- Paul Neshausen, a top Barfoot & Thompson agent, spends six figures annually on luxury clothing to connect with high-end clients.
- Jayne Kiely and Amy Robertson, of Ray White Remuera, tailor their fashion to match the homes they showcase.
- Gabriel Elkhishin and Diego Traglia emphasise the importance of impeccable presentation and luxury vehicles in real estate.
When it comes to stylish real estate agents, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who loves fashion more than Barfoot & Thompson’s Paul Neshausen.
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“I’m an unashamed, unabashed, complete label basher,” says Neshausen, who has been the number one salesperson at the agency’s branch in Auckland’s St Heliers.
“All of my wardrobe is pretty much European ... Louis Vuitton, Brunello Cucinelli, Gucci, you name it, Dolce & Gabbana.
“Even my [reading] glasses tend to be a bit of a statement.”
Neshausen’s love of luxury is part of his sales persona, and he often bonds with his high-end clients over fashion, jewellery, art, cars and luxury travel.
He estimates easily spending six figures annually on clothing, with his daily look a Dolce & Gabbana shirt, and Louis Vuitton trousers and shoes.
Neshausen has added a belt by Louis Vuitton and a jacket by Balmain to a simple jeans-and-polo-shirt combo. Photo / Fiona Goodall
“I don’t want to be judged out of an opportunity just because of what I’m wearing,” he tells OneRoof. “If I’ve already met someone and they’ve got a Bentley and a Louis Vuitton handbag, well, I might front up in something a bit flamboyant.”
Neshausen, who appeared on the reality TV show Rich Listers, says getting the tone just right is crucial. “Not to be too arrogant. If I’m seeing a retired couple who are thinking about selling their family home because they’re moving onto the next stage of their lives, I’m not going to front up there in a bright red Gucci suit.
“I’ll dress accordingly, so it might be a bit more of a toned-down, two-piece suit with a white shirt – no tie. Just sharp and respectful.”
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He wears a Rolex and a sapphire ring, gets $200 haircuts, and drives a silver 2021 Porsche 911, and admits that looking the part gives him confidence.
Neshausen says many of his clients expect him to dress to a certain standard and want to deal with someone with whom they have something in common. “[Someone] who has the wherewithal to sell their luxury home and you’re not a possum in the headlights, daunted by whatever artwork or contemporary look and feel they have in their home.”
Ray White Remuera agent and host of the New Zealand version of Location, Location, Location Jayne Kiely calls her fashion style classical with a hint of edginess.
“Amy says I’m chic, smart and casual,” she tells OneRoof.
Amy Robertson is her real estate partner and has been in the industry four years, alongside Kiely’s 12.
Ray White agents Jayne Kiely and Amy Robertson. Kiely is wearing a Zara dress with an Yvonne Bennetti blazer and shoes from Nordstrom. Her hair is by Barb Taine. Robertson is wearing a white dress by Henne with Kathryn Wilson shoes. Photo / Fiona Goodall
At open homes, the women dress according to the house they’re showing. For example, a home in one of Auckland’s beach suburbs inspires a coastal dress code that’s relaxed (“I would probably wear white pants and a beautiful silk shirt,” Kiely says).
“We dress to match the house or the clientele. There’s nothing worse than being really overdressed, and you’re in a brick and tile unit.”
At a bigger, more traditional home in a suburb such as Remuera, a more structured dress and high heels are Kiely’s go-to. A blazer is also important, and she teams outfits from the likes of Yvonne Bennetti and Maman Boutique with vintage pieces from recycled clothing stores. Her shoe fetish, she adds, is more than satisfied by New Zealand shoe designer Kathryn Wilson.
Kiely wouldn’t like to guess how much she spends on work clothing, but put it this way: “You sell a house, you go shopping. You don’t sell a house; you don’t go shopping.”
