Issue Date: October 7, 2007
Behind the scenes: Hollywood's fashion secret
Who, what and wear: Who are Hollywood's most elite fashionistas? The celebrity stylists. They rule Tinseltown -- and what you buy at Target.
By Michele Meyer
Rachel Zoe. No one you know? Well, she's the one responsible for those Grecian goddess dresses and oversized sunglasses and handbags you have in your closet.
As a celebrity stylist behind the seams, Zoe sets the tone for what Keira Knightley and Lindsay Lohan wear. In doing so, she and other stylists have morphed from dressers-and-schleppers hired by magazines to press and pin clothes at photo shoots to star-shapers and fashion visionaries who are courted by designers, celebrities and clothing brands.
Red-carpet ready: Actresses Keira Knightly, Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett and Eva Longoria set fashion trends with every step."If a picture is worth a thousand words, a celebrity carrying or wearing an item is worth a million words,'' says Marshal Cohen, author of "Why Customers Do What They Do."
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Such pros snatch the "It" bag, shoe or jeans for their clients before collections hit the runways. They work a season ahead of stores and may pull looks before they are even sewn, making their A-lister a trendsetter.
Designers oblige. After all, it's free publicity. "If a picture is worth a thousand words, a celebrity carrying or wearing an item is worth a million words,'' says Marshal Cohen, author of "Why Customers Do What They Do."
There are also more opportunities for star style to be seen. From "Vogue" and "In Style" to newcomers "Life & Style" and "People StyleWatch," more magazines run pics of stars on endless red carpets, pumping gas and buying groceries than ever before. And everyone from E! to TV Guide airs style-focused awards show coverage, as well as critiques.
ASKING "WHO ARE YOU WEARING?" CHANGED THINGS
Such fashion exposure has upped the ante. Hollywood icons used to attend the Oscars wearing dresses by their favorite designers -- or bought off store racks -- and no one ever asked, "Who are you wearing?" The days of going it alone ended after Demi Moore was snapped in a disastrous self-designed bike shorts-and-bustier combo at the Academy Awards in 1989. Now, as Italian designer Giorgio Armani rued to the "Wall Street Journal," "No actress moves without her stylist."
"We've entered a topsy-turvy world where the stylist has more power than the designer,'' says Cohen, who's also chief industry analyst at the NPD Group, which follows the fashion trade. "Stylists are the matchmakers between designers and stars. And celebrities have become the vehicle for designers to communicate and separate themselves from the field."
Like puppetmasters, stylists pull designers' strings, says Tom Julian, longtime fashion analyst for Oscar.com, the official website of the Academy Awards. "I have heard tales that a stylist believes that this gown must be in this color -- so it is," he says.
Why do creators obey? "What personal stylists say goes,'' says B/W/R's Matt Meyerson, a product placer. "I sent clothes to [model] Beth Ostrosky for her fiance, Howard Stern, and though she thought he'd love them, she said, 'We'll only know when his stylist gets back from vacation."
MEET THE POWER STYLISTS
Phillip Bloch was arguably the first to see and exploit the nexus between designers, stars and the red carpet -- and the publicity that resulted was a win-win for all involved. Hollywood took notice of him at the 1997 Oscars, when he had 11 big-name clients, from Will Smith to Sandra Bullock to Angela Bassett.
In 2002, Bloch asked little-known designer Elie Saab to hold a sheer-topped burgundy satin gown from his collection so it would be seen first when Halle Berry wore it to the Oscars. The gamble worked for both. Suddenly, Saab was someone.
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After Cameron Diaz wore a Le Doux bikini, the brand hit the fashion map.
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Trendmeister Rachel Zoe gained buzz -- positive and negative -- for her clients who shrank physically as their fame grew. "Zoe-bots'' hiding behind huge designer bags, head scarves and oversized shades have included Sienna Miller and Lohan. Zoe's most remarkable transformation? Nicole Richie, who went from Paris Hilton's chubby sidekick to a sleek mama-to-be.
Jennifer Rade, stylist to Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Pink, has upped the stars' cool -- and helped Kasil's sales of skinny jeans quadruple when Pitt wore them.
Jessica Paster dresses Cate Blanchett in classics and Kate Hudson in beach-chic, while Cristina Ehrlich and Estee Stanley have helped Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen create their boho-homeless chic look and made Jessica Biel and Penelope Cruz dazzle at award shows.
