Now that the Oscars are done and dusted, and the award season is on the wane, we know who wore what and — thanks to Time’s Up and #MeToo movements — why who wore what. It’s time, then, to look at who gets how much for what they wear. In Hollywood, a spin down the red carpet is big money — for stars and stylists. At the Oscars, actor Jennifer Lawrence was spotted in a Christian Dior — a luxury brand with whom she entered into a deal in 2014 for more than $15 million, reportedly. Emma Stone, meanwhile, wore a silk suit with a pink bow around her waist and found her way into many worst-dressed lists: it was a bespoke and less-said-the-better creating from Louis Vuitton, a brand that she endorses, reportedly for $10 million.
However, not all celebrity clothing comes with a contract sewn in. A lot is based on “understanding” between brands and stars or their stylists. Especially in India, where the red-carpet scene has erupted over the past decade or so. Payal Parija and Priyanka Prasad, founders of popular celebrity sighting blog High Heel Confidential, remember a time when photos of red-carpet events didn’t exist in India. Says Parija: “Now organisers set aside time for photoshoot. There is also special red-carpet coverage for social media and TV, sponsored by brands.”
Good visibility brings in good money. Red carpet is one of the ways casual fashion observers and obsessives become familiar with designers. Stylist Rishi Raj says people shop for a celebrity’s look by quoting an event where he/she has made an appearance. Designer Varun Bahl says, “A celebrity wearing a designer reinstates trends, style and glamour in the mind of the consumer. This results in a percentage spike in the sales of that garment.” He recalls how a Bollywood actor wore a sari from his collection, “and we immediately received orders via Instagram”.
For designers and brands in India, Bollywood is a big driver and red-carpet sighting is important. Designer Manish Arora, who has been sported by Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj in the past, says, “Red-carpet sightings are definitely important in a country like India where Bolly wood is like a religion and celebrities are treated like deities.”
A Bollywood imprint gives the most visibility to a designer, hence red-carpet sightings feature high on the latter’s lists. But unlike the “pay-for-play” contracts in the West, personal bonds are at work in India.
Tarang Arora, CEO, Amrapali Jewels, explains the mechanism: a stylist usually gets in touch with a brand, follows it up with a visit to the showroom and picks up four-five options. Then the stylist and the celebrity decide on what to wear. Sometimes celebrities directly contact brand owners or designers.
Agree designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, who are popular red-carpet picks: “In India, it depends entirely on the personal equation. Hollywood and Europe have a far more structured, formalised relationship. There stylists are all-powerful as a bridge between design houses and celebrities. And celebrities are often paid to wear a designer on the red carpet. Therefore preparations and negotiations start much before a red-carpet appearance.”
At the Vulture Festival in the US in 2015, fashion journalist Isabel Wilkinson sat down with Hollywood celebrity stylists Jessica Paster, Erin Walsh, Brad Goreski and Brandon Maxwell to discuss the financial side of styling. While Goreski and Maxwell said they had never been offered money to dress an A-list client, Paster — whose clients have included Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Miranda Kerr, Sandra Bullock and Rachel McAdams — begged to differ. She said: “Jewellery people are paying, shoe people are paying, tampon companies are paying, everyone is paying. It could be just paying the stylist — and we get anywhere between $30,000 and $50,0000. Or, it’s paying the actress something between $100,000 and $250,000.” But, she also added, nothing is ever signed.
Hollywood stylist Elizabeth Saltzman, who has worked with Saoirse Ronan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman and even styled Deepika Padukone for her Hollywood appearances, was quoted in an article on how celebrity imagemakers capitalise on the red carpet: “Whenever a brand says, ‘We don’t pay stylists,’ most of the time that’s just a load of BS. Somebody pays somewhere.” Money or goodies exchanging hands is common in the celebrity red carpet game, even in India, though no one goes on record for it.
Celebrity stylist Eshaa Amiin, who has worked with actors Karisma Kapoor and Lara Dutta, says there’s no element of money involved in Bollywood styling: “It’s all personal rapport.” Amiin says every stylist works differently: some on an event-toevent basis while others have a regular set of clients. “Celebrities have become more organised now: they keep a calendar of the events they are expected to attend, giving us more time to work on the looks,” she says. If red-carpet sightings are to go by, the current trend in Bollywood is sporting international designers. “But that calls for different logistics as getting a gown/dress from abroad requires tonnes of paperwork,” says Amiin.
All PR Glitter?
Fashion consultant Harmeet Bajaj, who has worked in the industry in various capacities for the last 25 years, says it’s all a PR game. “Many good designers have no redcarpet presence in spite of consistent good work because they are not networked with stylists,” she says. She notes the case of Shahab Durazi — calling him one of the finest western wear designers in India — who has had no red carpet sighting in ages. Dubbing celebrity-stylist nexus the biggest in Bollywood, she says red-carpet picks are “barter relationship”. “Designers have to come to terms with the fact that there’s a chance that they might just have to give away the clothes.”
But are stylists making a killing? While there are no records to show that Indian stylists are on brand payrolls, on their own a good stylist could make up to Rs 1 lakh a day. Former fashion editor Sujata Assomull says that many fashion stylists have become celebrity stylists. “The prime reason is money,” she says.
