A longtime Saks Fifth Avenue stylist who built his career dressing members of Boston’s wealthy elite was accused of exploiting a client later diagnosed with dementia — charging millions of dollars in luxury goods she allegedly never received.
Suhail Kwatra, 43, once celebrated as the self-styled “Fashion Whisperer of Boston,” is accused by the son of Wendy Appel of abusing his position as her trusted personal shopper while she was suffering from the effects of multiple strokes and cognitive decline, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation.
The allegations involving Appel — which Kwatra strongly denies — sit at the center of a widening scandal that has already led to his firing from Saks Fifth Avenue, a criminal complaint accusing him of stealing nearly $430,000 from the retailer and mounting questions about how long store managers ignored red flags.
According to people familiar with Appel’s account, Kwatra charged millions of dollars in designer clothing and accessories to her credit card over several years, including Chanel suits, fur jackets, Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry and a $65,000 Louis Vuitton alligator handbag.
Former store staff told The Journal that Appel never came to collect the items, which allegedly sat in backrooms for months before being returned.
“Suhail would pick out pieces for her and pay with her credit card,” Danielle Rodrigues, a former Louis Vuitton adviser at the Boston Saks store, told the newspaper.
“She never came to pick them up.”
Rodrigues said Appel’s son, Michael Appel, later came into the store asking about the charges. She said she warned him that she believed Kwatra was taking advantage of his mother.
Michael Appel sent a cease-and-desist letter to Saks management in 2016, asserting that his mother was not of sound mind and that Kwatra was abusing his role, according to people familiar with the correspondence.
A year later, he obtained a conservatorship over her estate, which was later dissolved. Michael Appel declined to comment when reached by The Journal.
Kwatra’s spokesman Joe Baerlein has called the Appel allegations “unsubstantiated and false” and provided emails and a voicemail in which Wendy Appel told Kwatra not to discuss her account with family members and insisted she knew what she was doing.
Saks told The Journal that it investigated the matter at the time and found no wrongdoing, agreeing to accept some returns “out of courtesy for the relationship.”
The Appel episodes resurfaced as prosecutors and police have been scrutinizing Kwatra’s broader conduct during his nearly two decades at the Saks store in Boston’s Prudential Center.
In December, Boston police filed a criminal complaint accusing Kwatra of fraud and larceny, alleging he processed fake returns on merchandise clients ordered but never picked up, converted the refunds into gift cards and then used those cards to buy items for himself.
Police cited three recent incidents totaling more than $11,000 and said overall losses to Saks reached $429,400.
Saks security officials also gave police a handwritten letter they said Kwatra wrote, apologizing for the conduct, itemizing losses and promising to repay the money.
Kwatra denies the allegations and says the case is retaliation by Saks after he declined a retention bonus and explored other job opportunities.
“I have always strived to adhere to company policies and provide the very best service to my clients,” he said in a statement to The Journal.
His attorney Jennifer Furey has said the apology letter was signed under duress and after false assurances that no criminal or reputational harm would follow.
She has also claimed that Kwatra’s supervisors condoned the use of gift cards and perks to retain high-spending clients.
Beyond the Appel matter, The Journal reported that at least six current and former clients allege they flagged questionable charges tied to Kwatra as far back as 2013 — years before Saks took action.
Zach Haroutunian, now a private investment firm owner, said he noticed charges for items he never purchased after years of working with Kwatra.
He said the stylist blamed administrative errors and an assistant, but the charges continued and eventually snowballed into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Haroutunian said he complained to store management and even emailed Marc Metrick, the chief executive of Saks Global, without receiving a response.
“I raised very clear red flags, and they did nothing,” he told The Journal.
Amber D’Amelio, an animal-rights activist and former client, also said she discovered unexplained charges beginning in 2013.
She said Kwatra refunded the amounts when questioned, but the issues persisted until a store manager stepped in and issued refunds totaling thousands of dollars.
“I don’t know if I was truly made whole,” D’Amelio said.
Kwatra’s camp has disputed those claims, as well, with Baerlein calling Haroutunian an impulse shopper and saying any refunds were handled through standard channels.
Other customers have come to Kwatra’s defense. Jennifer Clark, a lawyer who worked with him for more than a decade, said he was “always an advocate for his clients” and a person of integrity.
Deborah George, another longtime client, credited him with transforming her personal style and said she remained baffled by the accusations.
Still, the scope and duration of the complaints have raised uncomfortable questions for Saks, which acknowledged that a tip in late September — not past customer grievances — triggered the investigation that led to Kwatra’s termination. The retailer has declined to comment further.
The case lands as Saks grapples with financial strain, missed supplier payments and a looming interest obligation, adding pressure to explain how a top-producing stylist could operate for years amid unresolved complaints.
Kwatra is scheduled to be arraigned later this month.
“Any allegations from a select few of Mr. Kwatra’s several hundred clients are without merit and not accurate,” Baerlein said in a statement to The Post.
“As other clients of Mr. Kwatra stated in the Journal story, Mr. Kwatra was always upfront about the costs of merchandise, the terms of the transactions and they found him to be a person of honesty and integrity. Comments from a few disgruntled clients, who are advancing their own agendas and motives, did not deserve the attention in the Journal story,” he added. “Mr. Kwatra looks forward to clearing his good name and reputation.”
