WHOSE STYLE IS IT ANYWAY?

When she sashays down the red carpet, Nicole Kidman’s carefully styled image is head-to-toe perfection. Left to her own devices, however, her self-made looks have about as much charisma as a hospital gown. When the Hollywood star goes casual, she looks like she’s stuck in

the ’80s, and not in a quirky, ironic kind of way. It’s amazing the difference a stylist makes. Take note Julia Roberts.

It’s all very easy to snipe from the sidelines, though. When you’re under the spotlight everyone is waiting for you to put a pointy shod foot wrong, when, in fact, it should have been a round toe. I guess it ires us that with access to the very best of fashion, celebs still get it wrong, while lesser mortals on much lesser budgets can dress themselves and look like stars – all on their own.

There are some women who can do no wrong and Kate Moss tops the list. She appears effortlessly stylish, looks great in anything she puts together and is a harbinger of trends. We love her because she not only makes the rules but breaks them. In New York at the AngloMania Costume Institute Gala – the fashion party to top all fashion parties – she was sexy in a Burberry tuxedo jacket, leather drainpipes and stilettos, while starlets and superstars stepped out in fl oor-length frocks. Moss – who recently said she will start her own fashion label – directs her own fashion show and can take all the credit. But she may be one of a dying breed.

It is generally acknowledged that stars are styled for red-carpet events but what is increasingly diffi cult to know is whose everyday look is real and whose is under the infl uence of a stylist. The power of fashion, combined with a clever stylist, has never been greater for the career minded and image conscious in royalty, right down to the budding starlet.

Take, for example, the Duchess of Cornwall. It will come as no surprise that Moss tops the list of Tatler’s best-dressed in the UK but who would’ve thought the Duchess would share the same rarefi ed mantel? Camilla is proof that fashion can be used to alter and enhance your image – dramatically! Once criticised for having the “stylistic punch of a dilapidated Yorkshire pudding”, the Duchess of Cornwall is now considered a style queen, or “new royal fashion icon”, says Tatler. Yes, the Duchess, who is said to know what she

likes and what suits her (latterly, perhaps), is now up there with the iconic Moss. More than likely, she has the London couture house Robinson Valentine to thank for her refi ned, contemporary look that has spawned the phrase “Camilla chic”.

You can safely bet the Americans are more likely than the Brits to accessorise with an entourage of image makers, which is why there’ll be no Helena Bonham Carter blunders for the likes of

Facing the focus of the flashbulbs, celebrities have turned to stylists for help with their image. They’ve found sometimes it’s best not to ‘just be yourself’.WORDS: JO BATES

TRENDS

We know stars are styled for red-carpet events, but it’s increasingly difficult to know whose everyday look is real.

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WALKING THE TALKStylist Rachel Zoe (left) has a huge infl uence on her clients, such as Lindsay Lohan (right), including what they wear and, it would appear, how much they weigh.

described as luxe boho, as worn by “her girls”. Her talents may have turned trends but she’s wise enough to recognise that it’s just a passing phase: “At the moment, this whole situation is just a trend, my look is just a trend and all trends pass,” she says.

Other big-name Hollywood stylists include Phillip Bloch – the fi rst bonafi de celebrity stylist who paved the way for others such as Jessica Paster, whose address book reads like an Oscars’ roll call, including Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts, Hilary Swank, Naomi

Watts, as well as Kate Hudson, Kate Bosworth and Gwen Stefani. L’Wren Scott, Mick Jagger’s statuesque ex-model girlfriend,

styles Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna. If Zoe is boho luxe, Scott’s signature is elegant sophisticate and she regularly adorns her clients in Chanel, Dior and

Galliano. She was appointed style designer for this year’s Oscars, which meant she was responsible for the overall look of the event.

Stylists also collaborate with designers to create gowns for the red carpet – as did Zoe with Calvin Klein for the dress Keira Knightley wore to the premiere of Pride and Prejudice; and L’Wren Scott with Olivier Theyskens of Rochas for the black strapless number Sarah Jessica Parker wore to the Golden Globes.

Thanks to stylists and the power of fashion, celebrities have

Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan or Mischa Barton. They all share the same stylist – LA-based Rachel Zoe. It’s a little bit spooky that, at a distance, it would be diffi cult to tell Zoe and Richie apart. They are both assisted blondes, precariously thin with stick arms and appear bug-like in their oversized sunnies.

Richie’s new look couldn’t be any more of a departure from her Simple Life days and fondness for crop tops and sweat pants. Now she’s considered such a stylish celebrity that Jimmy Choo has

snapped her for its latest ad campaign. From tracky dacks to Jimmy Choo – it’s amazing what looking great can do for your career, especially when you’ve done little else to warrant the attention.

