Saks Fashion Whisperer accused of ripping off millions from dementia-stricken client

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.

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