Laverne Cox’s Stylist Picked the Star’s 3 Best Looks — And They All Show A Lot of Skin!

Sharon Kanter
Updated

Celebrity stylist Christina Pacelli has put client Laverne Cox is a lot of eye-popping looks this year, from colorful suits to a variety of gowns with up-to-there slits. But when we asked Pacelli to pick her top three looks of the year that she put on the Orange Is the New Black star, her choices all pointed to one takeaway: The sexier, the better.

And while sometimes it’s not easy to achieve the looks that they want — “Laverne is not a sample size so I collaborate with designers around the world to create custom looks for us,” Pacelli tells PEOPLE — the result is always head-turning. See below for her top picks.

Laverne Cox at the Grammys in a Bryan Hearns dress.
Laverne Cox at the Grammys in a Bryan Hearns dress.

At the Grammys in Bryan Hearns

For Cox’s first time attending the Grammy Awards in February, Pacelli wanted to definitely go sexy. Therefore, “we aimed to create a look reminiscent of a Chanel Boy bag,” explains the stylist. “I knew exactly the designer to call to create against this vision, the talented Bryan Hearns from L.A. Bryan personally fit with us and created the brilliant look from scratch in 48 hours based on reference and inspiration images.” The final look, a revealing one-shoulder design with side cutouts connected by chainlink “hit the mark and fit her like a glove,” says Pacelli. Good thing, too, because Cox met her idol that night, Beyonce herself.

Laverne Cox in Mikael D at the Creative Arts Emmys.
Laverne Cox in Mikael D at the Creative Arts Emmys.

At the Creative Arts Emmys in Mikael D

Cox and Pacelli turned to another sexy custom piece — this time by Mikael D — for the Creative Arts Emmys in September, a long-sleeved black and gold gown featuring a waist-high slit, again connected with a golden chain-like detail. “The final iteration of this look came together at the last minute with extensive and creative alterations, and our additions of the shoulder opening and slit chain detail,” explains Pacelli. “We took a risk and it paid off — the look was classy and bold, and photographed brilliantly.”

Laverne Cox at the AHF World AIDS Day Celebration in Carmen Marc Valvo.
Laverne Cox at the AHF World AIDS Day Celebration in Carmen Marc Valvo.

At the AHF World AIDS Day Celebration in Carmen Marc Valvo

For the November event, Pacelli was inspired by the style of Bianca Jagger for Cox’s sheer black dress. “I teamed up with Carmen Marc Valvo and his team to channel a dark retro style in Jagger’s vein for this look,” says Pacelli. “We extended the waistband to be twice as wide which took it the next level.”

Tell us: Which was your favorite look that Laverne Cox wore?