How Celebs Borrow Gowns, Etc. from Designers for the Red Carpet

[rockitgirl]

Often those dresses that celebrities wear at events and awards are not bought, they are just borrowed and are returned to the designer who can proudly show it off. I know that often a red carpet dress propels a relatively unheard of designer into the spotlight but other than publicity I'm not sure how this helps. If a designer mostly does eveningwear, and celebrities wear $5000-$10000 dresses and returns them, how many more people are there out there that will actually BUY a $5000 dress? I know there are rich people that are not celebrities but there can't be that many of them, going to enough fancy parties to keep all these businesses afloat in that price range. So are those $5000-$10000 dresses more like show pieces in hopes that through the publicity someone might buy one or two but mostly so that many will buy your $1000-2000 dresses?

 

[Happiegluckie]

I think its also because celebs can't be photographed wearing the same thing twice, not because they can't afford it. If they buy a dress, and wear it once, then it's just going to take up too much space in the closet if they buy a new dress every time they have to go to an event. Plus, sometimes the designer actually GIVES clothes to the celebs. I am ashamed to admit I read Paris Hilton's Confession of an Heiress, and that's where I remembered this. hahahaha...

Also, once a celeb has worn a dress, and they return it to the store, sometimes, the value of the dress goes up even more! The store owner/designer can say, "Oh look, Kiera Knightly actually wore this dress!" and her fans will most likely up the value of that dress.

I think that actually happened when Kiera Knightly donated her dress to a charity or something and it sold for like an insane amount of money.

Hahahaha...I just realized that I didn't actually answer your question. BUT, I'm sure both of the choices are reasonable. I know that some teen girls, for their prom, would be willing to dish out a couple thou for their prom dresses. Cause these dresses are usually more unique anyway, and in a store, there would probably be like, only one size of one particular style in stock or something.

 

[pasfoti]

how many more people are there out there that will actually BUY a $5000 dress? I know there are rich people that are not celebrities but there can't be that many of them

I read an article years ago that discussed the same question. The author of that article mentioned there were many many rich people out there willing to pay high prices. That is one of the reasons that designers keep raising prices.

 

[rockitgirl]

I think its also because celebs can't be photographed wearing the same thing twice, not because they can't afford it.

I think that goes without saying... I'd hate to think Angelina Jolie or Julia Roberts can't afford a $10000 dress! I know WHY the dresses are just leant rather than bought, I'm just wondering what the exact benefits are to this. If you put all this effort into making beautiful expensive dresses in the hopes that some celebrity will wear one but never actually sell any of them it's looking a little costly to me, y'know?

 

[ilaughead]

I've always thought that giving celebrities freebies was a rather silly thing to do, also. I'm sure some actually do buy their own dresses. (I know that Gwen Stefani had a Christian Dior Haute Couture gown for her wedding, and I have a feeling that Dior wouldn't just loan it to her for a private event.) But whenever I see a $30,000 dress from Yves Saint Laurent or something, I always wonder how big the market for these are. And since celebrities are in the news so much more than 'normal' rich people, the pool of people who actually buy these big-ticket items seems really small.

I read somewhere, however, that Louis Vuitton doesn't give celebrities free clothes or accessories. But I'm not sure if that includes loaning them.

 

[rockitgirl]

well if you are a big designer with lots of "normal" people buying your clothes than the more exposure the better, right? You would probably give clothes to celebs that fit your brand image or that are already great customers. You would probably risk loaning out those expensive dresses for the same reason you risk the money you loose on haute couture shows: exposure. You already have a huge customer base and your clothes are already selling, the cost of loaning out or making a haute couture line that won't sell is peanuts to compared to the revenue you get from the exposure. It is the smaller designers that I don't get. If you are making $100K/yr and you are trying to get a dress on the red carpet you'll have to make a few expensive ones as show pieces and then possibly make a whole new dress if you actually find a celeb who wants to wear it. So the cost to you is going to be say $2000 in fabric for those few dresses and hundreds of hours of labour making that dress that they wear literally cost $10000-$20000 and I don't know if as an emerging designer that is a cost you can afford, y'know? Would the sales actually come back to make that profitable and get you enough exposure to get new repeat clients? It seems like a huge risk.

