STYLE SPOTLIGHT w/ ATIBA NEWSOME (stylist to the stars)

Diddy, Mary J Blige and Kelis have all turned to him for his sharp fashion sense and versatility while a legendary music and fashion icon has recently turned to him to help him re-vamp his wardrobe. Atiba Newsome sat down with me at the Shoreham Hotel in midtown Manhattan looking dapper and effortless in a Alexander McQueen wool sweater, Ralph Lauren denim shirt, Nudie Jeans and Christian Louboutin sneakers with vintage shades on and his fedora tipped. We talked June Ambrose, Puffy and how he turned a love of shopping into a lasting career.

Felicia: As a child what did you want to be when you grew up so to speak?
Atiba: I always said I wanted to be a lawyer because I heard they made a lot of money and because I always loved pleading my case. We did court in high school and I did well but when I found out how long I would have to go to school for I wasn’t having any of that idea anymore. I had a career counselor come to my class and asked me what I loved to do. I was 13 so I said that I liked to shop. So she told me that I could be a buyer and once I heard how you can get paid to shop- I thought this was for me. I was never one for school because I am a hands on type of learner. I see a lot of stylists that have their assistants doing a lot of the work but I am more in the way that if I want something done right now I will just do it myself. I’m the one that is going to get scrutinized if it doesn’t look right- I am the one behind the look so I might as well do the work on my own. I like when my assistants or interns experiment but I usually like doing things on my own.

Felicia: What was your earliest fashion memory? I remember being 4 years old and watching my mother put on her big gold earrings and red lipstick with very short jet black hair. I think that was my a-ha moment in regards to fashion, what was yours?

Atiba: My mother is very demure and classy , so I was really into labels in middle school and I was in her closet and that’s where I started learning about labels. I remember being in fourth grade wearing sharkskin suits from Saks. When you are a kid you don’t realize what you have till you don’t have it anymore you know? I was always dressing up as a kid and then my mom said you gotta get a job. I remembered the value of a dollar but with fashion I always got around everything when I was a kid- I remember being into Guess and wearing a shirt once and returning it. Tricks with the tag and all of that shit! (laughs) I found a way of sliding the tags out! I lived across from Macy’s so I did have access to that stuff.

Felicia: You had quite the mentor in regards to starting your career in fashion- what was it like being June Ambrose’s intern with the Mod Squad?
Atiba: I had the legendary June Ambrose as a great teacher who I met through a friend and at the time the mod squad was relatively small. She only had two guys working with her. I think she always stood out because she was the only woman surrounded by men and now I am usually the only dude around that has women working with me. It was a great experience and it started off because she used to borrow clothes from my closet for R. Kelly videos and stuff like that. This was before the budgets got really big so I started begging her to let me come along and one day I went to a showroom with the Mod Squad and June snatched me up so for the first 6 months I did everything from walk her dog to help her pick out clothes in the morning. We always got to eat at the best places with the best people. I basically learned what to do and what not to do when I was working with June. I have been in meetings where I literally watched her take a job from another stylist. I learned that if you want something go after it and get it. Watching June work I learned that its important to sell myself.

Felicia: How vital is it to brand yourself as a stylist?

Atiba: Branding is very important and more so now than ever. Stylists are like celebrities these days and I remember years ago telling folks I was a stylist and they would say…’ Oh you do hair?’ No I’m a fashion stylist! Its different now with June and Rachel Zoe who write books and have television shows ,so branding is very important now. I am still trying to brand myself but have a hard time selling myself. This is what I do and my personal style is how I sell myself. I’m a work in progress.

Felicia: What was it like working with Kelis who has such an eclectic and distinct style?

Atiba: My thing is less is more and she is the complete opposite. I would subtract and she would add so it was a good battle- a fun one with her. We had fun with clothes and when we first became friends she was in between labels so we would go through her closet and split the budget money. It was a lot of fun.

