Photos courtesy of Virginia Claussen Bundy
Virginia Claussen Bundy has had a sartorial eye since she was a little girl. When her mom would buy her and her siblings coordinating sets, she’d sneak off with a pair of scissors and cut her clothes to stand out from her sister and two brothers.
On special occasions, like birthdays, she got to pick out her own ensemble. Her choice for the Ricky Martin concert when she was seven years old? A Limited Too monochromatic satin pants set in lavender. “I was convinced that Ricky Martin was looking at me during the concert,” she laughs. “I was like, he loves this outfit!” Decades after showcasing her showstopping pastel number for the Latin pop king, Bundy now curates looks for a star-studded roster.
Whether dressing Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s chief White House correspondent, or “Bravolebrity” Madison LeCroy from Southern Charm, the born-and-raised Augustan has a method. Bundy, who went to college for fashion marketing before pivoting into styling, approaches every client as an individual, learning their personal aesthetic in a face-to-face or Zoom consultation.
“It’s so important to stay true to a client and their art form. And that’s what’s so creative about the process itself: Everyone has a different style.”
– Virginia Claussen Bundy
Clients complete a questionnaire about their style perspective, and insecurities, too. This informs the pieces Bundy will pull and how she will assemble the looks. “It’s so important to stay true to a client and their art form,” she says. “And that’s what’s so creative about the process itself: Everyone has a different style.” Even when encouraging clients to step outside of their comfort zone, she maintains their essence. The same day as our Google Meet interview, Bundy styled Collins in a plaid pencil skirt for the Tribeca Festival (formerly the Tribeca Film Festival). For the journalist who leans more understated, the print “allows her to push the envelope a little bit while staying true to herself.”
But Bundy doesn’t do all the work. Styling is a collaborative effort between the customer and the professional. Clients conduct something like a wardrobe audit — a practice that anyone can implement, even if they’re not a regular on the red carpet. “What I always tell clients is to play dress up with yourself. Go in your closet, try on clothes,” Bundy says. “Mixing and matching different combinations and taking mirror selfies reminds you of what you actually have, what you need, what you like and don’t like and how your clothes make you feel. It lays the foundation for your closet.”
*You can read the rest of the article in the August/September issue of Augusta magazine.
As seen in the August/September 2026 issue of Augusta magazine.
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