May 22, 2007

Red-carpet style-makers exposed

Associated Press

An award-winning performance on the red carpet is an ensemble effort.

There's the stylist who comes up with the vision of the outfit; the designer who creates it; designers for the multiple accessories; the hair stylist; the makeup artist; and let us not forget the celebrity who has to put all this on and add some serious star wattage.

Whether it is the Academy Awards, a movie premiere or a prestigious event like the Cannes Film Festival, let's take a moment to salute the stars behind the stars.

Here are some of the insiders honored by celebrity bible US Weekly at its recent Hot Hollywood event. You won't see their names in the pages of the magazine too often, but you will see their work.

_ Designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig launched Marchesa in 2004 in London as an eveningwear brand. They moved to the United States after establishing a partnership with Neiman Marcus. Marchesa quickly became a red-carpet staple, especially for Jennifer Lopez, who wore Marchesa gowns to this year's Oscars, Golden Globes and earlier this month in New York at the Met's Costume Institute Gala.

"When we found out we were dressing Jennifer for the Oscars, of course, you get a little bit nervous. But she's incredibly professional, which makes it very easy for us," Chapman said. "We feel lucky working with her."

Craig added, "Jennifer isn't afraid of fashion but she never lets fashion wear her."
(It was Lopez who was named the magazine's Style Icon of the Year.)

Because their celebrity clients often can't make a move without being photographed, Craig and Chapman take some special precautions with their dresses. They test a dress's color and transparency under camera flashes, and check to see how wrinkled a gown will appear after a limo ride.

_ Mark Townsend, who is the "celebrity stylist" for the Matrix hair-care brand, sees those same flashes and bright lights as his friend.

"You want shiny. You want to reflect the lights," he said. His go-to product for that is a heat-sensitive hair mist infused with gold flecks.

He also does whatever he can to eliminate flyaways, which the camera will pick up. A light serum, raked through dry hair, will help with that as well as separating the strands and adding texture.

As for hairstyles, he has to wait to see the dress because he wants to add to a coherent silhouette. For a ballgown with a lot of volume, Townsend said he'd favor a loose chignon, but for a column dress, it would be a sleek ponytail.

_ For makeup artist Paul Starr, the challenge is to keep up with images the public is used to seeing.

Fans are used to seeing the sometimes technologically enhanced faces of stars on magazine covers or in movies that take advantage of Hollywood magic, he said. In person they'll have to pass the reality standard - and just wait until they are captured on unforgiving high-definition TV.

One of his tricks is adding individual false eyelashes.

"You want them (celebrities) to look like themselves, but almost untouchable and perfected - but not obviously so," Starr said. "I had a conversation with Goldie Hawn a few years ago. She said when she won her Oscar (in 1970), she'd buy a dress, put the dress on, take her curlers out and do her own makeup. Those days are over."

Sasha Charnin Morrison, fashion director at US, said celebrity fashion has been a part of pop culture since the heyday of the big Hollywood studios. The difference is that now the whole package is merchandised and sold to the public.

"When a celebrity goes on the red carpet, it's the best billboard a designer could hope for," Morrison said.