The designer-stylist relationship is one of the most fascinating and also enigmatic in fashion. Such was the topic at Wednesday evening’s panel hosted by the CFDA, Today’s Image Makers: The Relationship Between Stylist and Designer, in partnership with The Wall Group.
Moderator and Vogue.com Style Editor Edward Barsaminan was joined by Kate Young, whose extensive client roster includes Natalie Portman, Sienna Miller and Selena Gomez; Micaela Erlanger, stylist to Lupita Nyong’o, Winona Ryder and Jared Leto; and Cristina Ehrlich, who works with Brie Larson, Tiny Fey and Lena Dunham among others. In shot, the most statement-making moments of this upcoming awards season will likely be one of these ladies’ handiwork.
The stylists play a vital role in red carpet appearances— think of them as a celebrity’s Fairy Godmother, or, as Erlanger pointed out, a realistic version of one. “We don’t just wave a magic wand and the clothes appear,” she laughed. “It takes weeks of work.”
The women stressed the importance of a natural pairing between designer and celebrity, emphasizing the need for a shared style ethos. “If you’re a designer and you make an incredible dress that represents you and that you love so much, and the PR just gives it to… someone who you don’t admire or connect with, that’s a moment that’s missed,” Young said. “If that girl isn’t in line with the brand, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s just a placement.”
The three discussed discovering a new client’s style and the style evolution of their existing clients. “Most women we work with are powerful and know what they want, and they articulate that,” Ehrlich said. “I have such a range of girls from television to film, of different sizes and different levels of interest in fashion, so each client is approached differently.”
Young, whose clients can point to both obscure and unobscured style references, echoed the sentiment. “I have one client who was like, ‘there’s this mistress of Picasso and she had the best style,’” she said. “Then, another client will just send me 20 pictures of Gigi Hadid.”
The stylists rely on many forms of technology to run their businesses – Google doc, Dropbox and Pinterest, to name a few. Yet Instagram seems to be the most powerful platform for discovering new fashion talent. “I get messages and DMs on Instagram all the time,” Ehrlich said.
“I do too,” Erlanger agreed.
“Oh, I can’t look at that because of Selena [Gomez]’s followers,” Young said. “I get a lot of messages from them and if I checked, I’d go into a hole.”
