?
AR: Cameron Silver, owner of [vintage mecca] Decades, describes my style as "bohemian Upper East Side with a fur vest."

SL: What are your wardrobe staples?
AR: Cashmere tanks, crewnecks and cardigans from Zadig and Voltaire and I Pezzi Dipinti, black skirts from Alaïa and Balenciaga.

SL: What will you be wearing this spring?
AR: Skinny jeans from Made in Heaven and J Brand, fur vests and coats from Dennis Basso and J. Mendel, riding and biker boots from Madewell, dresses and tops from Isabel Marant, white jacket from Stella McCartney, strappy shoes from YSL.

SL: Are you attending New York Fashion Week?
AR: Yes. My schedule is packed! I'll be spending my downtime at W's VIP Backstage Arrival Lounge meeting with fashion influencers and media all week.

See you at the tents!

Plus, catch up on other fashionable lodging news.

http://amandaross.com
http://thecoveteur.com/Amanda_Ross