Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, former Vogue special events director who helped plan the Met Gala, has reportedly been tapped to help with planning the presidential inauguration events.
Wolkoff, a 6"1' brunette with model good looks, who also led the way in moving Fashion Week to Lincoln Center, was spotted at Trump Tower this week with Tom Barrack, chairman of President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural committee, reports Page Six. Sources tell the gossip site that Wolkoff is a senior adviser to Barrack.
Before Wolkoff takes the reins in planning the inauguration, here are a few things to note about the woman who is known in the industry as "General Winston," a name that was given to her by Anna Wintour, and her sense of style.
After serving as the founding fashion director at Lincoln Center for two-and-a-half years, Wolkoff branched out to start SWW Creative, an agency dedicated to coordinating and establishing partnerships between fashion, beauty and entertainment. At the time of the announcement, her clients included IMG Fashion Worldwide, Council of Fashion Designers of America and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, according to a press release.
Wolkoff may have scored her latest gig through future First Lady Melania Trump, whom she's known for nearly 20 years. According to DuJour, the pair have lunch once a month and have traveled together to the Trumps' Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "Don't underestimate her just because she is quiet and reserved. There is virtue in the fact that she appears to be quiet and isn't on the front lines constantly saying, 'Hear me, see me.' But she's very confident in her viewpoint," Wolkoff said of close friend Melania to DuJour. Melania even wished Wolkoff a happy birthday on Twitter in 2013. Because nothing says BFF more than a Twitter birthday shout-out.
Wolkoff is the granddaughter of famed jeweler Harry Winston, according to her wedding announcement in The New York Times. However, that fact has since been debated. In 2010, Page Six reported that Wolkoff was adopted by Bruce Winston, Harry's son, after her mom tied the knot with him. "She's a Batinkoff – not a Winston. Stephanie is a Batinkoff of the successful Catskills chicken-farming family," Jay Lewin, the personal lawyer for Bruce's brother, Ronald, told Page Six. "She did not grow up on the Winston estate in Scarsdale."
In an interview with Refinery29 in 2012, she shared that working on the Met Gala was among the highlights of her 11 years at Vogue. "Working for the 'East Coast Oscars of the fashion world' was truly an incredible experience," she said.
In 2013, the creative consultant told Harper's Bazaar that she's an accessories girl. "I change my bags up all the time, especially my Birkins, because they can hold the million things I need between managing my kids and my new company," Wolkoff told the glossy. At the time, she also shared that she was a big fan of her quilted Chanel wallet, Roger Vivier flats and Ralph Lauren Ricky bag, as well as her Rick Owens leather jacket, and Oscar de la Renta and Dennis Basso fur vests. Her planning skills apply to the closet, too. "I organize my closet by season, color, and silhouette," she added. Is it possible, she could take on a role advising Melania on her wardrobe, too?
She tied the knot with Wolkoff at the Pierre in Manhattan in 2000. Their ceremony took place in one of the luxury hotel's ballrooms, which The New York Times described as "resembling one in a storybook castle." The couple have three kids: Zachary, Tyler and Alexi.
Wolkoff graduated cum laude from Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in communications. After graduation, her first job was at Sotheby's Auction House in New York. She credits her time at Sotheby's for exposing her to the world of event planning.
This article was originally published in The Hollywood Reporter and was provided by Bloomberg News.