Raj says the stylist is the kingpin in red-carpet dressing because his or her name is on the line. “It’s a high pressure job. There’s always the chance that a celebrity might go rogue and not return the garment or not credit the designer. Between a celebrity and a designer, it’s the stylist who gets the brunt,” he says.
Vinod Nair, founder of fashion & luxury consultancy VNA, says stylists get top dollar: “In India, there are more freelance stylists than regular ones. There are only a handful of them who know their job.” At the Vulture Festival talk, Maxwell summed it up: “The whole point of an actress having a stylist is you can make more money, or more people want to hire you, or the brand that you are wearing is making more money because it’s driving sales. It’s all wrapped up in money: it’s Hollywood, we are not at church.” But it will be a while before such money comes to Bollywood styling.
Bajaj says the problem lies in the way red-carpet events are considered and covered in India. Assomull agrees, “Even if things have moved quickly in the past 15 years, I don’t think we have the one definitive red-carpet show that is a career-making moment.”
Nair says the kind of traction redcarpet appearances get in the West, say, at the Oscars or the Grammys, is difficult to replicate in India because the reach is less: people “who can get inspired and who have the spending power are limited”.
What has changed the game is social media. Says Bahl: “India is very close to the international benchmark. Majority of stars mention the designers they wear on red carpet and some of them even upload credits on their Instagram accounts.”
With the advent of social media, Amiin says a mini-industry of make-up artists, hairstylists and photographers is flourishing. “The latest is photographers who do portfolio shoot before the event happens.”
While Bahl wants more behind-the-scenes (BTS) fashion videos, Bajaj says social media should be used to reach out to millennials. Parija feels that while these days everyone brings their A-game to the red carpets, they should use a bit more of homegrown talent, to leverage the platform as a brand builder and not just to make a fashion statement.
The A-listers
Some celebrities are more closely watched than the rest for their red-carpet look. Here’s a not-sodefinitive list.
Ranveer Singh
He has redefined men’s fashion. Not afraid to try out anything — from a jumpsuit to makeup and even jewellery – he has cemented his reputation as a fashion risk-taker. He’s styled by Nitasha Gaurav.
Aishwarya Rai
A brand ambassador for L’Oreal, Rai has struggled in finding her style chops. Cannes remains her territory and she does get the most eyeballs once she’s there.
Deepika Padukone
She is not one to shy from experimental looks, but it’s her streamlined sari looks that has been noticed mostly.
Sonam Kapoor
The self-proclaimed style icon started the trend of high fashion at Bollywood events. Carefully curated looks, new designers, dramatic clothes — rarely does one see a cop-out look from her. Styled by her sister Rhea Kapoor.
Kareena Kapoor
Thanks to her contract with Lakme, she remains the showstopper for the fashion week in Mumbai every year. To her credit, she has polished up her act to showcase some high fashion looks.
Contract Chic
While Hollywood stars get into clothing contracts for the red carpet, such affiliations are not prevalent in India, as yet. Here’s a look at the kind of monies a celebrity can expect for pay-for-play contracts.
Jennifer Lawrence
CONTRACT WITH: Christian Dior Like at this year’s Oscars, Lawrence is usually seen in Dior, though she has deviated in the past. Lawrence walks home with a cool $15-20 million, according to celebrity site Page Six, for the deal. Charlize Theron is also contracted to Dior now.
Emma Stone
CONTRACT WITH: Louis Vuitton Her pantsuit at the Oscars was not well-received. Stone has been a major style star for some time but her red-carpet cred is on the wane post her LV contract. But the deal is reportedly for $10 million. LV also kits out Michelle Williams, Jennifer Connelly, Riley Keough, Jaden Smith and Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner for their redcarpet appearances.
Selena Gomez
CONTRACT WITH: Coach The iconic leather bags and accessories brand has moved into clothing with mixed results. They are using Gomez’ star power to get popular with the millennials.
Alicia Vikander
CONTRACT WITH: Louis Vuitton The new Lara Croft is always in LV for the red carpet. She wore it while accepting her Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2016.
GGal Gadot
CONTRACT WITH: Revlon The Wonder Woman actor promotes the brand extensively on her social media through BTS videos and shoutouts in posts.
Meet the Stylists
Red carpet is a stylists’ playground. Here are the top Indian stylists.
Anaita Shroff Adjania
She is the first to make stars pay her to be their stylist. Her company Style Cell is a pioneer.
CLIENTS: Jacqueline Fernandes, Sidharth Malhotra, Aditi Rao Hydari
Ami Patel
Not one to overstate, she pushed the sari on the red carpet and is known for her understated elegance
CLIENTS: Alia Bhatt, Kangana Ranaut, Madhuri Dixit, Athiya Shetty
Tanya Ghavri
She’s best remembered for transforming the style sense of Kareena Kapoor. All her clients have become style icons in their own right.
CLIENTS: Kareena Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Aishwarya Rai
Allia Al Rufai
Though she has styled stars like Varun Dhawan, it’s her dedication to Anushka Sharma that has kept her at the top of her game.
CLIENTS: Anushka Sharma
Shaleena Nathani
When Deepika Padukone was trying some breakaway styles, it was Nathani who was at the receiving end. But she stuck to her guns and Padukone emerged as a credible style star.
CLIENTS: Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
