Twisted Sister Costume Designer Reflects On Her Fashion, Rock 'N' Roll Journey

BELLMORE, NY — At just 16 years old, Suzette Guilot-Snider was putting her fashion talent on stage, helping to define the heavy metal band Twisted Sister's look. Now, the Bellmore native is being inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, with her husband and the band's lead singer, Dee Snider, presenting her with the honor Saturday.

The event will take place at 97 Main St. in Stony Brook Village on Nov. 14 at 8:30 p.m. and is open to the public with the purchase of tickets.

Guilot-Snider will be the first costume designer inducted into the Hall of Fame, recognizing the contributions of behind-the-scenes designers and artists who have helped make a mark in the music industry.

While Twisted Sister became known for hits like "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock," the band's colorful stage presence was also shaped by Guilot-Snider's creativity.

"I wanted to be a fashion designer and make an impact on the world," she said.

As a teenager, Guilot-Snider knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. What she didn't know was that she would help define one of rock music's most recognizable bands' looks.

On one occasion, at 15 years old, she walked into a club when Dee was performing, and there he was "jumping up and down pointing at what he was wearing," she said.

At 15, Guilot-Snider walked into a club where Dee was performing and spotted him "jumping up and down pointing at what he was wearing," she said.



The rocker, who was just starting in his band, was clad in the same shirt as Guilot-Snider.

"I was horrified," she said with a laugh. "He was excited and thought it was the best thing, but I was 15 at the time. I swore I would never be in this situation again, so I started making his stage clothes."

While other girls in her BOCES class were making female patterns, she was designing flamboyant outfits for men.

"These things were crazy," she said. "Little satin belly shirts with purple feather boas."

She began to recruit her younger siblings for help, all working hard to hand-sew sequins.

"Dee always dreamt about wearing a jumpsuit," she said, adding it was difficult for his 6-foot-1 frame, especially with 6-inch platform heels. "I couldn't find a fringe long enough, so my siblings hand-tied fringes together. It was adorable."

Some costumes would take months to make with each detail and precision, she explained.

At 16 years old, she graduated early and was accepted to the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, but she had one person she needed to impress before she could attend – her father.

"I gave him a fashion show," she said. "I showed him how dedicated I was. I really wanted it."

Her father sat in a chair at the end of the hall while one of her male friends modeled "flamboyant" outfit after outfit.

"I'm staring at my dad for some kind of reaction," she said. "And my father is deadpanned. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop."

The friend continued showing off each vibrant outfit in silence, while Suzette held her breath, until the fashion show concluded.

"After seven outfits, my father just gets up and walks out," she continued. "Doesn't say a word. Doesn't crack a smile. My poor friend, who is a tough guy – I can't even imagine what he was thinking."

It wasn't until the next day that she found out the truth of what her father thought of her fashion designs.

"The next day, my father showed up with a wad of money for my tuition," she said. "That started it. He was the first man to believe in me."

With her father's approval and tuition covered, she catapulted into a fashion design career. "I kept making clothes."

At the time, she had only been making Dee's clothing, but Twisted Sister's manager, Jay Jay French, asked if she could make the entire band's outfits.

Producing five or six items every week, she became salaried while also still in school and making other local bands' costumes.

"It got bigger and bigger," she said. "And my outfits got crazier and crazier."

Creating their costumes evolved into doing their hair and makeup, turning Guilot-Snider into a triple-threat.

"I had to teach Dee how to do makeup because he was doing the red circles on his cheeks," she said. "I was a kid. I couldn't believe they asked a 16-year-old to make costumes and do hair and makeup for a band. They trusted me."

Guilot-Snider saw the band's vision for their wardrobe and elevated it one step further. She told the members, "You guys are not pretty boys — you are creatures."

"I wanted to make their costumes more true to their music," she said. "They didn't question it at all. They went along with the crazy outfits. The crazier the outfit, the more Dee liked it."

