Jon Jordan
This winter's blast of arctic weather may require additional layers of clothing, but the cold weather doesn't mean you have to be out of fashion. Just ask WDIV ClickOnDetroit’s fashion editor and Bloomfield Hills resident Jon Jordan.
"It's about making wise choices in the cold," he said. "It's kind of cold anyway from Labor Day to Memorial Day, and I have a tendency to always feel cold. But there are definitely ways to stay warm. I yell at people when they don't dress warm. I yelled at a co-worker in the WDIV parking garage the other day, 'Where is your coat!'"
Born in Royal Oak, Jordan attended the formerly named Roeper City and Country School before attending the University of Michigan to study art. Not sure what he wanted to do after college, Jordan was inspired by Vidal Sassoon to return to earn his cosmetology license.
"I had some friends who studied at Vidal Sassoon in London, and I thought they were doing really cool things, and doing very well.
"It was really just another medium. It doesn't matter whether it's watercolor, clay or hair, it's all an art medium," Jordan said. "I came home and told my parents – after they had invested substantially in my education, that I was going to beauty school."
After working at a salon in West Bloomfield, Jordan moved to New York City and put together a makeup product and skin care line. He began doing editorial work for Detroit’s two daily newspapers. He also received an offer from WDIV to be the station's image consultant.
"I had so many wonderful opportunities that fell into my lap out of the blue, but I guess the lesson is that I always said 'yes' to everything," he said.
During his more than two decades in the makeup world, Jordan's list of clients included Cindy Crawford, Spike Lee, Tom Brokaw, the Duchess of York and dozens of others. Among the most memorable, he said, were President Bill Clinton, Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, and model Paulina Porizkova.
"She was unbelievably gracious," he said of Graham. "This is a woman who changed history as a publisher. She brought down the Nixon White House, and at a time when women didn't have a lot of opportunity."
Today, there is a short list of non-celebrity friends and former clients that he will personally do makeup work. Most of his work is now with WDIV and Birmingham-based Bluestone Executive Communications as an executive stylist and image consultant.
"One point I make is how well-armed you are when you walk out of the door to take on the world," he said. "Whether you're an executive, a teacher, an artist or whatever, you have a leg up if you walk out the door and feel good about yourself. It's nothing to take for granted. People who are polished get ahead faster than people who don't pay attention to things like that."
So what are some fashions that Jordan said may have run their course?
"We have been doing 'skinny' everything for about a decade, and it's time for a change. It's also a lot more comfortable," he said.
As for workplace casual, Jordan said it's no excuse for a slovenly look. The best idea is to find a look that works, and stick with it each day.
"It's really about being comfortable in the look or 'uniform,' and knowing you look really great in it, because that's the goal," he said.
Photo: Laurie Tennent
