On Nyong’o: Prada top, skirt and shoes, EF Collection earrings, Hoorsenbuhs rings. On Erlanger: Erdem top and skirt, Prada shoes, David Yurman earrings, Marina Bulgari ring. On Dockery: Prada top, skirt and shoes, EF Collection earrings, Neil Lane ring.
“Michelle was my first major client; her Globes dress was life-changing,” says Erlanger. Fast-forward to summer 2013, when Dockery befriended little-known Kenyan actress Nyong’o on the set of their action-thriller flick Non-Stop and offered to put the star of director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave in touch with her stylist. “Michelle said, ‘When you’re ready, I have the perfect stylist for you,’ ” recalls Nyong’o. Adds Erlanger, who first outfitted Nyong’o in white and gold Prada during the Toronto Film Festival, “The rest is history.”
Erlanger met Dockery about a year ago when the Downton Abbey star’s makeup artist introduced them — their first collaboration was a white and gold Alexandre Vauthier Couture gown for the 2013 Globes.
Erlanger took Hollywood newcomer Nyong’o from unknown actress to the one to watch on the red carpet — and landed her a major ad campaign with Miu Miu along the way.
When Nyong’o stepped out in a red Ralph Lauren caped gown at the Globes, her Hollywood A-list fashion status was secured. Erlanger describes it as “the perfect dress, on the perfect girl, for the perfect moment.” Another standout was Dockery’s custom red and burgundy Prada at the Emmys. Says Erlanger, “It was so beautiful and so representative of Michelle’s natural elegance.”
On Welch: Dior dress, Nicholas Kirkwood shoes. On Moss: Monique Lhuillier dress, Christian Louboutin shoes.
Photographed by David Needleman on Feb. 17 at Hotel Silverlake in Los Angeles.
See more on The Hollywood Reporter's Top 25 Power Stylists of 2014 here.
Says Moss: “Karla will have racks, but it’s, ‘Here are the three things I love the most,’ and it’s usually one of those — you don’t want to spend five hours trying on dresses. The fun part is wearing the dress, not trying them all on."
Karla Welch and partner stylist Kemal Harris' clients include Amy Poehler, Olivia Wilde, Robin Wright, Pink, Elisabeth Moss (pictured right, with Welch), Justin Bieber and Zooey Deschanel.
Moss’ beaded black and red J. Mendel design with cap sleeves impressed at the Globes. “It was perfect,” says the Mad Men actress.
Prada, Dior, Comme des Garcons, Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, Givenchy and Skingraf
Elisabeth Moss is one of nine clients with stylists Kara Welch and Kemal Harris.
Karla Welch and her styling partner, Kemal Harris, styled nine actresses for the Globes, one of them co-host Amy Poehler. Her custom Stella McCartney wardrobe catapulted the Parks and Recreation actress from comic-cute to fashionably chic overnight, while Olivia Wilde’s green Gucci made her one of the most stylish pregnant ladies ever.
The Mad Men actress in Monique Lhuillier.
On Harris: Ralph Lauren Black Label blouse and pants, Ralph Lauren Collection shoes. On Wright: Ralph Lauren Collection dress and shoes, Dana Rebecca jewelry.
Photographed by Blossom Berkofsky on March 5 at Ralph Lauren Women’s and Home Flagship in New York City.
“Kemal was actually dressed in the same thing as me. That was the connection. We were twins,” says Robin Wright of her first meeting with stylist Kemal Harris.
The stylist describes the actress as “drama-free,” and Wright returns the praise: “Kemal doesn’t push; there’s no forcing the style.”
On Stewart: Chanel coat, Saunder tank, J Brand leather pants, Jimmy Choo shoes, AS29 silver chain necklace, Jillian Dempsey rings and Stewart’s own rings. On Swennen: Dilek Hanif jumpsuit, Jimmy Choo shoes, Jillian Dempsey jewelry.
One of Swennen's top looks? Her pick is Stewart’s ladylike tweed jacket teamed with those hot pants and fingerless leather gloves that she wore front row at Chanel’s Haute Couture show in July in Paris.
"We really try to push the envelope," says Kristen Stewart of Swennen. "Tara reminds me that I like to be daring, that I like to do things differently. She pushes me in the best way."
Stylist Tara Swennen is lauded for recognizing a client’s individuality (i.e., Kristen Stewart’s Chanel hot pants), but where she has a larger-than-most impact is internationally, thanks in part to client Kaley Cuoco Sweeting, whose Big Bang Theory dominates worldwide syndication.
Swennen recalls her very first red carpet with Stewart: “She was attending a premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, and it was a Chanel moment.” Chimes in Stewart, the face of Chanel’s new Metiers d’Art Paris-Dallas campaign that debuts in May, “It all comes full circle with Chanel.”