Years later, while watching a 2014 Twisted Sister documentary, Guilot-Snider said the band discussed how its elaborate hair and makeup had initially made it difficult to land a record deal at first.

"I'm watching this thinking it's my fault," she said. "But it's what made them different and stand out, too. When they go on stage, they don't wear makeup. They wear war paint. They were there to dominate. At their concerts, I wanted people to be entertained in every sense, including visually. An experience. That's what I was trying to achieve."

Thinking back on all of the Twisted Sister costumes, Suzette said it was hard to choose her favorite. Her top two were Dee's Stay Hungry costume and the Come Out To Play costume, which she graffitied for his album. For his role in the Strangeland horror film, she designed his hair, which received rave reviews.

Whether designing an outfit for a rock star or painting art on an actress, Guilot-Snider said she wants to help bring each person's vision to life.

"I want to create their vision," she said. "If the person is happy, that's all that matters. The little girl in me cares about the award, but as long as the people I'm working with are happy, that's what matters most to me."

She has worked across a variety of artistic mediums and recently ventured into interior decorating.

"It's about the art, and I love creating the art," she said. "My clothing line is wearable art. As long as I'm creating, I don't care what it is."

Suzette and Dee have been married since Oct. 23, 1981, and have four children together. She said the two fell for each other quickly.

"I fell in love with him," she said. "I wanted to give him what he wanted – kids, a family. And Dee was completely infatuated with me. I had only kissed two guys before I met him, so he was really trying to get on my good side."

They had their first child when Guilot-Snider was 22, and their relationship faced challenges as Dee toured in the early years with the band.

"He went on the road for five years," she said. "We had no money. We were broke. It was not an easy life."

When she was pregnant with Jesse, Twisted Sister was touring in Europe.

"We couldn't even afford for Dee to call me," she said. "He would send me tape cassettes, and I would play them. I would send him photos of Jesse. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. There was no money in rock and roll."

At the time, Guilot-Snider was making clothes for boutiques. Although she received an offer from an investor, she said she couldn't commit to working seven days a week while raising her son.

"When he made it big, I didn't want to go on the road at the time," she said. "I didn't want to bring my son on the road. I had to be a strong woman to withstand it. Luckily, I am."

When she stepped away from designing the band's stage wear to focus on motherhood, Guilot-Snider thought her career in fashion was over. But she was wrong. Her vibrant fashion designs and rock and roll creations transcended generations.

Her fashion designs and rock-and-roll creations had reached far beyond the costumes she made as a teenager, eventually leading to her induction into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame.

"I always felt like I never had a career," she said. "So when Kevin called me telling me I was being inducted, I started crying. It was something that I never thought I had. It's amazing."

As someone who spent much of her career behind the scenes, she said being recognized in such a public way feels surreal.

"I'm beside myself," she said. "I'm pinching myself. I appreciate this award so much."

Although she never planned to make costumes — she always wanted to be a fashion designer — her career led her to do more than she ever imagined.

From special effects makeup, hair, wigs, creating costumes for rock stars and Broadway actors, to working in hair and makeup for television shows, to doing makeup for Robin from the Howard Stern Show, Guilot-Snider has done more than she imagined.

"I had a career, and I didn't even realize it," she said. "Not only did I have a career, but I also did way more than I actually ever dreamt of doing."

She said the recognition also reflects a growing appreciation for the women and other creatives working behind the scenes in entertainment, from those behind the camera to the people creating the looks audiences see on stage and screen.

"We bring characters to life," she said. "People do see it. I didn't think anybody was watching. I didn't do it for the attention. I did it for the love of the art. I'm a mother. I thought I had no career. I thought I gave up my dream for my children. Apparently, I didn't. This is for all the moms and all the people behind the scenes"

Through the decades, Guilot-Snider has made a name for herself in fashion and rock and roll music history.

"I still can't believe a group of guys trusted me, a 16-year-old," she said, with a laugh. "What were they thinking?"