A Sense of Style | By Trimella Chaney

A Sense of Style

By Trimella Chaney

Zoe Hennessey

Can you imagine climbing into a NYC taxi carrying $2 million dollars’ worth of jewelry from Harry Winston with no guard to accompany you? That is one of the unforgettable anxiety-producing moments Zoë Hennessey, professional stylist and former Watauga County resident, shared with me in a recent interview. Ms. Hennessey currently resides in Los Angeles and freely admits that she much prefers the sunshine and laid back California lifestyle to her past ten years of living and working in New York City.

Ms. Hennessey attended Parson’s School of Design upon her graduation from Watauga High School. Studying in New York, she said, was a shock to her coming from Boone. She eventually found a better fit at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) but returned to New York to work after graduating from SCAD. As she began to assist with magazine and television advertising, she learned that styling was a “real” job she enjoyed. The competition was fierce and Hennessey worked assisting different stylists in all fields. Hennessey credits her mentor, Gemina Aboitiz, and her work with the national campaign for L’Oréal for giving her the boost she needed to launch her successful career as a professional stylist. An equally important event in New York was her work on the television show, TRANSFORM ME, with Laverne Cox. It was during this assignment that she met a talented and handsome director of photography who is now her husband!

A Labor of Love

“Long days of shopping and transporting clothes is a physically challenging job,” admits Ms. Hennessey. “You may have two days to prepare for a shoot so you are shopping from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. There is no steady paycheck and you may be on the set for a 12-hour day,” she acknowledges. “It’s a fun job!” she laughs.

Unable to get the image of her as the lovely, tenacious singing and dancing Rosie from the Watauga High School production of BYE BYE BIRDIE out of my memory, I had to inquire if she had any theatre experiences to share for this article. “Not a lot,” she says. “Mostly some oncamera work for Microsoft and T-Mobile.” She did take a class in improvisation while in Los Angeles; serendipitously, a former Watauga High School Playmaker, David Harris, was her instructor.

I vividly recall an assignment Zoë had in her Drama III class on costuming. She was to design and build the Queen of Hearts costume for our children’s production of ALICE IN WONDERLAND that year. Her artistic product was amazing for a high school student. Not only did she ace her assignment, she agreed to help some other struggling classmates with their assignments. That was the only time that a local business in Boone called to see if they could rent the costumes from our show for Halloween that year! Her talent and creativity were readily apparent at that early stage of her life.

When asked to share some of the challenges of being a celebrity stylist, she offered some details of her work that most people would never realize. “When you dress people, you HAVE to see them naked.” One particular hard-to-forget memory was when she worked with an actor who was in a full latex body suit for hours of filming. “The sweat had nowhere to go! We were dealing with pools of sweat!” Other than her practical fear of tripping over lighting instruments on a set, her scariest moment was when she assisted on a Jessica Simpson shoot and she dropped a $500,000 ring. “That was so scary!” Thankfully, she said, the ring was found in time.

Boone Revisited

This talented woman who creates outfits, styles celebrities, edits closets, and helps clients find a style that is beautiful and comfortable for them still enjoys returning to Boone, NC, to see family. When asked what she misses about living here, she quickly responded, “The quiet, the trees. It feels clean.” One day she wants to return and plans to enjoy painting and gardening.

For now, Ms. Hennessey finds creative balance in her work. She enjoys personal styling because it can change a life and cause a person to gain confidence. Her commercial work is both a creative and professional challenge. At some point in the future this gifted artist would like to create her own brand. So it is entirely possible that you will be defining your own style by purchasing and wearing a piece of clothing designed by Zoë Hennessey.

Ms. Trimella Chaney is a veteran theatre arts teacher and founder of the Theatre Arts Department at Watauga High School. She currently teaches at Appalachian State University in the Department of Theatre and Dance, and is a local community theatre director.