Kiely has paired an orange striped dress, bought from a boutique fashion store on the island of Capri, with Kathryn Wilson shoes. Robertson is wearing a Camilla and Marc jacket. Her hair is by Lenski. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Robertson’s go-to colour is black, but, like Kiely, she changes up her look depending on the house and the client. For a Remuera estate, Robertson will wear an oversized, double-breasted black blazer with tapered pants and a slight flare by Melbourne designer Henne. At a bungalow in St Heliers, her look might change to a summery Zara dress, which Robertson says she would first take to a seamstress to be altered to fit her exact size.
“Black is very slimming, it looks good with everything, and it doesn’t take hours to put together,” she says, noting that she often finds the perfect piece on her Designer Wardrobe app.
Accessories such as a leather handbag, shoes and jewellery carry a look while hair and make-up finish it. “So it’s a lot of work. We have to wash our hair every couple of days, curl it, get it coloured all the time. We have to wear make-up every day – even on the weekends. And do nails, lashes, everything,” she says, explaining that the perfect look is not just for open homes and auctions, but also for marketing videos, social media posts and photography, which are an intrinsic part of the job now.
For ex-TVNZ reporter, newsreader and Breakfast presenter Rawdon Christie, fashion sets the tone but isn’t the main event.
“I’ve never been a sharp suit sort of a guy ... my attire on the whole will be jacket, open-neck shirt, slacks, and maybe the pocket hanky is the real estate agent giveaway,” he tells OneRoof.
“To me, it’s about being as open and honest and transparent as I can be, because that’s the way people are going to trust me, so I try to dress to me, rather than what I think the real estate world requires.”
Barfoot & Thompson agent Rawdon Christie is wearing a black suit from Working Style and a shirt from 3 Wise Men. His tie is from Satori. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Christie, originally from Oxford, England, isn’t the “dapper, city-slicker type”, but he believes in being well-groomed, and his once “foppish” hairstyle has made way for a much smarter, more professional look.
The 50-something Barfoot & Thompson agent managed to build up an enviable jacket collection while working in television between 2001 and 2016, and he keeps a silk pocket handkerchief at the ready for every one he owns.
His accessories include the silver TAG Heuer analogue watch his dad gave him, a decent leather belt, cufflinks and a pair of classic R.M. Williams leather shoes. He drives a reliable (but smart) black Volvo that’s “not ostentatious” and he will usually put on a tie for an auction.
“I’m not a particularly trendy person. I can’t get away with mixing it up, so I just have to be quite straight and formal to be honest,” he says.
Christie’s outfit includes a pink shirt from 3 Wise Men, a jacket from Politix, and boots from R.M. Williams. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Gabriel Elkhishin’s fashion rules are simple. “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you do better business,” says the Harcourts Papatoetoe and The Gardens agent.
“The way that I look at it is people are trusting you with their biggest asset, so they want someone that looks the part, that takes care of themselves, that’s well-groomed. Back of mind, people trust people who look good.”
Elkhishin takes pride in his appearance. He works seven days a week and wears a suit every day. “When I first started in the industry, I tried to be fun, quirky and cool and not wear a tie, but now I wear a tie almost every day. I feel it just pulls in the whole suit.”
Harcourts agent Gabriel Elkhishin is wearing a suit and shirt from Hugo Boss, R.M. Williams boots, and a Louis Vuitton tie and belt. Accessories include a vintage Rolex two-tone date watch, a Cartier ring, and a tiger eye bracelet. Photo / Fiona Goodall
The only time he upscales the suit is on auction day, when he might go to a three-piece.
He reveals he has three staples in his wardrobe. First are R.M. Williams boots: “They are like the all-terrain, four-wheel drive of real estate shoes because they’re well-crafted and built to last.” Other shoes had only lasted up to a year of door-knocking, but the R.M. Williams’ were worth every cent of the $799 price point.
Second, is jewellery, including several Rolex watches – not to be “flashy, but it’s just an appreciation for the craft”. He also wears a tiger eye bracelet “for protection” (it’s a gift from his mother) as well as rings and a tiepin.
Elkhishin: “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you do better business.” Photo / Fiona Goodall
Bringing it all together are a Louis Vuitton belt and a name-badge – because it gets Elkhishin listings while he’s out and about. He also reveals he has a signature cologne – Louis Vuitton Ombre Nomad.