Felicia: I can’t imagine Kelis’ closet. Its safe to say that I would die in there and with a rather large smile on my face!

Atiba: Listen…her closet is straight up stupid! Most of it was never even worn. It was in her brownstone in Harlem at the time. We didn’t even need to go shopping because she has such a strong blue print. Like with Puff. He liked things on me but not for himself. I think the hardest part about being a stylist is to switch things up and those people with such strong style to try something new. I don’t like to have too much of a blue print. I do hope that I do switch it up all the time. You won’t see me attempting to pull of a gothic look but I like to have fun with it all. That is why I can do rock and hip hop with H&M and Hermes or mix Mc Queen with Sean John.

Felicia: Who was the easiest client to work with thus far?

Atiba: Mary J. Blige was the most laid back and easiest client I have ever had. Doing the album art for Love & Life ,she would let me do whatever I wanted and her only issue was that she did not want to have everything all out there since she is a married woman but her body is so great so we wanted to show off her handwork because her body is crazy. She was amazing to work with.

Felicia: On the opposite side of the spectrum who was more of a challenge to work with?

Atiba: Keyshia Cole probably was someone more difficult. I worked on her “I Just Want It To Be Over” video and she would go in her trailer , take off what I gave her and pull something out of her own bag. It would take the director and label to get her to wear the stuff. Its because she has her own unique style with expensive taste too.

Felicia: There is a certain stigma about working for Diddy, what was it like working with the artist formerly known as Puff?

Atiba: Diddy knew what was fly, he had that eye and sometimes it would take me a while to convince him about certain pieces but he would rock it. He would see me in certain things and basically that’s how I got most of my jobs especially with Puff because at first I said no because I was afraid and he was asking me about my shoes, my jacket and my first job with him was in Barcelona. He said “Stop playing and start working for me for real!”

Felicia: Your work was featured on Oxygen’s House Of Glam reality series what was that like?

Atiba: Everyone is a critic and I love being behind the scenes and love my privacy so being on the train and having people come up to me saying hi- I love that. I love the love. I have been approached to do another show but I don’t know. Its been cool but a blessing. Way more positive than negative. We shot for 10 months on and off and couldn’t change our hair, style, lose or gain weight for continuity without looking crazy. After a while I forgot the cameras were there and ended up tipsy on one of the last episodes while I was at fashion week. They made it seem like I was drinking because I was upset because i didn’t get a job but it wasn’t the case at all. I had a shoot I prepared for that got cancelled .I was drinking because I had 3 hours to kill and saw some friends *laugh* Editing is crazy. And it was open bar. It was truly reality television because none of us can act. They set up a lot of scenes but we didn’t really now what was going on. It all unfolded on tv and it worked.

Felicia: I heard that the program brought you a new client – a rather legendary one at that can you tell us who that was?

Atiba: The show was great exposure and has allowed me to work with Prince through someone he was working with that had seen the show and recognized my work from it. I heard I’m the first stylist to work with him in ten years so I got to do some shopping for him and his girlfriend. I had a day to fill a room with racks of clothes for him. He spent! All the stores were happy. It was a great experience. I didn’t have to sell a look to him- he has his own look. Its Prince! He is very private and quiet so he would put notes with the outfits because he customizes everything and has it all in every colour. If you would have told me I would be working with Prince I would say get the hell out of here!

Good 2 C Prince working with new stylist

When did this interview occur?

Do you know?

Thx~

Good for him...I believe I saw him on a style based reality show on the oxygen network called 'House of glam"or something.

lavender1983 said:

Good for him...I believe I saw him on a style based reality show on the oxygen network called 'House of glam"or something.

Thanks so much for pointing that out Jake.

I only read the blue highlighted part.

CallMeCarrie said:

When did this interview occur?

Do you know?

Thx~

The article was released today. So I'm assuming it was done very recent..........

Thanks for sharing. I can't believe Prince would trust anybody but himself with his clothes shopping, the guy must be pretty good indeed!