Longtime stylist to stars, Ruthie Sanchez Laviera still helping women feel confident
NEW YORK -- In celebration of Women's History Month, we introduce a local stylist who is all about glitz and glamour.
She has worked with some of the world's most legendary stars, and CBS2's Cindy Hsu was lucky enough to spend some time with her and get a look into her colorful world.
Celia Cruz, known as the Queen of Salsa, entertained fans with incredible music and over-the-top costumes and hairstyles. For more than 25 years, Ruthie Sanchez Laviera was Cruz's personal stylist, helping her create unforgettable looks.
"She says, 'You keep putting things on me, Ruthie,' and I say, 'You're the only person that I know like a Christmas tree. The more you put [on], the better it looks,'" Sanchez Laviera told Hsu.
Sanchez Laviera was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York City at 16 years old with her aunt on the Lower East Side. She was pregnant and said her father was furious, so she had to get away.
She went to beauty school in Puerto Rico and was able to get jobs at salons in Manhattan, including one with a lot of star power.
"The first person that I did in there was Cicely Tyson," she said. "Her and I, clicked from the moment we met. And from there, it was history... Through Cicely Tyson, I got Essence Magazine."
She went on to style Vanessa Williams, Billy Eckstine and Diana Ross for Essence Magazine and opened her own salon on the Upper West Side at just 25 years old.
She's now 80 and continues to help women feel beautiful. Eight years ago, she helped create a salon at the Casabe Houses for the Elderly in East Harlem.
"Some of the seniors sometimes feel insecure, sometimes they don't want to come. But once they get here, they're very welcome," said Maria Muniz, housing director of the facility. "She's loving, she has that motherly type of thing for us."
"I am very grateful for her, because I suffered since my husband passed away. I felt alone, like I didn't have anybody," her first client at the salon, Monserrate Pagan, said. "But she helped me pick up my self esteem and to feel good."
Maria Sanatana is a freshman at Hunter College and has known Sanchez Laviera since she was 11. She says her 80-year-old mentor has taught her to be a strong woman and to always stand up for herself.
"She's very outspoken, she's not scared to tell you how it is, she's very honest. But she's also very loving, so she's not saying it to hurt your feelings, she's saying it to help you be better," Santana said.
"She's very special and got a good heart," said Sanchez Laviera.
Hsu asked if she plans on retiring any time soon.
"No, why?" she replied. "No, because when you retire you get ugly, you get fat."