New Interview Look For Single Mom

David Evangelista Teams Up With Dress For Success And Kérastase

(CBS)  For nearly a decade, Dress for Success has been helping low-income women enter the workforce by providing them with an interview suit and career counseling.

And now, in partnership with hair-product manufacturer Kérastase, Dress for Success clients around the country are being treated to head-to-toe makeovers, to make them feel even more confident for their job interviews.

On Monday morning, The Early Show stylist David Evangelista helped from the Maximus Salon in Westbury, N.Y., by making over a single mother ready to head into the workforce.

Nawaal Walker says she's ready for a whole new look to start a new chapter of her life. The mother of three with a history of being a victim of domestic abuse was referred to Dress for Success by the Family and Children's Association of Long Island. Now, she's going back to school, and is looking for a job in criminal justice or insurance claims (Dress for Success has already helped her line up a job interview).

Walker's long, thick, curly hair is too much for her to deal with, especially making it look neat for job interviews. So she's ready to cut it off and color it.

That's where Evangelista and his team of stylists come in.

There were two things the stylist wanted to do to give Walker a new look: cut the ends of her hair and change the color.

"The ends definitely need to be cut because they were very, very damaged from previous colors," Evangelista says. "We need to actually tone everything down and make everything look much more uniform."

The hair style Walker got is very natural, Evangelista points out. "We could have blown it out and made it look sleek and everything, but this is a mother of three, and to go to a job interview, she's not going to have time to do anything like that."

For the makeup, "Isabella here at Maximus salon really gave her a golden, brown color, really, really soft. She combined her skin tone really well," Evangelista explains.

And to finish up her professional look, Evangelista says the suit Dress for Success provided goes well with Walker's skin tone. Continuing the description, he says, "It's pinstriped, which is a great for her body because it elongates her. And a professional shirt underneath that can pop with color. It is a really simple, approachable, sellable look. She's looking for a job, so you don't want to do anything too bright or too hard."

Asked if she feels as fantastic as she looks, Walker says, "I feel spoiled.

"I feel spoiled. I have three children; I'm a full-time student; and I don't have much time for myself so I really feel good."

For those watching the show Evangelista says, "Hire her. She is hot property; she's a good worker. She will work hard for you, people. She will make the company the best it could possibly be."

About Dress for Success:

Dress for Success provides interview suits, confidence boosts and career development to more than 45,000 women in over 73 cities each year.

It is a not-for-profit organization that helps low-income women make tailored transitions into the workforce. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and a second suit when she gets the job. The Dress for Success Professional Women's Group program then provides ongoing support to help the client build a successful career.

Women are referred to Dress for Success by a continually expanding array of not-for-profit and government agencies including homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, immigration services and job training programs.

Dress for Success relies on the financial contributions, in-kind donations and volunteer efforts of individuals and companies around the world who are committed to helping women take charge of their lives

About Kerestase/Dress For Success Alliance:

With the introduction of Gelée De Soin, Kérastase Paris has committed to donate one third of all proceeds from sales of this product to Dress for Success (with a minimum donation of $125,000). In addition, eight key Kérastase Consultant Salons have volunteered to provide services during January and February 2005 by donating Kérastase treatment haircuts, along with other services, to Dress for Success clients.