The Stylist Edition 2012

Last year, I wrote about The Hollywood Reporter's top 25 stylist list (THR) and I added a bit of commentary about what I saw on the red carpet during the 2011 awards show season.  That post became one of my most popular of all time.  In fact, you will see that the post is still listed in my Top 5 posts of the last month.  So, I am happy to deliver THR's 2012 list and let's see if we agree on the choices.  Here we go.......

Michelle Williams with Nate Berkus in the background.

1.  Kate Young:  Last year, Kate was number two on the list behind Rachel Zoe.  THR bumped Rachel Zoe into her own stratosphere as "too big to rank", so Kate is the number one stylist this year.  She dresses Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, and Rachel Weiz.  The photo above is one of my personal photos of Michelle from the Oscars in her tangerine Louis Vuitton gown. I know not everyone loved this look, but it was divine in person.  Rank Last Year:  2

2.  Leslie Fremar:  She dresses Charlize Theron, Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, and Scarlett Johansson.  It looks like Scarlett hopped on over from Nicole Chavez to Leslie after last year's disastrous Oscars look.  She also dressed a pregnant Reese Witherspoon for the Golden Globes and we certainly had no idea she was with child.  Huge star client list, but I wasn't wowed by what I saw this season.  Rank Last Year:  9

3.  Petra Flannery:  I think Petra is doing stellar work with her big It girl client, Emma Stone, but I couldn't figure out why she dressed Emma in a knock-off gown of the dress Nicole Kidman wore just 5 years before.  The Balenciaga dress was iconic, so I am surprised they went that route.  Flannery also dresses Claire Danes, Zoe Saldana, Mila Kunis, Megan Fox, and Faith Hill.  Rank Last Year:  3

4.  Elizabeth Stewart:  Elizabeth had a big year dressing two nominees from The Help, Jessica Chastain and Viola Davis.  Both looked stunning at the 84th Annual Academy Awards, so I would say her top 5 inclusion was warranted.  She also dresses Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, Freida Pinto, Cate Blanchett, and Amanda Seyfried.  Rank Last Year:  8

I love this gold Marchesa dress on Stacy Keibler.

5.  Kemal Harris and Karla Welch:  Okay, this duo dressed the best accessory on the Oscars red carpet this year, Stacy Keibler AKA George Clooney's date.  Stunning.  They also dress Olivia Wilde, Hailee Steinfeld, Zooey Deschanel, and Paula Patton.  Rank Last Year:  N/A

6.  Jen Rade:  The leg heard around the world.  Yep, this is the gal who put Angelina Jolie in that Atelier Versace dress with the slit up to there.  I kept hearing rumors that Angelina was paid to wear the shoes and this was a great way to show them off.  I couldn't find any confirmation of this, but it's a fun, fashion rumor.  Rade also dresses Pink and Katherine McPhee.  Rank Last Year:  4

7.  Ryan Hastings:  He helps create Rooney Mara's cool chic look and I thought she looked unbelievable at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon.  He also dresses Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska.  Rank Last Year: N/A

8.  Samantha McMillen:  She dresses Carey Mulligan, Evan Rachel Wood, Dakota and Elle Fanning, Diane Lane, Colin Firth, Johnny Depp, Josh Brolin, and Ryan Reynolds.  Rank Last Year:  24

9.  Deb Waknin:  Yes!  This woman worked miracles on Sofia Vergara all awards show season. Vergara looked beautiful and sophisticated with her hour glass figure.  She had a bit of a miss with an ill-fitting dress on Sandra Bullock at the Oscars, but Waknin's clients usually look flawless.  She also dresses Halle Berry and Diane Keaton.  Rank Last Year:  7

10.  Cristina Ehrlich:  Hmmm, I've been very critical in the past about Ehrlich's work with actress Amy Adams, but this year they got it right at the Vanity Fair party.  So, I won't pass judgment this year.  She also dresses Penelope Cruz, Amber Heard, Tina Fey, and Julianna Margulies.  Rank Last Year:  6

11.  Jeanne Yang:  Oh, you know, she dresses minor stars like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Yes, they have the Holmes & Yang line together, but Yang also styles Andrew Garfield, Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, and Dustin Hoffman.  That's quite a list!  Rank Last Year:  10

12.  L'Wren Scott:  Not a busy year for her clients Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker, but she's still strong enough to rank twelfth this year.  Rank Last Year:  13

She's beautiful, but this look has been done before.

13.  Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn:  I did not love Jennifer Lopez's Oscar look this year because she's worn it before.  I found it rather snoozy.  However, JLo looks the best she ever has and her stylists keep showing off those awesome curves.  They also dress Rihanna, Rachel McAdams, and Lily Collins.  Rank Last Year:  15

My personal photo of Gwyneth from the 84th Annual Academy Awards.

