Chicago based designer and image consultant Mark Gill is well known for his guest "wardrobe rescue" on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
In fact, the television talk show host who favours his leather handbag collection has been labelled the "fix it man" by
Winfrey more than once.
We caught up with Gill during his first visit to the Gulf where he was attending Abu Dhabi Fashion Week.
Wardrobe for guests
The designer has been working with Oprah for the past four years and helps facilitate a suitable wardrobe for guests on her special shows - what he called a "lock of love" which involves cutting stars hair in aid of charity and as a tribute to
cancer patients, charity work, education and children with diseases.
When asked what his relationship is like with Oprah, Gill claimed it is "purely business", even though he admires the talk show hostess a great deal.
"Oprah has done numerous articles about me, has included me on the show a few times and carries my handbags. But Oprah's friends are people like Larry King."
Gill prefers to work with Oprah's guests and not be her personal designer/image consultant. "Oprah needs someone to be there one thousand per cent of the time. I have 30 other women like her to take care of. It would be really difficult to brush them aside and focus on only Oprah. She has her own image consultant who helps pick out her wardrobe."
'Impeccable'
The designer added that Oprah has had an impact on his personal weight loss - 15 pounds in the past four years. The star is an inspiration to many people, he said.
"When Oprah walks in a room, there's a major presence and it isn't an environment of intimidation, it's an environment of
warmth, compassion, gratefulness and love," he said. "With Oprah, what you see is what you get. She's also helped a lot of people all over the world and her famous motto is 'you haven't lived until you give'. She's simply impeccable."
Other celebrities Gill has worked with include the hip hop artist Deborah Lee.
Giving a glimpse of what it's really like behind the scenes, Gill gave this honest answer:
"Working with celebrities is stressful because, as a designer, you are supposed to use magnitude and expedite needs to people. You should come up with different answers, results, as well as forecast the following year's collection. You constantly have to think ahead and help a person do the same, which can be frustrating."
Top tips
For Mark Gill, fashion victims should think more of individualism and comfort, and should identify who they are and keep it simple.
"People tend to follow magazines and fashion lines and use them as a role model," he said. "You should dress according to your comfort level and age."
The image consultant added: "Your accessories speak louder than anything else."
Here are his tips on how to accessorise to complete an outfit:
Trench coats: Your outer layer is often what others see first. A removable lining makes it usable year-round.
Shoes and handbags: Stiff leather and junky hardware cheapen your style; quality goods lift it.
Lingerie: Without exquisite, invisible support, clothes won't sit right.
Colour: Neutrals are safe in inexpensive versions, but you can't fake deeper, more complex shades.
Fashion Week
Designer Mark Gill believes closing of Abu Dhabi Fashion Week (ADFW) with Valentino's final collection added spice and success to the event at Emirates Palace on Saturday.
"I think that during a short duration of time, the outcome from the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week was pretty remarkable," he said.
When asked what his plans are for the upcoming ADFW in March, Gill said he was enthusiastic to be a part of Abu Dhabi's revolutionary movement towards fashion and was looking forward to his return.
