Celebrity Stylist Robert Verdi's Top Wardrobe Tips

Even for stars with great fashion sense, putting a great red carpet look together can be a daunting task. That’s where stylists like fashion guru like Robert Verdi come. Verdi can be credited with dressing Eva Longoria Parker, Ana Ortiz and Kathy Griffin in the latest designer creations.

These days, Verdi can be seen working his fashion magic on his self-titled series on the Logo cable network Wednesday nights at 10 PM, styling Ortiz for a photo shoot in this week's episode, or prepping Longoria Parker for a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "You see the process of us going for the fittings," says Verdi, though the series' main focus is on his wacky scheme-of-the-week. "It follows me as I try to make these outrageous things happen. I don't always get what I want," he notes.

Nevertheless, the Portuguese-French first-generation American feels grateful for his success and isn't about to give up his lucrative day job, which has led to a spot as a judge on TV Land’s She's Got the Look, an older-model competition that will return in the spring.

For his Latina clients especially, Verdi is fond of the array of color available now. "What's interesting about Latina women is that black is not the basis of the wardrobe. It's red, white, vivid colors. Jewel tones and colors like coral, turquoise blue, orange, aubergine, amethyst. Anything rich," he says.

He thinks that every woman's wardrobe should include "a great jacket, a utility blazer you can use with everything, maybe a great tuxedo jacket. It doesn't have to be in fancy satin, just the silhouette of a great men's jacket, with a single button and peak lapel, in a gabardine. A great trouser is important, so is a great pair of jeans. And a pencil skirt," he adds, "preferably in a fabric that's a little dressier, and a tuxedo shirt, maybe with ruffles, that you can wear with the skirt or jeans." Versatility is key with these pieces, he points out. "The secret of successful dressing," he believes, "is being able to go from day to night and work to weekend."

(Latina magazine)