14.  Elizabeth Saltzman:  Her client is Gwyneth Paltrow and that Tom Ford gown with the cape was spectacular.  Gwyneth's body looked flawless.  Bravo!  Rank Last Year:  N/A

15.  Cher Coulter:  She is the IT stylist for the IT girls of Hollywood.  Think Kate Bosworth, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sienna Miller for fashion styling.  She also partners with Bosworth for JewelMint.  Rank Last Year:  N/A

16.  Leith Clark:  Clark styles Kirsten Dunst and Kiera Knightley.  Rank Last Year:  11

17.  Jessica Paster:  She styled Bridesmaids star, Ellie Kemper, for the Oscars.  I thought she looked pretty, but it wasn't a "Wow".  I expect more for the Oscars.  Paster hasn't had that A-List clientele in a few years, but she's still powerful enough to rank on this list.  Other clients include:  Emily Blunt, Felicity Jones, and Andrea Riseborough.  Rank Last Year:  14

18.  Penny Lovell:  Lovell deserves to be on this list after that divine Elie Saab Couture pantsuit that she dress Bridesmaids star, Rose Byrne in at the SAG Awards and then capped off the awards season with a Vivienne Westwood gown at the Oscars.  Two wins for Byrne and Lovell.  She also dresses Ginnifer Goodwin.   Rank Last Year:  N/A

19.  Wendi and Nicole Ferreira:  These sisters did a wonderful thing for the woman who won every award along the way, Octavia Spencer.  They made a curvy girl look her best at every award show she attended this season.  I wish Melissa McCarthy had taken a play from the Ferreira/Spencer playbook.  They also dress Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, and Channing Tatum.  Rank Last Year:  N/A

Another personal photo from my spot on the red carpet.

20.  Brad Goreski:  We've all watched this season's It's a Brad, Brad World on Bravo and we know his relationship with Rachel Zoe is irreparable.  I have a feeling that the fact that Demi Moore and Jessica Alba jumped ship to Goreski's services might have something to do with it.  He also styles Rashida Jones, Noomi Papace, and Maya Rudolph. I did not think Rudolph's Johanna Johnson Oscar dress was a huge success, but I look forward to more from Goreski.  Rank Last Year:  22

21.  Nicole Chavez:  She styles Rachel Bilson, Kristen Bell, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Katherine Heigel.  I love the work she does with Bilson.  Enough said....and yes, I forgive you for Scarlett's Oscar dress last year.  Rank Last Year:  20

22.  Johnny Wujek:  Okay, I get it, you are a rock star and need to go all out.  So, he styles Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, and Kate Mara.  I'm not a fan, but I don't dress like Katy Perry.  Rank Last Year:  N/A

23.  George Kotsiopoulos:  He's still styling stars like Janet McTeer and Alice Eve even though he helms E!'s Fashion Police alongside Joan Rivers, Kelly Osborne, and Giuliana Rancic.  I loved what he did with Janet McTeer this year, she looked elegant and sophisticated at every event.  Rank Last Year:  19

24.  Arianne Phillips:  She was an Oscar nominee for Costume Design on W.E. this year and she solely focuses on her client, Madonna.  Eh, I respect the Oscar nomination the most.  Rank Last Year:  N/A

Love that navy blue tuxedo on Bradley Cooper. Photo courtesy of Just Jared.

25.  Ilaria Urbanati:  She's new to the list, but Urbanati has a strong list of clients:  Bradley Cooper, Armie Hammer, Nina Dobrev, Krysten Ritter, Chris Evans, and Joel Edgerton.  Rank Last Year:  N/A

There's the list for 2012 with all of my personal comments.  Do you agree or disagree with the list or my thoughts on fashion?  I would love to hear from you. Comment in the section below or join me on Twitter or Facebook.

To read The Hollywood Reporter article, click here.
To read my 2011 Top 25 Stylist post, click here.

January Wrap-Up

View from the back of Angie Harmon's Monique Lhuillier dress. Photo from Go Fug Yourself.

I don't think I ever gave much thought to Angie Harmon, but apparently, many others do.  In fact, she has her own fan club on Twitter called the Twangels.  I am not making this stuff up, kids.  They came out in full force emailing me, commenting on the blog, and Tweeting me about how I was wrong about the dress.  I figured the two final judges on fashion, Go Fug Yourself and Joan Rivers from E!'s Fashion Police, would be the final word as to whether I was completely wrong or whether my comments had a bit of validity to them.  Joan called the dress a "gay Swiffer" and the Fug Girls?  Well, they said it was "Fug, not Fab".  The bottom line, it's just an opinion and I really think Angie felt beautiful because she was beaming in all of her red carpet photos.  At the end of the day, that's all that really matters, isn't it?

Now that we have reached the end of the month.  Here are the absurd searches that drew many readers to Red Carpet Closet.  I love these because some are so wacky and I always wonder how Google's algorithm determines that they should stop here.

1.  "Sandra Bullock Botox Golden Globes":  Okay, I didn't write about Sandra's Botox at the Golden Globes, yet HUNDREDS of you were sent here to read about it.  I did write about Jennifer Lopez's Botox which left her frozen in time and unable to move.  Does Sandy do Botox?  Yep.  Does it look unnatural?  Nope.  Remember the next time you are at the dermatologist, "a little dab will do ya".  Don't over-Botox, ladies, it gives you butter face.  You can find the Golden Globes article here. 

