The blush-hued Prabal Gurung bustier and slightly more delicate pink Olivier Theyskens ball skirt that the former Sex and the City actress paired up for the New York City Ballet fall gala in September has fashion insiders eagerly awaiting their next red carpet. Not one to shy away from bold statements (think Washington’s pony-print dress at 2013′s Django Unchained premiere in London), Walsh put Gyllenhaal in a violet Lanvin lace gown with supersize jewel embellishments for the BAFTAs. “I love working with people who break the rules,” says Walsh. “I walk that line of elegant but interesting.”
Walsh, who commissioned Jason Wu to create a gown for mom-to-be presenter Washington, looks for something classic that will stand out in “a sea of the same.” The Scandal star’s amethyst satin was distinctive among the year’s soft pastels.
ROB ZANGARDI & MARIEL HAENN;
The duo, who met more than a decade ago while working at MTV, just landed Girl singer-producer Williams. “With his love for fashion, we’re looking forward to some fun projects,” says Haenn. Whether the hat sticks around remains to be seen. At The Great Gatsby premiere for the Cannes Film Festival’s opening night, Solange Knowles wore a sheer, caramel-colored Stephane Rolland gown with feather accents and a floor-sweeping train. “It was picture-perfect,” saysHaenn.
“With Jennifer on American Idol and Shakira on The Voice, we do four red carpets a week, Monday through Thursday,” says Zangardi of their respective TV gigs on Fox and NBC. They also have their own jewelry line (available at Maxfield in L.A.).
KATE YOUNG;
THR‘s top stylist of 2012 might not have dressed as many awards contenders this year, with Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz on virtual red-carpet hiatus, but newer clients like Emilia Clarke find their every move obsessively observed by the fashion crowd. Young started working with Clarke about a year ago; Chanel, Versace and Calvin Klein are just a few of the designers clamoring to dress the Game of Thrones actress. Her custom Calvin Klein Collection dress in bronze-rose at the SAG Awards was flawless thanks to its perfect fit. Young’s favorite look was Clarke’s custom black-and-white peplum gown by Proenza Schouler at the Globes. Also earning high marks were longtime client Portman’s Dior looks during the European premiere tour for Thor: The Dark World in the fall, especially the icy blue strapless gown she wore in Berlin. The Brooklyn-based stylist cites Givenchy, Dior and Saint Laurent. She has her eye on Isabel Marant’sBirkenstock sandals: “I’m obsessed. I can’t wait for New York City to warm up.”
PENNY LOVELL;
Lovell takes risks that pay off but also knows when to pull back and deliver a surefire crowd-pleaser. Cases in point: Rose Byrne‘s midriff-baring Emmys look (sounds iffy but worked perfectly) and Oscar 2014 presenter Anne Hathaway‘s glittering black gown, which brought red-carpet redemption after last year’s Les Nipperables.
After more than a decade of working with stylist Rachel Zoe, Oscar winner Hathaway was ready to mix it up, so she hired Lovell to help her debut a punkier, menswear-inspired look — a slouchy, emerald green suit with leather boots and a graphic-print Givenchy top — at January’s Sundance Film Festival.
The British stylist worked for Burberry PR in London before transitioning to assisting on magazine shoots. She eventually moved to New York, where Parade magazine had her dressing celebrities for covers — William H. Macy was her first. As fashion fate would have it, Lovell’s second Parade shoot was with fellow Brit Keira Knightley: “She asked me what to wear to a party the following night,” recalls Lovell. The two hit it off, and Knightley hired Lovell (they since have parted ways). Fast-forward to 2009, when Lovell, living in Los Angeles, sat across from New York-based Byrne at a Dior dinner party and kicked off a long-distance collaboration. Who can forget Byrne’s white Elie Saab jumpsuit at the 2012 SAG Awards? (“The biggest risk we’ve taken for red carpet,” says Byrne.) “For the big events, I’ll fly to New York or Rose will come here, but we’ve mastered the art of Skype fittings,” says Lovell. Adds Byrne, “They actually work pretty well!”.
Hathaway’s crystal-embellished silk crepe Gucci gown at this year’s Academy Awards. “It was inspired by the new fall ready-to-wear collection — I saw sketches a few weeks before Gucci’s fashion show,” says Lovell, who loved that the dress was chic and modern with a little edge. “It looked phenomenal on the carpet and lit up onstage when she presented the first Oscar of the evening.” Other favorites include Byrne’s custom petal-pink cropped-top Calvin Klein gown (“It took a long time to get the color right,” says Byrne) for the Emmys and the black-and-pink floral silk Lanvin minidress with pointy-toe Jimmy Choo pumps at L.A.’s Insidious: Chapter 2 premiere. “We had been doing a lot of fitted stuff, so it was a different shape,” recalls Byrne of the Lanvin’s lantern-sleeves and poufy skirt.
ILARIA URBINATI;
One of Hollywood’s most in-demand fashion talents, Urbinati is the stylist with the fastest-growing clientele base this awards season. “It was a crazy year — eight of my clients had films that were nominated [throughout awards season], and four of those were individual nominations,” says Urbinati, who nearly tripled her client roster. She started working with Reynolds in the summer while he was promoting The Croods and teamed with James Marsden in August on Lee Daniels’ The Butler. Modern Family‘s Burrell called on Urbinati for September’s Emmys; Juliette Lewis (August: Osage County), Steve Coogan (Philomena) and Forte (Nebraska) soon followed. Urbinati most recently teamed with Theo James for his Divergent press. Urbinati loves the black crystal-encrusted Jenny Packham turtleneck dress that she put on The Vampire Diaries actress Dobrev for the People’s Choice Awards. “Nina ended up flying in the day of the event,” says Urbinati. “Luckily, I had tailored it just in case, and it was ready to go.” Sewing Masters of Sex actress Caplan into her art deco-inspired Emilio Pucci gown as she headed out the door to the Globes. “Not my favorite thing to do, but the beading was so heavy that the sleeves had to be sewn on to the dress. I have no idea how she got out of it at the end of the night,” says Urbinati. Urbinati styles front-row VIPs for Tommy Hilfiger’s fashion shows, plus any celebrities attending his events in New York or Los Angeles.
JAMO/ MAY 2015