Celebrity: if you can't be one, dress one

The glitz, the glamour, the clothes; the lives of celebrities seem so shiny and perfect, until we read the tabloids. But watching them work the red carpet, we don’t doubt their happiness and flawless beauty. I doubt that there is anyone on this planet who hasn’t dreamt of basking in the illusion of complete adoration in a flurry of flashbulbs and paparazzi vying for attention. At that moment we want to be them, we want to have what they have, and what they have is (mostly) impeccable dress sense.

Or do they? Many celebrities rely on the expertise of others to get them looking picture perfect. Stylists have become an indispensable tool in the lives of the rich and famous, necessary to achieve a measure of stardom no matter how small. Look at Nicole Richie. She was relatively well known as Paris Hilton’s less glamourous best friend, but when she hooked up with stylist Rachel Zoe, she become a style icon and a celebrity in her own right almost overnight.

Rachel Zoe (pronounced “Zoh”) is one of the few Hollywood stylists whose fame rivals that of her A-list celebrity clients. Other than Nicole Richie, she’s worked with Lindsay Lohan, and Mischa Barton, all of whom have been red carpet fashion favourites. She’s also credited with promoting the lollipop look, skeletal bodies with heads that seem too large bobbling on top. Barely larger than a wisp of smoke herself, it’s said that she demands size 0 bodies and is responsible for Nicole Richie’s alleged eating disorder.

Previously the golden child of fashion who could do no wrong (Zoe is allowed late entry into fashion shows from designers who are notorious for refusing to bow to tardiness), she recently made the mistake of claiming to be more influential that Anna Wintour, the incredibly well respected editor of Vogue magazine, who inspired the movie The Devil Wears Prada. Since then, she’s been dropped by her agency, Magnet, who feared repercussions from Vogue, and has had to go free lance. With 20 clients in her fashion stable, each of whom pays a modest fee of $6000 a day, I doubt that she’s too concerned about the future.

Nocole Chavez is another A-list stylist working with some of the biggest and freshest names in showbiz. She started her career as a costume designer and got her big break when she was asked to dress the cast of the hit TV series, The OC. Soon she was dressing the cast for more than just the show as they asked her for advice on upcoming public appearances. She began working with Rachel Bilson (of The OC), Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) and Kristin Bell (Veronica Mars) and hasn’t looked back. Her fashion philosophy is simple, “Always dress to reflect your personality.” She’s also a firm believer in authenticity and curves, no lollipops for her.

Being a stylist to the stars may not seem as glamourous as being a star yourself, but it has its perks. Designers send you clothes for free and practically beg you to use them. You get to rub shoulders with celebrities of the fashion and movie world, and if you’re successful, you can influence the whole world with your dress sense. Just don’t step on Ms Wintour’s toes while you do it.

Recommended sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Zoe

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/magazine/16zoe-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://celebritystyle.about.com/od/celebritystyleprofiles/p/NicoleChavez.htm

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers Employers Jobs work opportunities and vacancies one of the leading site directories for information on work opportunities and job vacancies, as well as developing trends in the professional world.