Kristen Stewart and Tara Swennen met during the actress' breakout role in 2007's Into the Wild when she was 14. "I would go to her with anything — and do — and sometimes fittings are like full-on therapy sessions," she says.
Just like laid-back longtime client Kristen Stewart, Tara Swennen is a self-described "T-shirt, Converse sneakers and jeans-wearing girl."
"Fittings can be stressful when you're trying to find the right thing. Samantha is willing to do whatever is needed, and there’s no ego, so we can be completely honest about how we feel," says Dakota Fanning (center) of her style guru Samantha McMillen.
On McMillen: Jenny Packham dress, Neil Lane ring, Graziela Gems earrings. On Dakota Fanning: Elie Saab Haute Couture gown, Dana Rebecca ring. On Elle Fanning: Elie Saab Haute Couture gown, Neil Lane ring.
Photographed by David Needleman on March 8 at Chateau Marmont in Hollywood.
When it comes to dressing the Fanning sisters, "Dakota is Old Hollywood, but a younger version of that, and Elle is a mix of bohemian and sporty," says Samantha McMillen, who's gearing up for Maleficent's whirlwind press with Elle.
On Elle Fanning: Delpozo dress
While Dakota Fanning hates trying on clothes, Elle says: "I'm very into trying on clothes and putting all the little details together. Samantha [McMillen] and I will text each other pictures of runway looks right when they come off."
See more of The Hollywood Reporter's Top 25 Power Stylists of 2014 here.
Dakota Fanning was the first of the sisters to begin working with stylist Samantha McMillen in 2012, with Elle following in her footsteps soon afterward.
On Elle and Dakota Fanning: Giambattista Valli
"Elle is much taller than me, so she can carry off more elaborate dresses," says big sister Dakota Fanning.
Elle Fanning says she still thinks about her floral Rochas gown with a lace choker and mint-green cardigan that stylist Samantha McMillen put together for the 2012 Ginger & Rosa premiere in London.
The Wolf of Wall Street actress Margot Robbie is dressed by veteran stylist Cristina Ehrlich, who also works with Hollywood stars such as Penelope Cruz and Tina Fey.
See more of The Hollywood Reporter's Top 25 Power Stylists of 2014 here.
Margot Robbie was dressed in Gucci for the Golden Globes by Cristina Ehrlich, who described the look as "modern Hollywood glam. Sexy, but not over-the-top, and Margot loved it."
On Ehrlich: Chloe top and pants, Burak Uyan shoes, Bulgari ring, Carbon & Hyde rings. On Robbie: Stella McCartney dress, Saint Laurent shoes, Rona Pfeiffer ring, Jack Vartanian earrings.
Photographed by Jeff Forney on March 1 at The London West Hollywood.
“The first thing she did was offer me a beer. I thought: ‘Oh, we are going to get along so well. This is my kind of stylist,’ ” says Margot Robbie of meeting Cristina Ehrlich.
"I love working with Mama C," says Margot Robbie of her savvy stylist, Cristina Ehrlich.
Rose Byrne began working with stylist Penny Lovell in 2009 after meeting at a Dior dinner party and kicking off a long-distance collaboration.
On Byrne: Thakoon dress and sweater, Saint Laurent shoes, Veronika Borchers for Pearl Collective ring, Rona Pfeiffer earrings. On Lovell: Thakoon sweater and skirt, Balenciaga shoes, Chanel Fine Jewelry diamond ring, Karma El-Khalil Trilogy ring, We Love Colors socks.
Photographed by Ruven Afanador on Feb. 11 at Thakoon NY Studio in New York City.
Says Rose Byrne: "Some actresses don't have a stylist, but I would find that very difficult. It's hard to look cool and yourself on a carpet."
Lovell takes risks that pay off but also knows when to pull back and deliver a surefire crowd-pleaser. Cases in point: Rose Byrne’s midriff-baring Emmys look (sounds iffy but worked perfectly) and Oscar 2014 presenter Anne Hathaway’s glittering black gown, which brought red-carpet redemption after last year’s Les Nipperables.
New York-based Rose Byrne and stylist Penny Lovell, who lives in Los Angeles, don't let distance come between them. Says Lovell, "For big events, I'll fly to New York or Rose will come here, but we've mastered the art of Skype fittings.”
British stylist Penny Lovell knows when to take gambles with looks, such as Rose Byrne's midriff-baring Emmys outfit or her white Elie Saab jumpsuit at the 2012 SAG Awards, which Byrne calls "the biggest risk we've taken for the red carpet."