Born to Make You Beautiful – Stylin’ and Smilin’ with Gary Samuelian

by david vera

 

He can’t help it, really. Whether it’s a gown fitting for Kim Kardashian’s red-carpet cameo, a freestyle apartment makeover for a gal-pal or simply a casual mixer for his fellow stylists, it’s in Gary Samuelian’s inherent nature to do it all with style.

 

It’s no wonder he’s currently gracing our TV screens as the cute brunette junior stylist at Margaret Maldonado Agency (MMA) on MTV’s best-dressed reality show, Styl’d.

 

On the go and in the know, this visibly driven talent with a refreshing attitude recently showed The Rage Monthly just what drives him, as well as some of the obstacles over which he’s had to strut. But first, I simply had to decipher the surname whose pronunciation eluded me. Sam-well-ian? Suh-moo-lee-in?

 

“It’s ’SAM-yu-len,’” Gary revealed warmly. “It’s Armenian. Yes, I’m another Armenian who lives in Los Angeles,” joked the Laguna Beach native.

 

In an introduction video on MTV, Gary recounted all the creative branches that he envisioned himself pursuing—which included a clothing line and a home-accents line among a few others.

 

“Oh my gosh, I said I wanted to do, like, EVERYTHNG! That’s so embarrassing,” blushed Gary. “I watched the interview and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, Gary.’ (laughter) Seriously, my oldest dream since I was little was to be a fashion designer. ”

 

Along with the unwavering support he’s had from his family, this one-track fascination kept Gary going when the path to his dream career seemed to have become buried under a blizzard of college transcripts.

 

“I went to BYU [Brigham Young University] for a year before I moved to New York,” Gary explained. “It just wasn’t where I wanted to be; I wasn’t happy about it. I wanted to be at Parsons School of Design in New York—It’s one of the top design schools in the U.S. So I enrolled in a certificate program there and I took classes like fashion design, fashion construction, fashion drawing, etc. It’s a really great school. It’s where Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan went.”

 

When he’s not making people look more beautiful, we can find Gary getting lost in himself doing the same for spaces as well. Not surprisingly, Gary’s modus operandi is always about improving things.

 

“I just finished decorating Lauren [Conrad’s] apartment. I’ve been doing that for the past eight months now—through the process of filming [Styl’d],” said Gary. “Lauren let me have carte blanche and the place looks amazing. Just trying to make the world a more beautiful place from within—whatever I can do to serve. (laughter)”

 

From what the show’s first few episodes have demonstrated, Gary is very capable of maintaining a high quality of work while still making time to build social relationships—namely, getting to know his fellow cast members on the show. Gary hosted a particularly cute little mixer for the junior stylists. Very extra-mile.

 

“Well thank you! That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me! I guess I am the homemaker! I’ve been reading Martha Stewart since I was like 6.”

 

Martha hasn’t been around terribly long, so after a few failed bouts with simple arithmetic, I inquired as to Gary’s age. “I’m 24. People think I’m so much older. I’m like, ‘Dude, really? I know I’m receding but I’m not 30!’”

 

Regardless of which generation claims him, Gary fits the profile of someone who “keeps the team together,” so to speak. Being that Styl’d is a reality show, one has to wonder to what extent the inevitable drama envelops our stylish little pacifist on screen.

 

“Yeah, there’s conflict that happens throughout the show,” detailed Gary. “It’s because we’re all competing for this position at the agency and so it sometimes gets a little cutthroat. I really tried to stay out of the drama as much as I could. There comes a point when I become involved because it’s been really thrown in my face.”He may have managed to dodge the daggers of wrath, but what about Cupid’s arrow? Did things ever get a little “too friendly” on the show?

 

“Um, NO! (laughter) Definitely not. I’m taken. I have a man. He’s someone I care about deeply.” How is this mystery man handling Gary’s growing spotlight? “He’s good, but there isn’t really any spotlight yet,” maintained Gary. “He’s very happy for me and proud of my accomplishments. He believes in me, so he’s great. He’s perfect! It hasn’t been crazy because it’s only the second episode. I’m excited to see what’s going to happen. I did get an assistant job with Mariel Haenn and Rob Zangardi, actually. They style Rihanna, Jay-Z, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith… It’s an amazing opportunity; I’m having so much fun. They make trends; they’re forward and original and amazing.”

 

Gary’s stylish eye is reflected in the fun personal touches he adds to his own wardrobe. Nevertheless, he keeps it clean and uncluttered.

 

“I believe that men look their sexiest and hottest when they keep it simple. What’s attractive to me when I look at men is really simple and understated. I’m all about the raw denim. If you want to dress it up, you can get a suede Prada loafer and a cashmere sweater. Or you can just use a vintage Nike high-top. If I’m dressing up, I’ll throw on a blazer. I’m very casual, though. I’m not a fussy queen.”

 

Even the coolest of characters must go all out and dress to the nines once in a blue moon. Surely Gary brings out the big designer guns on these rare events.

 

Do I ever go out in drag? No. (laughter) But I will have you know that I was “Man GaGa” for Halloween! My roommate was Lady GaGa. I made our red lace costumes. They were amazing. I was living!”

 

What has he learned from the rich and famous that we mere mortals could only dream to know? “They’re just like us!” Gary revealed. “It’s not really weird for me to work with celebrities because I’ve never been star struck. To me, they’re just people who do what they love—they’re driven and that’s why they are where they are.”