Some Designers Pay Celebs $250,000 To Wear Their Outfits, And 24 Other Secrets From Red Carpet Stylists Stylists
The world of celebrity red carpet fashion is magnetic yet elusive, but the true magic workers are the stylists who make everything happen.
The celebrities walking the red carpet can tell you which designer they're wearing or why they choose a certain outfit, but only the stylists can tell you how much work truly went into bringing each look to life.
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So, without further ado, here are 25 interesting behind-the-scenes facts straight from red carpet stylists themselves:
1.Often, the outfits are on loan from designers, and they have to be returned quickly after the event.
Jill Lincoln and Jordan Johnson, the duo who style Constance Wu and Jennifer Garner, told CNN, "Once, a designer called while a client was on the red carpet to ask what time they could get her dress back. A foreign couture client had seen images of the actress online and wanted to buy the dress off of her back (for six figures!). Someone was waiting for our client at her hotel that night to retrieve the dress and fly it to the new client."
2.There's a hierarchy to how designer outfits are loaned out: nominees get first dibs, then presenters, then everyone else.
The process can get competitive, and stylists will hold off if they think their client would look better in an outfit than the other celebs who are requesting it.
3.Often, celebrities choose to wear designers they have established relationships with, so their stylists will reach out several weeks before nominations are announced.
Emily Sanchez, who styles Naomi Watts and Glenn Close, told the Independent, "It’s sentimental and a way of honoring that relationship for that big moment.”
4.Whenever a stylist reaches out to a designer, the answer they receive may be based on a list of preapproved celebs.
If their client isn't on the list of celebs the designer is definitely willing to dress, then they'll either be turned down or brought into discussion.
5.Sometimes, stylists collaborate with designers to create custom pieces, down to the jewelry and shoes.
"We know what the dress will be like, based on the sketch, then we can fine-tune accessories," Micaela Erlanger, who styles Meryl Streep and Lupita Nyong'o, told CNN.
6.Designers will occasionally gift an outfit to the celeb who wore it, but it's rare.
“The most special option and highest honor is always a bespoke dress made just for that event, but unless the dress is custom, there is an understanding that the dress will be returned after the events,” Emily Sanchez told the Independent.
7.During awards season, jewelry is flown in from all across the globe and escorted by private guards.
"The dress sets the tone, but the jewelry is the icing on the cake," Micaela Erlanger told CNN.
8.Sometimes, celebrities are paid upward of $250,000 to wear a certain designer on the red carpet.
The designers view it as a major PR opportunity. Stylists occasionally get paid by the designers as well.
9.From 1920 to 1950 — the early days of the Oscars — celebrities actually bought their own outfits to walk the red carpet.
"Then, after World War II and until the early 1970s, the big-name designers at studios worked like stylists and often dressed nominees and presenters. There were always women who reacted against this, though, including Marlene Dietrich who wore Dior, and Audrey Hepburn who wore Givenchy," Bronwyn Cosgrave, the author of Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Award, told CNN.
10.When a celebrity enters a brand partnership with a specific designer, they aren't required to wear that designer to events, but they're expected to do so for the Oscars.
For example, as the face of the brand, Jennifer Lawrence wore Dior to the 2016 Academy Awards, but she changed into an Alexander Wang outfit for the afterparty.
11.To make sure the outfit looks exactly the way they envisioned it, stylists photograph their clients from every angle during fittings.
Tara Swennen, who styles Allison Janney, also takes pictures with a Polaroid camera because it “gives you the best idea of what the light is going to be,” as she told Glamour.
12.Most red carpet outfits aren't just pulled straight from the runway; they're tailored to fit the celeb wearing them.
Jennifer Mazur, who styles Alessandra Ambrosio and Olivia Culpo, told Cosmopolitan, "I will tell [the tailor] what is permanent and what is temporary, and if it's temporary, he will alter it to look like it was done perfectly, but it's all folded and pleated and there are all of these darts and secret things that you can't see."
13.Celebs don't always wear high-end labels — in 2015, Sarah Jessica Parker attended the Met Gala in a custom H&M gown.
Since then, other brands that are more accessible to the public, such as Zara and Topshop, have had a bigger presence at the prestigious event.
14.Even with months of planning, the final decision on an outfit or accessories might not be made until the day of the event.
For example, D'Arcy Carden's 2019 Golden Globes look wasn't finalized until 1:00 a.m. the day of because a late flight delayed the final fitting. Her stylist, Erica Cloud, told Glamour, "I had pre-pulled jewelry because I knew it was going to be a tight turnaround — and of course it was a Sunday and nobody is open on Sunday. I just had to guesstimate.”
15.Stylists often have a backup plan in case of any last-minute hiccups, such as finding out another star is wearing something similar.
Marissa Joye Peden, who styles Emily Ratajkowski, told Elle that she once had to rush a client to the the Armani offices so the outfit could be sewn directly onto her body half an hour before the event.
16.Some stylists put a scarf over a client's head before they get dressed to prevent makeup from getting on their clothes.
It also adds an element of surprise, keeping the celeb's eyes covered until it's time to see the final look.
17.Instead of pulling on a tight zipper, stylists will run a bar of soap over it to ease the friction.
They might also use a crayon or a banana peel.
18.Some stylists use tape to create "natural" cleavage.
Janet Mandell, who has worked with Gigi Hadid and Ariana Grande, told Good Morning America that she uses tape instead of pasties because it's "much stronger."
19.Sometimes, when wearing normal underwear isn't possible, celebs wear stick-on underwear and they "have a buddy to help them go to the bathroom."
"The buddy system works, " Jennifer Mazur told Cosmopolitan.
20.Celebs sometimes wear shoes that are a size too big to help prevent blisters.
Their feet tend to swell on the red carpet, so they'll go up a shoe size or two.
21.Some stylists use spray deodorant to help their clients' shoes fit more comfortably.
“A lot of the time, shoes are a little too small or girls’ feet are swollen or sweaty, and they actually help shoes fit better," Marissa Joye Peden told Elle.
22.Some stylists put sandpaper on the bottom of their clients' shoes to keep them from slipping.
It provides extra grip, especially for heels.
23.The hefty cost of a Met Gala ticket can be covered by a brand that invites a celebrity to sit at its table, but they'll be expected to wear a design from that label.
It's an "unspoken rule," according to the New York Times.
24.During the COVID-19 pandemic, stylists have been more focused on crafting looks that fit within a Zoom frame, opting for bold colors and interesting necklines.
Micah McDonald, who styles Regina King, told the Evening Standard that he's been reaching for "colors that evoke joy and bring up the vibrant mood, interesting necklines, playing with shape, a great earring, maybe a bold lip [to] really bring the focus up into that frame."
25.And finally, the same stylists who dress celebs for major events often help them style their day-to-day outfits as well.
Monica Rose, who styles celebs like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, told Harper's Bazaar, "I do both depending on how much my clients have going on. My clients get photographed as soon as they walk outside, so that's where the need for day-to-day styling originated."
