Edward O’Sullivan: Celeb stylist from Kerry ‘lit up every room’ he entered

According to Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), O’Sullivan — known as Eddie — was “a highly respected stylist…who had deep fashion relationships”. Famous for his friendly, natural warmth, and unaffected charm, he dressed some of the world’s leading actors: Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Freida Pinto, Lupita Nyong’o, Maria Sharapova, Jessica Chastain, and Tom Cruise. His network was a glittering who’s-who of the fashion and film industry.

O’Sullivan, from Castleisland, Co. Kerry (population 2,486), moved to Manhattan in 1990, aged 18. He later joked that he arrived with a sweater and two pairs of trousers, starting his career as a shop assistant. One of his earliest jobs was in a shirt and tie shop in Trump Tower — a favourite style twist was to pair an ascot (a formal cravat worn with morning dress) with jeans and leather jacket, which he told the New York Times in an interview was “very Talented Mr Ripley”. Very urban chic.

He moved to the legendary department store Barneys, again working on the shop floor, accentuating his Irish accent to disarm customers; he said it was his secret weapon while making a sale. It worked — he became a personal shopper at Prada. When he told people back home where he was working, he joked that they thought it was the name of a New York pub. He went on to work as a celebrity personal shopper at Helmut Lang.

O’Sullivan was so good at it that he ended up becoming global senior director of celebrity dressing and entertainment at Polo Ralph Lauren, where he styled people like Angelina Jolie, Diane Kruger, Lindsay Lohan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kevin Costner, Patrick Dempsey, Gavin Rossdale, and Jay-Z. 

He also worked as head of worldwide celebrity dressing and entertainment at Missoni, before launching his own consulting business, handling the styling for major brands like Tiffany and Belstaff, and consulting for IMG — which manages some of the world’s most prominent sports and fashion names. He dressed Maria Sharapova for the Met Gala, and created dozens of red carpet looks for Hollywood royalty.

Ahead of his time

His friend Malcolm Carfrae, head of another consultancy company, says that O’Sullivan was way ahead of his time. “He had incredible taste and intelligence and had the trust of celebrities,” he told WWD.

And he loved to connect people, introducing friends from different backgrounds to each other. “Edward lit up every room he walked into,” remembers Carfrae. “He made you feel like you were the most special person. He was never selfish or egotistical.” Which, operating at the upper echelons of the fashion and film industries, is something of an achievement, but those who knew him all said the same thing: He was modest, self-effacing, and preferred to allow his work — his uncanny ability to pair the right person with the right look — to take centre stage.

His friend Hylda Queally, originally from Barefield, Co Clare, and now one of the most influential women in Hollywood (she is the long-term agent of Cate Blanchett, and has also represented Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Brad Pitt, Hillary Swank, and a host of other famous names), moved to the US a year before O’Sullivan, in 1989. They were friends for 22 years.

She remembers running into him at the Cannes Film Festival, where she was representing an actress who needed something fabulous to wear, but had no connections in the fashion world. He whisked them both to his hotel room where a rack of frocks awaited. “We’ll get her sorted,” he said.

She says this was typical of his openness and generosity, and how she and her sisters referred to him as their “other brother”, and would often spend St Patrick’s Day together — which was O’Sullivan’s birthday — when she was visiting New York. He was, Queally told WWD, “a lot of fun”.  

Glamour editor Samantha Barry from Ballincollig, Co. Cork, recalls how when she was first in New York, people kept asking her if she knew an Irish guy called Edward. She finally met him at Heidi Klum’s Halloween party, where he was dressed as a priest. New in town, she remembers how kind and welcoming he was, and how inclusive.

Margharita Missoni recalls O’Sullivan as a comforting and grounding presence, while IMG executive Leslie Russo talks about his fashion prowess. All who remember him talk of his gentleness, kindness, and lack of ego, and his astonishing talent and creativity. He will be deeply missed, not just by the fashion world, but by his mum and four sisters.