If you are a celebrity on the rise or one who wants to stay at the top, fashion is your fi rmest friend, linked arm in arm with your stylist. These days, the photos we pore over in the weekly magazines are as much about what the stars are wearing as who they’re with and what they are up to. You’ll recognise the look Zoe’s proteges tote – you know the one; casual chic and signature accessories such as an It bag carried in the crook of the arm, blow-fl y sunnies and hot shoes. Zoe’s best work is perhaps with Lohan, or maybe it’s because the starlet seems to have more charisma to carry it off. She looks less clone-like than the others – sartorial with some element of attitude.

Despite her “girls” tending towards a homogenised look, Zoe is probably the most in-demand and infl uential stylist on earth. The ex-fashion magazine editor is responsible for creating a trend

TRENDS

ATTACK OF THE CLONES: Stylist Rachel Zoe’s clients are easy to spot with their distinctive ‘luxe boho’ look. From Nicole Richie (far left) to Mischa Barton and Lindsay Lohan, the stylist seems to have no qualms about dressing her clients in the same clothes.

The photos we pore over in the weekly magazines are as much about what the stars are wearing as what they’re up to.

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never looked better or shot to fame faster. But, in those who haven’t seen the light and are persistent in their ill-conceived outfi ts, there is still plenty of fodder for the weeklies.

Meanwhile, we can all quake in fear as Helena Bonham Carter unleashes her creativity on her new “sexy clothing range” called Pantaloonies. The fi rst collection, which is tipped for sale at Harrods, is Bloomin’ Bloomers – a range of Victorian camisoles and bloomers. Help, someone call a stylist!

Celebrity is still a fairly new phenomenon in New Zealand and there is no such thing as a Rachel Zoe in our midst. There are personalities linked to labels – Petra Bagust wears Workshop, Kelly Swanson-Roe wears Sabine and Charlotte Dawson and Kate

Hawkesby have been linked to Trelise Cooper – but our celebs remain relatively un-styled. However, that shouldn’t stop you from looking fantastic and having your own star shine a little brighter.

Ingrid Vink is a personal stylist, a magazine stylist and presenter of the makeover TV show 10 Years Younger. The gorgeous, well-dressed blonde reworks the wardrobes and looks of clients who range from those in their early 20s, through to high-fl ying corporates and mums returning to the workforce.

Vink says a good personal stylist will incorporate current fashion trends with an understanding of body types and how clothes can affect proportion and balance.

After a wardrobe makeover, she says the boost to a client’s confi dence is nothing short of “amazing”. “You see them blossom, they love it and get so much from it. If they’ve had no idea, it can be almost life altering.”

The advantage of the type of service that Vink provides is

objectivity: “Someone who has never met you can look at you objectively. I’m very straight forward and to the point because that’s why they’ve hired me,” she explains.

With that in mind, Vink goes through every item in the client’s wardrobe, has them try everything on and explains why it works or why it doesn’t. What remains are three piles – one to keep, one to throw out and clothes to be altered.

“It’s quite tiring for the client,” explains Vink, “but they get their

wardrobe done from top to bottom. They are left with good pieces that work and from there I can see all the holes in the wardrobe.”

Vink lists common mistakes, such as fear of the unknown and a tendency towards repeat purchases (she discovered 17 light pink cardigans in one woman’s wardrobe), that keep clients in a rut. “They go with what is safe, they are too scared to go into other stores, or they are just not sure. I have a good overall view of what’s happening in the industry so I can advise on what will work within their budget. I’ll compile a shopping list and they can either go out on their own and fi nd those things or make a time with me and we can go shopping together.”

Vink works to her clients’ individual needs, which may see her visiting a businesswoman every fortnight to prepare her next 14 days’ worth of outfi ts or cultivating her wardrobe for the boardroom.

“It’s really important for women to dress for their body type,” she says. “It doesn’t help busty women to wear light, bright tops, for example. If they are in a boardroom with men they need every advantage they can get. If they are putting together a $16 million deal, a cheap polyester top doesn’t help. Being up to date makes you look more switched on.”

Doubtless, many of Hollywood’s leading starlets would agree. ✤

STYLISTS TO THE STARS: Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow are all styled by L’Wren Scott for their high-profi le events. Stars such as Naomi Watts, Kate Bosworth and Hilary Swank strut their stuff on the red carpet after they’ve been polished by Jessica Paster.

STYLE STARS

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