Stylist Lends Panache to Job Hunters

By Georgia Fisher, Staff Writer

Debra Witter speaks with calm confidence, and she should; the attorney has nearly three decades of business law under her belt, most recently as a senior legal executive for Blockbuster.

Since being laid off last year, she seems to have rolled with the punches – “I’m hanging out a shingle to start my own practice,” says Witter, 52, who is also training as a mediator while she seeks new corporate work – but the hunt isn’t easy.

“It’s discouraging at times,” Witter said, “…and I’ve needed something to lift my spirits.”

Enter Ladan Zarrabi, 49, a Preston Center stylist with blues-crushing warmth and a practical approach to beauty.

“My job is to work for [Witter], to create something she can continue to use for herself,” says Zarrabi, who polishes up job-seeking clients’ hair, makeup and wardrobes. She met Witter after contacting C-Suite, a networking group for executive women in transition.

A makeover might still seem fluffy in context. Witter admits she’s allergic to metals in most jewelry, never quite learned to apply certain kinds of makeup, and is a “big fan” of beige clothing. But last week, she shrugged and gave the reins to Zarrabi – whose first name is pronounced “luh-dan” – at Premier Atelier salon and spa.

“Now, if she had said, ‘We’re going to make you a blonde or cut your hair really short’, I’d have said ‘No way,’” Witter said.

Instead Zarrabi livened up Witter’s closet, turned her hair into a textured mound of chesnut, brown, and gold, fussed expertly over her makeup, and relayed a library of do-it-yourself tips.

The change “is going to give me a little morale boost – like a pep-talk,” Witter explained as Zarrabi honed in on her head with a blow dryer, noting later that it’s “going to take some getting used to, but it’s me. Pretty impressive.”

Zarrabi has been inDallas about four years and hails from Stillwater, Okla., where she was a trainer at Toni & Guy, owned a successful salon, and led image and self-esteem seminars at Oklahoma State University.

When C-Suite members were asked if they had interest in Zarrabi’s services, “a whole bunch of us stuck our hands up,” said Lynn Beattie, who works in sales and operations management and feels the stylist has “absolutely” given her new polish.

Aside from bolstering confidence, Zarrabi tries to help clients “not be so intimidated by shopping,” she said – “Oh, it intimidates me,” Witter interjected merrily – “or to feel like they have to spend a lot of money to look good.” In fact, every garment she found with Witter was interchangeable and on sale, including a bold orange top with ornate buttons “to serve as jewelry,” Zarrabi explained, and a dress suit in creamy derivation of a familiar hue: beige.

For starters, “I wanted to know what she absolutely wasn’t into,” said Zarrabi.

“And I needed somebody to push me to pick out things like an orange blouse,” adds Witter, who favors “what I call ‘light professional’” garb – think tailored pantsuis and blouses – “not the sort of pearls and heels you’d wear to a job interview.”

Executives are an interesting bag, Zarrabi notes, in that “they already have all the great ingredients and education for success; they’re very goal-oriented in their lives and have worked hard to be where they are,” so a new look “has to be an extension of their lives, not the main focus.”

C-Suite’s next meeting is Monday, said Beattie, “and I’m looking forward to seeing what changes Ladan made with Debra.”

The bulk of Zarrabi’s makeover clients are female, and in their 40s to 60s – a likely demographic to seek help, she thinks, because “in our age range…in working hard to build our careers and build our families, we kind of lose touch with ourselves.”

Zarrabi keeps her fees relatively low – about $75 an hour for the wardrobe counsel and $85 for haircuts, with additional charges for highlights and makeup. All told, Witter also dropped about $600 at Dillard’s and has learned to get the most out of cosmetics she already had.

“My goal is not to get people to spend a lot of money,” said Zarrabi, who hopes to eventually use her skills for charity, too. “We’re in a serious recession, so I think it’s very important right now that all of us get together and help each other.”

July 10, 2009