Robert Verdi pointed Eva Longoria toward swimsuits with cutouts. And Alexander Allen -- East Coast stylist to Beyonce, Shakira and Toni Braxton -- "invented Eve, the rapper," Verdi says, taking her from street to red-carpet chic in Paco Rabanne.
FROM STAR TO STORE TO YOU
In the end, it's all about money. "Stars are walking billboards. They're millions of dollars of free advertising around the world," says Dana Thomas, Newsweek's fashion reporter and author of Deluxe. The phenomenon also puts a lot of pressure on stars, who, in their desire to look good, turn to the professionals not just for evening wear, but also for their most basic clothing items and accessories.
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Madonna's most recent influence on fashion? Ed Hardy T-shirts sporting vintage tattoo designs.
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Sales spike after star sightings, Meyerson says: "If a celebrity wears an item, it implies they love it, and it must be great.'' He fuels the buzz by posting pics on the Web of celebs wearing his clients' fashions. Soon, weeklies, fashion magazines and websites from here to Australia and China run the images, and sites like StarStyle.com tell you where to buy it.
By controlling a celeb's entire closet, stylists influence even seemingly minor fashion choices. "Within six weeks, Le Doux, a fledgling brand, sold $100,000 worth of two bikini styles Cameron Diaz wore in Hawaii," Meyerson says. "At the next trade show, Dillard's and everyone knew the brand -- and sought it out.''
For the average non-famous shopper, "celebs have become their personal stylists. They show what looks cool and how to put it all together," says Lezley Goldbaum, fashion editor for the retail trade's "Tobe Report."
Stores have to keep tabs on Richie in head scarves, Cameron in bikinis, Madonna in vintage tattoo-laden Ed Hardy T-shirts and Mary-Kate Olsen in white plastic-rimmed Ray-Ban Wayfarers -- or they risk falling behind. "Our customer likes to be part of the buzz, so we keep our budget liquid to move and groove within the season," says Ann Watson, vice president and fashion director at New York's Henri Bendel. Although they had never carried Wayfarers, Bendel jumped on the bandwagon, devoting a Fifth Avenue window to the newly fashionable glasses. Target also seizes the moment, and when Jessica Simpson, Longoria and others carried the Marc Jacobs hobo bag, the bargain-conscious big-box store knocked it off at a lower price.
THE SPOILS OF SUCCESS
With a "frightening ruthlessness,'' some stylists use their growing influence to extort cash, first-class tickets or even liposuction from ambitious designers, Thomas says. (Asked directly, a half-dozen stylists denied accepting excess largesse.)
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When Mary-Kate Olsen made white Ray-Ban Wayfarers a wardrobe staple, fashionistas snapped them up.
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If you find it creepy that a cabal of celeb-courters influences what you wear, get used to it. The future promises more of the same, especially as stylists -- and stars -- design their own collections. Bloch has designed jewelry for Baccarat and launches a shoe line collaboration in fall 2008. Ehrlich and Stanley have their own collection, Miss Davenporte; Zoe has done bags for Judith Leiber and is now creative director at Halston.
But it's all good, says Bloch, who delights in the dazzle: "Celebrities are able to share light, and we all get to sparkle a bit more."
Michele Meyer writes regularly about fashion for USA WEEKEND Magazine.
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Jennifer Rade's Five Style Tips
1. Foundations are everything -- the basis of every great look. If your undergarments don't fit, your clothes won't look their best.
2. Play up only one of your physical assets per outfit. If you're going to be showing shoulders and decolletage, show a little less leg (and vice versa).
3. Less is definitely more when it comes to accessories. A great watch, earrings or necklace can make the outfit. Rather than risk a look that's too busy, get dressed, look in the mirror and take off one item.
4. Invest your clothing budget on classic pieces in better fabrics and workmanship. For seasonal trends, a trip to H&M or Target is enough to add trendy style to your closet at prices you won't regret.
5. Find a great tailor. Nothing ruins an outfit faster than a poor fit. Simple alterations will make you look slimmer and polished.
On the cover: Knightley: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY; Berry: Steve Granitz, WireImage; Longoria and Blanchett: Gilbert Flores, Celebrityphoto
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