Oscar style guru behind the star red carpet

As Oscar approaches, Kate Young – a stylist dressed in Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Margot Robbie and more – says why risk acquisition, intimacy and method dressing drives her “nuts” He is talking about this.

On Oscar Sunday, Kate Young sipped black coffee while sitting in the movie star’s bedroom. “If the ceremony starts at 8pm, we’ll be there in the morning,” he says, dressing Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Margot Robbie and Selena Gomez for the arrival of the most iconic red carpet. says a celebrity stylist who wears it. “We’ll try out the dress at the end before our hair and makeup team begins work,” she explains. “But I’m like a nerd about Oscars. I treat them like a final exam.”

Young’s academic roots deepen. After graduating from Pennsylvania high school, she studied English and art history at Oxford University. “They asked us to write a paper once a week and protect our discussions in front of the entire class. Standing in front of the film studio, they’re a bit of their biggest, most bankable stars. Explaining great training explaining why you should wear something that might be dangerous!

These risks helped propel Young into the position of Hollywood fashion guru, like the Canary Yellow Belawan Gown, chosen for Michelle Williams at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 2006. Today, she is one of the most influential people in fashion.

After college, Young got a job as a personal assistant to Linfrank, a British fashion spokesperson and one of the founders of London Fashion Week. The childhood neighbor founded her in an interview with Vogue’s parent company Condé Nast. “Anna Wintour needed an assistant, but it was soon clear that she should work in the closet,” says Young, referring to Vogue’s legendary walk-in wardrobe. “At the time, models were on the cover of Vogue, and celebrities were a bit of an afterthought.” When the up-and-coming actress had small stories in the magazine, she volunteered to dress them.

“There’s a real cutting between high fashion and what you actually wear. Celebrities are the first place to see designer fashion. But they still have to be human. That is, couture evening gowns. Can you sit in? If anyone doesn’t have a hand, wear designer shoes.

After filming with incredible stars of the time, such as Sienna Miller and Katie Holmes, Young often sought Loverute gowns from Hollywood spokespersons, or sometimes from actresses herself. “They said, ‘Take up, I have this party, can I borrow a designer dress? Can you help me?’ But I still didn’t think it would become a career. ”

Young thinks of the bright yellow gown that Williams wore when he was nominated for Breakback Mountain’s Best Actress Oscar, an early professional coup. “It was her first nomination and there was a lot of excitement. So, we created this very sparkly moment, especially in jewelry. Because of its colour, the dress is almost a spotlight in itself. , it was very intentional. People who want to see her.

When Young became Hollywood’s Ingenue’s go-to fashion advisor, TV shows like America’s next top model and films like The Devil Wears Prada have been making the former island fashion industry millions Turning it into entertainment, stylist Rachel Zoe landed her own reality television show. Still, Young argues, “being a ‘stylist’ was not considered honorable in the fashion world.” “I realized I should talk more about my work until Instagram started.”

When Instagram was launched in 2010, it quickly became a tool for celebrities to take control of their images from tabloids and studios. “They didn’t have to wait for the magazine to film them in a specific way,” Young says. “They could do it themselves, and I realized I could do it myself.”

She began posting images of red carpet works for celebrities such as Natalie Portman and Isabella Rossellini, along with more traditional advertising campaigns for high-end Titans like Dior. “All of a sudden, people are coming to me to say ‘Congratulations!'” Young laughs. “What are you congratulations? Do you acknowledge what I do for my work?”

Young’s entrance to social media came as major luxury brands made clothes available through online shopping sites such as Net-a-Porter and Mytheresa. “All of a sudden I could see the red carpet from my phone and then I could buy the same dress as the celebrities,” says Elana Fishman, editor of Hollywood Fashion Hub Page Six Styles. -Carpet trend cycle. “For influential stylists like Kate Young, it directly affects what people are buying and everything is impacting by choosing someone’s clothes when everything is walking to Starbucks. It means giving.”

Last summer, Young’s client actress Sophie Turner was a $200 baggy blue striped pajama bottom from Woera, an independent, women-led clothing brand in Athens, and her Louis Vuitton. I started combining my wallet. According to Natalia Georgala, founder of Woera, the pants were sold out “very fast.” Similar styles appeared on the Alberta Ferretti and Burberry runways in September. Fishman describes this as Young’s “rip-over effects” on fashion.

As Young prepares for another red carpet season, her current client roster includes Turner alongside Julianne Moore, Scarlett Johansson and Dakota Johnson. On Instagram and Tiktok, they often wear face-to-face costumes.

A recent trend called “method dressing” includes celebrities who evoke characters in Film Premieres and Press Junkets. (See Wicked Promotional Tour featuring Ariana Grande, styled by pink pouf Mimi Cuttrell, and Cynthia Eribo, a witch’s green gown chosen by stylist Jason Bolden.) “Studio.” drives that trend,” Young says. “Expanding Film Marketing.” Young points out Barbie’s success and all of its pink screenings as his most famous example. “I understand the impulses behind it, but it drives me crazy,” she admits. “Sorry, but Dakota Johnson isn’t going to wear a spider print every time he talks about Madame Webb.”

Instead of stealing insect fashion, Young prefers to showcase as many independent brands of works as possible, with suspects of normal styles like Gucci and Chanel, as well as British designer Carly Cushnie, The Mix new York dresses in Teeny Vintage jeans The dealer is still here, and she co-creates with designer Monica Vikander, as seen in Jennifer Lawrence and Christy Turlington.

“You want to rent your platform to new talent, small businesses, and people who work with recycled fabrics,” she says. “But that should look amazing too. I’ve done a lot of research to find clothes to check both boxes.”

It’s time for Young to head to a photo shoot. When I say goodbye, I ask if she has any advice to anyone who wants to join a Hollywood fashion machine. “I mean, be kind. When you have friends, your work gets much better,” she says. “On a practical level, you’ll see clients naked every day. You can see that when they’re sick or pregnant, or when they’re about to get pregnant. It’s very intimate.”

Young says she hopes someone told her how emotional the actress’s styling process can become. “It’s not something you can study or prepare you,” she says. “That’s what happens when someone is wearing their underwear and Oscars are two hours apart. That’s definitely one way to bond.”