An in-depth conversation with super model Wendy Issac
Photo Courtesy LE Coiffeur NYC
Anyone with eyes can see that she’s beautiful. It’s the lilt of her voice, the music in her smile that catches one by surprise. It’s the magic that wafts through the air as she speaks. I asked Wendy Isaacs to describe herself to me and with tinkling laughter (I heard the blush), she said, “Ask me questions.” So I did. I asked questions and she graciously answered each one, but first let me tell you what I gleaned right from the start.
From Wendy Isaacs, celebrated fashionista, stunning runway model, style maven, and business savvy entrepreneur (and did I say she was beautiful?), I got strength. I got courage and confidence. I got joy and passion. I got compassion and I got humility… I know I said that she was beautiful, didn’t I?
Instead of giving me adjectives to describe herself, I asked Wendy to tell me what happens when she enters the room. She told me that she is actually shy, but what I gathered as she talked is that just by entering the room, she creates an instant buzz. People sense her presence. They want her at the front of the room. They have to talk to her. They have to take pictures. They have to.
Photo Courtesy LE Coiffeur NYC
Some facts about Wendy; she was born and raised on the beautiful island of St. Kitts. She has three siblings. She earned her undergraduate degree in economics and finance from New York’s Baruch University and her Master’s degree in finance from the Ziklin School of Business, also in New York. She learned how to sew from her grandmother and created her first design, when she was only seven or eight years old. It was a pencil skirt and her mother still has it, along with the first dress and the first pair of pants she ever made.
The memories are good memories and there seemed a certain satisfaction from knowing, even at such a young age, her passion. Wendy knew at a very early age that fashion was her destiny. She was in love with clothes and fashion and it appears that clothes and fashion loved her back. Wendy was a high-fashion model for 25 years, gracing the catwalk all over the world. Stunningly bold, brazenly beautiful, she embraced her inner beauty, strutting the runway in exotic locales. Wendy traveled the world, epitomizing the very “art” of fashion, of unique style and, creative expression, all at once.
The traveling gave her a new perspective on fashion and style, helped her to develop her own unique style. She also appeared in a number of print ads, gracing the covers of several Caribbean Magazines and being featured in Panache Magazine. She’s modeled for Classique and Novel Agencies. She’s toured the islands and ripped the runways- on every catwalk from Miami and throughout the Caribbean.
After a successful, full-time, modeling career, Wendy launched her own company, Le Coiffeur. She offers personal stylist and wardrobe consultant services. Her company has been a top name in the fashion industry for more than 20 years, serving both national and international clientele. Among the designers she’s worked with are Brown Sugar and Caribelle Batik, from her native island, St. Kitts, Classique Modeling Agency and Gap, Inc. from out of New York, and she’s done some Freelancing for (Macys), New York, and H20, New York.
Throughout it all, Wendy’s love for fashion shines through. We talked about that first pencil skirt and the fact that she still loves the look–that clean, classic look of the pencil skirt (she had just packed one for a recent trip). It’s just elegant, she exclaimed.
Photo Courtesy LE Coiffeur NYC
I also asked Wendy about the design process. How does she come up with new ideas? With a delicate scoff, she declared, “There really are no new ideas.” Everything has already been done. The challenge, she says, is in re-imagining what’s already been done. The art is in re-inventing something from the past to fit into the now. Re-imagining is the key; like bell-bottoms and sparkles, they’ve been here before. Now, we have to modernize the look. We have to incorporate tech. savvy style, in keeping with the electronic age, using fabrics that we may not have used before; creating a new, chic, upscale, trendy look.
I could tell she loves it. I asked about challenges, specifically, what would she have told her younger self based on what she knows now. She talked about broadening her horizons. She had the skills and the desire to design fashion but she spent a lot of time modeling. Growing up in the industry, as she puts it, gave her a unique advantage and gave her some valuable insight but maybe, just maybe, she could have branched out sooner. There’s a shelf-life when it comes to modeling.
For young people who aspire to succeed in the fashion world, she advises that they stay true and stay focused on the destination. She warns them not to get involved in cliques; to strive for opportunities that will broaden their horizons. Some memorable advice from Wendy Isaacs, “Get to know the unknown.” If you have more than one skill, embrace it. She advocates taking risks, versus being complacent and staying too long in your comfort zone. Without taking risks, she says, you won’t grow.
Photo Courtesy LE Coiffeur NYC
I asked Wendy to give me a favorite quote or scripture. A strong woman of faith, she told me that one of her favorites is, “What God has for me is for me.” I wasn’t in the least surprised. She’d told me how she loves to support other entrepreneurs and expressed some chagrin at the fact that a lot of minorities and minority business owners are reluctant to support each other. Wendy, who calls herself an advocate who is always willing to advertise and promote small businesses says, “It’s necessary that we patronage, encourage, and support each other.” She will frequently call on other designers, offering the chance for them to get some exposure at some event or function where she’s being spotlighted.
She also gives back. I asked her what she did for fun, to escape from the madness and just re-charge. She mentioned a recent trip to St. Kitts due to her father’s passing and said that she ended up working for the whole two weeks. She is dedicated to helping others. She serves as a mentor, sharing her knowledge and showing others, aspiring to succeed in the fashion industry, the ropes. She laughs as she says, “If I really want a vacation, I have to go a long ways, like Europe.” I could tell that she loves it, and did I say she was beautiful?
Photo Courtesy: Wendy Isaac
Not to gloss over her dad’s transition. I tried to ask very delicately, if she was able to talk about his recent passing and she was fine. It seems that her father passed down some important character traits. She told me that she was at peace with his decision to forgo further medical treatment. “He prepared me,” she said. He instilled in me that trait- the importance of being prepared. Failure was never an option for me. My father taught me to do my homework, to plan and to prepare for every contingency. Her father’s strength is evident in his daughter, and, she said, “He didn’t want me to be sad.”
From the very beginning of our conversation, Wendy Isaacs impressed me with her intellect, her humility, and her complete lack of self-aggrandizement. She started out by saying that she’s really shy, and, at times, she wishes she could just go out and enjoy herself like a regular person. She wishes, at times, that she could have achieved her success without actually being in the spotlight. “Impossible, of course,” she laughed, but I wonder? I wonder if her irrepressible spirit would have propelled her to the limelight even if her life’s passion had relegated her to a place behind the scenes.
Photo Courtesy LE Coiffeur NYC
I believe that, fashion designer, successful business woman, high-fashion model, mentor, teacher, and devoted daughter, Wendy Isaacs’s star would have propelled her to the top no matter what. She’s a joy; talented, grounded, and completely comfortable in her own beautiful skin. Stay tuned. I predict more and more phenomenal success for fashion maven, Wendy Isaacs. You can catch Wendy, a proud member of the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI), on her website at lecoiffeurnyc.com, on Facebook at Wendy Isaac, and on Instagram at Lecoiffeurnyc… and did I say she was beautiful…☺
You can contact Wendy Isaac: Web – Lecoiffeurnyc | Facebook- Wendy Isaac | Instagram: Lecioffeurnyc
Author ~ Connie Spruill MyGirlfriendzPlace