Kulina-Jegou's at-home inventory gives shoppers a lot to choose from during her trunk shows.

Short ribs over potato gnocchi with fall vegetables was on the lunch menu.

At a recent shopping soiree in Far Hills, guests enjoyed tuna tartare tacos from Encore Catering in East Hanover.

The Worth Collection includes formal, casual and business attire, jewelry and handbags.

Carol Kulina-Jegou lives well, laughs often and loves much—it’s her personal motto, the one she lives by and even uses to sign her e-mails. She is also possessed with impeccable manners and charm to spare. But walk through the front door of her Far Hills home—Maison de Vue, as it is named—and the first thing she’ll do is size you up. She can’t help it; it’s what she does.

Kulina-Jegou is a wardrobe stylist whose quick fashion reflexes can spot a size 00 being swallowed by an ill-fitting skirt or a size 16 in need of pants with a more flattering waistline. Maison de Vue is her residence as well as her salon and sales floor. She dedicates an entire wing of the capacious French-accented home she shares with her husband, Peter Jegou, president of the board of trustees of the Women’s Resource Center in Somerset County, to outfitting friends, and friends of friends, in the latest looks from the fashion house with which she has aligned herself since 1996: Worth New York.

Worth, sold exclusively through consultants like Kulina-Jegou and not in stores, is “like Escada or MaxMara, but at a different price point because we don’t have to pay for retail space. Its beautifully tailored pieces in amazing fabrics are timeless yet today,” said Kulina-Jegou. Four times a year, new collections—for spring, summer, fall and holiday—are offered for a few weeks at a time. Typically, they are viewed by appointment; Kulina-Jegou sends word to her mostly Garden State client base that new arrivals are in stock, and sets up one-on-one appointments.

For holiday 2011, Kulina-Jegou tweaked her usual practice, inviting five client-friends for an afternoon of cocktails, elegant snacks by Encore Catering (see box, page 35) and figure-flattering, statement-making shopping. Before long, the pro

ceedings turned from exclusive trunk show to high-spirited fashion show of Worth designs for the coming blitz of Chanukah, Christmas and New Year’s parties.

“I wouldn’t have thought Worth was my style—I had this idea before I started shopping with Carol that it was a little too conservative for me,” said a guest modeling a belted winterberry cowl-neck sweater over a tweed skirt and tall suede boots, from one of the dozen or so rolling garment racks.

“I feel very comfortable in this,” said another guest, thumbing a rack of jackets, her favorite Worth items. “They always have a little bit of an edge, some special detail,” she said. “This is something I could wear to an event, and that I would definitely wear more than once.”

“That’s what Carol’s so good at. She knows exactly what you need, and she remembers everything,” said a guest from Bernardsville, adding that she began shopping with Kulina-Jegou more than a dozen years ago. “I had just had two children, and I didn’t have time to walk around the mall,” she said. “Coming here was just easier. And Carol’s so helpful.”

Part of Kulina-Jegou’s benefit for clients is the personal attention she offers, especially when it comes to color and fit. For example, if a shopper’s size is not among the racks of samples in her home, she strategically pins a larger size and makes sure the measurements match a smaller version before ordering it. She also keeps meticulous sales records. Kulina-Jegou maintains a history of her clients’ previous purchases, everything from jeans to beaded cocktail skirts.

She also keeps track of their social calendars. “It’s a small circle around here, and a lot of times we see the same people at the same events. When you shop here, you’re not going to see yourself coming and going. Carol’s not going to let you show up wearing the same thing as somebody else,” said a Mendham guest, who modeled a sheer multicolored blouse with an eye-catching wraparound leather belt over a pencil skirt.

In addition to the racks of dresses, skirts, blouses, sweaters, pants and jackets, several carousels of belts and scarves, some made of brightly dyed fox fur, were displayed; Kulina-Jegou made a point of accessorizing all her friends—and herself. Over a bright peacock-blue sweater, she added a matching fox-fur wrap. “The details can be really important,” she said.

If Kulina-Jegou is careful about keeping her clients looking like individuals, she is equally concerned with helping them avoid buyer’s remorse. She maintains a strict no-pressure sales policy. “It’s more about having fun when you come here, finding something you love,” she said.

Sometimes, that love can last longer than the average fashion salesperson might like: “I have a pair of black pants I bought six years ago that I still love, that still fit great,” one client said. “They’re a staple. Carol knows I still wear them, and she’s not going to ask me to buy another pair. She’s just like, ‘Great! They still fit.’”

If they didn’t, Kulina-Jegou would gently suggest a new pair in a flattering cut. She would pull tops and jackets that complement them, and she would approve of the fit and functionality before making the sale.

One thing she might not do, though, is indulge a client’s proclivity for self-flagellation. A sign in her tidy office adjacent to the Maison de Vue showroom lays out her policy on body image:
“A $25 fee will be charged for every ‘I’m so fat.’”

“It doesn’t matter what kind of figure you have,” said Kulina-Jegou, adjusting the shoulder drape of a fringed woolen poncho on one of her guests. “There’s something here that works for you.”

To see the Worth New York collection e-mail ckulina@worthcollection.com.

Take a Bow

For her party, Kulina-Jegou invited Encore Catering (encorecateringnj.com) of East Hanover, owned by sisters Karen Epstein-Chioccariello and Lisa Epstein. Their team assembled elegant snacks including spicy tuna tartare tacos, short ribs over potato gnocchi with fall vegetables, and petite sandwiches of butternut squash with goat cheese and spiced pecans. Finger cakes, left, and Nutella hot chocolate martinis topped off the afternoon.