“I love stuff that isn’t what I’m seeing all the time,” says April Francis. “If someone is doing X, I want to be doing Y.” As founder of styling biz the Haute Closet, creator of Dose Market and freelance consultant to clients like Nike and Park Hyatt International spas, Francis is actually doing X and Y and Z. And it seems to be working. The 29-year-old is known for her selective eye and ability to edit, a skill she is constantly honing whether she’s culling a customer’s closet, curating local vendors to participate at Dose (a monthly bazaar of local food and fashion at River East Art Center in Streeterville) or researching the culture in Amman, Jordan, to develop a new Hyatt spa concept. Her personal style is as unpredictable as her career path. “I love weird stuff, the weirder the better,” she says. “But I also love functional.” At a recent party, Francis wore a reversible Kenzo dress. “When I told people, they asked me to go switch it. I did, and everyone loved it.”
Photo: Courtesy of Michael Fortner
