THIS is the face of the woman who is telling the world what to wear. You may have heard of Kate Foley, the New York based stylist and creative consultant.

And you almost certainly will have seen pictures of her in Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and Harper’s Bazaar.

But you probably do not know she grew up near Worthing.

She was one of three children who grew up in the Sussex village of Clapham at the time, her parents moving there just before the great storm of 1987.

The fashion-obsessed youngster would demand to dress herself – shunning pretty dresses in favour of printed leggings and old T-shirts.

A particularly treasured garment was a pair of silver velvet leggings with a rose print.

She went St Phillips Catholic Primary School in Arundel and Westbourne House Prep School in Chichester with her sister, novelist Lucy.

Taking as many internships as possible, it was during her first year of a foundation degree Camberwell College of Arts that she was offered a full time job to assist fashion heavyweight Charlotte Stockdale. Facing a dilemma of whether to finish her studies or take the job, she took the plunge and has never looked back.

It was not long before she was working for some of the best known style magazines in the capital.

And it was while working on a freelance project that she landed her next big-league position for stylist Mary Fellowes.

When Fellowes was made fashion director of Turkish Vogue Kate accompanied her, assisting with the launch until 2010 when she decided to swap print for retail and move to the US.

The move was “spontaneous” and something Kate modestly refers to as “lucky”.

She was in the right place at the right time to pick up the job as a buyer in womenswear for Opening Ceremony – the boutique of the moment in New York.

She is quick to say it is a misconception that buying is a glamorous job. Yes, there are shows and she gets to pick the clothes, but that is just a tiny percentage of the job, she insists.

It also involves hundreds of daily emails, filling out orders, auditing sales, appointments, constant use of Excel and lots of hard work.

Kate has just finished four years at the brand and announced she was going solo as a consultant and mentor for designers.

So far her freelance work has included helping Topshop to launch its new New York store on Fifth Avenue in October.

She is also represented by Next Talent, which also promotes Alexa Chung, Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, Lana Del Rey and Pamela Anderson.

The much photographed Kate is still close with her author sister Lucy, whose debut novel The Book of Lost and Found is out in paperback in July. Their mother, a lawyer-turned-gardener, and father, an economist, still live in Clapham while their grandmother, who used to run a bookshop, lives in Bognor.