2.  "Are Charlie Bodin and Paula Rhodes a couple?":  I can answer this one.  Yes.  And they are engaged.  It's like my blog became Tiger Beat magazine.  I love it.   See their work in A Good Knight's Quest.  Check out my interview with them here.

3.  "Dad is Carpet Cleaning":  Hmmm, you stumped me on this one.  I don't ever offer cleaning tips because it is one of my least favorite things to do.   So, I hope you enjoyed my blog while you helped your dad clean the carpet.  To balance out my least favorite thing, this is my favorite event that I covered from the month of January:  The Academy Award Nominations.

4.  "Detroit Auto Show Carpet":  So many of you want the remnants of the auto show carpets from Detroit.  Believe it or not, the display companies DO sell off the carpet because they only use it for the run of the two week show.  I am not going to give out the names of the display companies since they will be bombarded with calls.  However, a word to the wise, this is the dirtiest carpet you could ever buy.  Over 700,000 attendees walked on your carpet and dragged in germs, salt, snow, and dirt from outside.  Is that the kind of carpet you want in your home?  See highlights from my time in Detroit at NAIAS 2011.

5.  "Olga Kay Sneakers":  I guess this has become the monthly "Ask an Olga Kay Question Center".  One month, her fans were worried about her.  I checked in on Olga and she is doing great!  The next month, they wanted to know how tall she was.  I asked her, she's 5'1".  Now you want to know what type of sneakers she wears.  Sigh, I'll go ask.  Check back later for the response.  In the meantime, check out my interview with her.  

Thanks for making January such a great month here at Red Carpet Closet. I know a lot of you stopped by for red carpet/awards show coverage.  I hope you come back in February because there will be an entire week of wall to wall Oscar coverage.  Yes, I will be there LIVE on February 27th.....and I am so excited!

                

2011 SAG Awards

This award show season in the fashion department has been a wild ride of "What the heck?" to "Whoa!" to "Okay, now that is pretty."  Nothing has wowed me beyond belief, so I am hoping everyone is squirreling away the best dresses for The 83rd Annual Academy Awards.  Otherwise, I am worried about the state of fashion in Hollywood.  A couple of the categories from The Golden Globes are carrying over to this year's SAG Awards.  Here we go:

1.  Flesh:  Okay, are your stylists watching Fashion Police on E!?  It is very rare that Joan Rivers or Giuliana Rancic ever rave about one of these nude dresses on the red carpet.  In fact, they even called Leighton Meester's dress a "sister wife" dress from The Golden Globes.  Find a color, kids. Go back to your Crayola Pack of 64, pick your favorite crayon, and wear it in a dress.

2.  Mother of the Bride Dresses:  What happened to you, Nicole Kidman?  You used be a fashion icon, everyone wanted to dress you.  Now I want to run from you. Your fashion choices scare me lately.  Just because you moved to Nashville, does not mean you have to add tassels and frou frou to your elegant red carpet wear. Simplicity is king on the red carpet. Leave your Bedazzler at home.

3.  Get A NEW Stylist:  Amy Adams.  I can confirm that Amy Adams does work with a stylist.  I do not know who it is specifically, but my friend, Ali, and I have decided that her stylist hates her.  Why?  She continually takes one of the most classically beautiful women and cuts up her figure, smooshes her boobs, or dresses her to look chunky. (Amy has a beautiful figure!) She always looks a bit "off" and her stellar career deserves more.  It's just time to spend a few extra dollars on an A-List stylist, Amy.  You've earned it.

4.  Most Improved:  January Jones.  I knew you could do it!  While I don't think this look is flawless, it is a strong start to improving her red carpet look.  Carolina Herrera designed this dress for the Pre-Fall 2011 collection.  January's hair is a bit severe, but her body is divine in this piece.  I think she might have her look polished in time for the Emmys next fall.

5.  The It Is NOT Your Night Award:  Angie Harmon.  You are not a nominee, you did not star in Black Swan or Pink Swan.  Leave the feathers at home.

**UPDATE**:  I love that I have to write an update a 6:35 AM. Thank you, because it thrills me when my posts elicit a response.  I think the Angie Harmon fan club has stopped by, so I am going to print my response to one of them in regards to Angie's dress from last night because I failed to explain myself well in my #5 above.  Here it is:


Annie wrote:  Pfft. Angie is gorgeous.


ME:  She is. No doubt about it. The problem? There is a hierarchy to the red carpet on how you dress if you are a nominee, an entertainment reporter, or just attending. She was doing coverage for TNT, but she was dressed like a nominee. It may not make sense to you, but it's like wearing a wedding dress to someone else's wedding. Great dress, wrong night to wear it.   I'm giving my insider's perspective on this one.

What were you thoughts about the SAG Awards?  Other than the red carpet, were you as bored as I was?  It's the same format as The Golden Globes, but without the fun or spontaneity.  You know the drill, give me the dish below.

PS  Despite the snark scooped out above, I am a proud member of Screen Actors Guild.