When it comes to suits, the 27-year-old has more than 25, and his own home renovation includes a dedicated suit room.
Another “very, very, very” important part of his look is his car – an Audi e-tron, full full-electric vehicle. “Whether you like to admit it or not, people are looking at what you’re driving because if people perceive you as doing well, they’re going to trust you with their biggest asset.”
Bayleys Remuera agent Lorraine Young had a head start when it comes to her work wardrobe. She has a background in fashion, training and working as a fashion designer in the 1980s.
Bayleys agent Lorraine Young is wearing a Trelise Cooper linen suit with a SABA T-shirt and shoes from Gucci. Photo / Fiona Goodall
“I really do like tailored clothes and that comes from a fashion design background,” she says. “I do have an eye for clothes and detail, and that’s been very portable in having an eye to present homes really well.”
Young goes for a timeless look that’s easy to assemble in the morning. “Sometimes we don’t know how our day will unfold, so it’s got to look really smart from morning until early evening.”
She might pair a tailored Trelise Cooper suit with a simple T-shirt for a classic style “without looking overdone”.
Young’s favourite shoes are Gucci loafers because they are comfortable, practical, stylish and good quality. “They last and last forever, and they’re very forgiving. But I do have a pair of mid-heels in the (car) boot in case the look needs to be a bit more dressy.”
Young: “Sometimes we don’t know how our day will unfold, so [an outfit’s] got to look really smart from morning until early evening.” Photo / Fiona Goodall
Heels can lift an outfit in case of a last-minute appraisal or business meeting, she says, adding that clients expect agents to look smart. “Most of my clients are business owners or professionals or retired executives, so it is important to me to look professional.”
She also drives a late-model BMW coupe, saying the luxury car is both robust and reliable.
Diego Traglia, from Team Diego Harcourts, agrees that impeccable presentation is a critical part of real estate. “You do need to look the part ... even on your day off, you just can’t look average. You just can’t go out with your fluffies and your shorts and a singlet to buy milk because you will be recognised by someone, and unfortunately, we live in a world where image is very important.”
Traglia has plenty of suits and ties – he’s previously been sponsored by Theodore to wear the label’s clothing – but nowadays he’s just as comfortable in chinos, a suit jacket and T-shirt. It means the 40-something can move from “real estate-mode to dad-mode” when he needs to, but he makes more effort for what he calls the “million-dollar meeting” – a house appraisal or auction that could change either his or the client’s life.
Harcourts agent Diego Traglia. Custom suit and shirt from Theodore and shoes from Oliver Cabell. The watch is a TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5, and the sunglasses are from Luv Lou. Photo / Fiona Goodall
And while he’s not into labels, he does have a few Hugo Boss items he considers staples, including a jacket, shoes and a bag.
Traglia says he doesn’t spend much on clothing – he picked up a jacket and jeans at David Jones recently for $400 – but he estimates an agent can easily spend $10,000 a month.
The native Italian is more passionate about cars and used to drive a $500,000 Lamborghini to his job. “I don’t consider myself a wanker, and I’m very down to earth, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people at the time thought ‘look at that wanker’.”
Traglia: “You do need to look the part ... even on your day off, you just can’t look average." Photo / Fiona Goodall
These days, he prefers the Audi Q8 e-tron, but he points out that cars are all part of the image for an agent. “If you arrive with an old car, it just sends the message you are not the best real estate agent,” he says.
A nice car shows the agent is earning good money, Traglia says. It also doubles as an agent’s office because of the time spent in it, and it meets client expectations.
Marketing oneself as the best possible agent has paid off, Traglia says, and for that reason, he never shows his tattoos, always arrives in a clean car and makes certain his personal grooming is to a high standard.
“You’ll be surprised how many times I go into a meeting, and someone has a suit, but they have a ketchup stain, and you can see on the neck that the barber hasn’t cut the hair down for six months.
“That’s one thing people should be doing better. If you’re an agent and you’ve got a ketchup stain, go home and get changed before the next appointment.”
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