Natalie Kates, Director Of Q Models, Says That Style Is Her Prozac (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

WATCH: This Modeling Agent Says Style Is Her Prozac
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Natalie says that style is her Prozac and that nuances speak volumes on an individual's behalf. The distinction of her giant gold cuff with spikes and gems, a necklace with molded silver lips and hanging agate stones or a YSL three-piece smoking suit also gives me the best kind of high--a visual one. Born in Vietnam to a native mother and Irish-American soldier, Natalie's family became part of "The U.S. Exodus" which found them in Small Town, TX at the age of three; a town in which Walmart was the "highlight." Natalie says, "You were raised in Texas to believe the world is flat. You are either white, black or Mexican. If you are different, it doesn't compute." Being multi-dimensional is who Natalie is, whether in her high school-era hot pink hair and mohawk or Louboutin chiffon sandals in the same hue with sky blue polish. Keep reading below. This was originally posted on StyleLikeU.com

Natalie Kates from StyleLikeU.com
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Natalie Kates is the Director of Q Models and has her own company called Style Curator. She was born in Vietnam and raised in Texas. At age twenty-one she moved to New York City. Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking Suit, Christian Louboutin Heels
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Christian Louboutin Heels
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"I think the best thing to do [for inspiration] is to watch people quite honestly. I could sit anywhere, on a park bench or at a cafe and just stare at people." Haute Hippie Dress, Giambattista Valli Necklace, D2 Cuff
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Custom Haute Hippie Dress, Christian Louboutin Boots
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"I'm know to be a curator for street artists. I started collecting street art about six years ago, when I noticed that the language on the streets, the visual language, had changed... I'm always hyper aware of my surroundings." John Galliano Heels
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"I don%u2019t have to look at a glossy magazine and say, 'That is what I should be' to feel validated."
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Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking Suit
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"I think good design is good design, whether it%u2019s from a designer or whether someone%u2019s mother made it at an atelier in New Jersey. It may not be in fashion when I buy it, but it will never go out of style."
(11 of11)
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"Style is my prozac. I love how small style nuances can speak volumes on behalf of an individual."

She sought solace by escaping into MTV's edgy '80s heyday and the elite fashion world of CNN's Elsa Klensch with the Claude Montanas and Jerry Halls of the world, where Natalie discovered that "the world was round." In addition, Natalie recalls her mother being the spitting image of Cher and having the flair of Carrie Bradshaw before "Sex and the City," wearing huge silk corsages from Woolworth's. Hyper aware of her surroundings like a Timothy Leary "trip," Natalie not only has the vision to covet a monkey fur as much as an H&M sheer sheath, but an ability to perceive pop culture before it catches on. Her drug is her eye, whether it's curating emerging artists, finding the new face in male modeling for her agencies or hunting down the seminal piece of jewelry found in her travels. As Natalie says regarding style and visual curating, "You can reinvent, you can be anything or anyone."

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If you love Natalie, you may also like Ashley Wick, Drue Kataoka and Alexandria Hilfiger.

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