CELEBRITY STYLING

Due to client privacy contracts, I am only able to show limited pictures. I can however, describe what I did. After all, I have a way with words and that’s why I’m a writer!

I worked on a few projects alongside celebrity Stylist Mimi Cuttrell to style celebrities for red carpet events. (Her clients include Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Ariana Grande, Priyanka Chopra, Sara Sampaio, and Nadine Leopold.)

We want our clients to look their best AND feel their best. That’s why it is important to put together head-turning outfits that are also comfortable enough for them to wear for many hours on their feet. And you know what they say- a good pair of shoes is what supports your posture and keeps you on your feet all day, making you more comfortable and confident. The same thing goes for whatever you’re dressed in from head to toe. That’s what we keep in mind when styling clients. When they feel great, the pictures come out great. That’s the utmost important thing for our clients because their every turn is captured by photographers and press. Public image is a part of their job and their identity in Hollywood. We help them make sure they achieve their goal.

So still waiting for an insider scoop on behind the scenes? Well, here it is-

A typical day of styling is a visually stimulating environment: colorful, shapely, juxtaposing silhouettes, complementing hues, brilliant textures, sharp contrasts, and looking at a lot of really pretty things. It’s fun and exciting when you begin to put that power outfit together you have in your mind; pulling this dress from this designer, that dress from the other designer, and calling up that jewelry store to put on hold that earring before someone else gets their hands on it. Only the most dazzling and exclusive pieces are considered!

Before you know it, a pile of dresses is strewn across the floor in three sections: no, maybe, definitely. That section gets broken down into even more piles if the client needs multiple outfits. It gets messy. Real messy. You’re picking up calls for another client and you have to jot down notes to not get the two mixed up. Now, you’re walking over a couple of mismatched stilettos, making note of not falling as you walk through the next maze of lonely left or right shoes scattered around without their matching companions. The next call you pick up comes with unfortunate news: the earrings you wanted are suddenly unavailable. Also, that evening gown you shipped out to your other client didn’t make it on time. Sometimes a small change calls for an entire change of outfits and accessories, or just a minimal change, but you can never expect which one you’ll get.

The clock is ticking. The pressure is on. Well, it’s always been on. In this environment, you see and handle a lot of scary expensive things. Like, dang, who knew a certain something could be worth a new car? Or a luxury car when you combine all the small things together?! Therefore, it’s absolutely life threatening of the sort if YOU lose something. Don’t let anymore things go haywire. Focus.

Time doesn’t stop for you, so you’ve got to act fast. Next immediate goal: think of a new evening gown for the client in the other state that didn’t make it on time, and find another set of earrings that will give the dresses you picked out for the current client the same glorious affect. If there’s not a proper match, then re-outfit the whole outfit.

Amidst your next game-plan to sort things out, your stomach grumbles. You look down at your watch. You haven’t had anything to eat since 8 a.m. and it’s now 3 p.m. You’re calculating in your head all the time you’ve got left to make ends meet and grab a bite. You’ve never been good at math in school, but this is a stock you’re betting on won’t crash, so you better be good at it in these times of emergencies. On your next errand, you calculate that you have time to make a quick detour to that deli across the street to grab something to eat.

You scarf down your food quickly as you search up different evening gown choices. Then you call up designers as you finish up your meal to rent a new dress. All of that gets sorted out as you throw your trash out and head into the Uber you booked just 5 minutes ago.

Now back to planning the outfits and accessories of your current client; It’s always go-go-go! By the time the night dawns, thankfully, you and Mimi have been able to put together a few bomb diggity outfits for your clients. You either send your clients off after having seen the final look on them, or you’re not personally there at the events with them but you receive the pictures. This, my friend, is the most satisfying part of styling. Your hard work has paid off. Your client looks amazing. They’ve also made it to the best dressed list at the event thanks to your visual mastermind. Now you get to sit back and chill…that is until the next project. But for now, you will enjoy the downtime and the fruits of your accomplishment!

Nadine Leopold attends the amfAR Gala Cannes on May 25, 2017 at Cap

D’antibes, France & the amfAR Gala Milano on September 21, 2017 in Milan, Italy.