I am very interested in higher priced evening wear but it seems like a tough market to crack because you need to get that exposure and credibility and I'm not really sure how it is usually done. I can see it done the way I have described (designer makes several expensive dresses as examples of what s/he can do, shops them around to people in the spotlight, finds someone willing to wear one of her dresses and makes on for that person -- possibly several for that person to choose from, then that person wears it and the designer gets exposure) but I don't know if that is really how it is done and it seems like a big financial investment from the designer not to mention a huge investment in labour.

 

[Stylebites]

If you are an emerging designer and truely want to get exposure for your work then sending the pieces to a celeb directly is just silly. Send your pieces to a stylist and negotiate whether or not the pieces will be returned. If you give your pieces to the stylist, there is a good chance (if the pieces are good and he/she likes them) that you'll suddenly see your work in more than a few publications or on several of their clients.

It is INVALUABLE exposure!

That's why even the big design houses allow star's stylists to pull from the showrooms, or even commission couture for big ticket events (e.g. the Oscars, the Grammys, Cannes, etc.). The images banks will list the name of the designer in the info when they sell the celeb pics to newspapers and magazines, so your name could be everywhere with a good placement (the right stylist).

So while you're at it, send me some samples. [email protected]

As to who can actually afford these expensive gowns, there are lots of women out there who can and do buy these pieces. Especially in the middle east, the larger cities in the US and Europe, Russia and now in China as well.

 

[rockitgirl]

okay I'm sort of veering away from the original topic here...

Y'know I hadn't even thought of the fact that there is big money in non-western countries.

Stylebites thank you for getting yourself into this thread. (I'm assuming you're a stylist since you suggested I send you samples) What is it that stylists look for? I would imagine that the pieces that are sent need to be maybe a bit more overthetop than the pieces that would sell in a store because if they're to be used in pictures they need to solicit the right mood. But as a stylist what are you looking for? And when someone contacts you first do you want pictures to choose from or do you want the garments just sent to you at the designers descretion? Okay and last 2 questions: What types of terms are commonly negotiated? and What could a new designer do that would put you off and make you not want to work with them?

btw, sorry for all the questions, I hope they are not totally elementary to you. I am determined to do this but where I live there is not a fashion school so I am self-teaching and a lot of stuff I can't find answers to in books.

 

[KhaoticKharma]

Everyone pretty much sum it up well- the designers give the celeb the clothes, the celeb gives it back after the event. Some of the bigger houses (Valentino, Dolce and Gabanna) pay the stars to wear their clothes, while some of the smaller ones (Lanvin) don't let stars borrow and they have to buy.

If you are only gonna wear it once, why bother with buying it, right?

 

[Stylebites]

What is it that stylists look for? I would imagine that the pieces that are sent need to be maybe a bit more overthetop than the pieces that would sell in a store because if they're to be used in pictures they need to solicit the right mood.

True, most of the time we are looking for things that will really "pop" in the photos. I use dresses by one local designer that would make Cavalli blush but they look good in the pictures. Transparent fabric is good--chiffons, tulle, netting, lace, etc. Volume and larger than normal touches (extra big collars, cuffs, etc.) are also a plus with some photographers. That said, more simple, easy pieces can also be nice, it all depends on the story. Right now I'm really into body skimming pieces.

And when someone contacts you first do you want pictures to choose from or do you want the garments just sent to you at the designers descretion?

Send a query email to stylists you'd like to supply, along with low-res photos of your pieces. If you can get ahold of a dress form, just shoot the pieces on that. Pants can be pinned to the front of the form if it has a pole through the bottom. Don't send actual pieces until you know that the stylist is interested or you'll be wasting postage and might not get your work back.

What types of terms are commonly negotiated and what could a new designer do that would put you off and make you not want to work with them?

You want a contract in writing with the stylist's signature agreeing to send the pieces back by a certain date. Agree on who will pay for postage as well. The stylist can't promise you exposure. Even if he/she shoots the pieces for a certain mag, the editor always gets final choice over what images/stories are accepted. Be reasonable even if your pieces don't get coverage right away. If you're donating the pieces, ask the stylist where he/she expects to use them (e.g. on celebs at events, for fashion shoots, etc.) and in what countries the coverage will be broadcast. No sense in sending your pieces to China if you don't have distribution or a local PR contact there, y'know? That said, it never hurts to just have a few lovely tear sheets (examples of your work shown in a magazine, literally the pages torn out of the issue) in your portfolio. Your local clients will stand up and take notice if a stylist gets your pieces placed in Vogue, even if it's Vogue Greece.

I look for designers who are easy going to work with. I've had some bad run-ins with a bitchy one who told me in her showroom, "Do whatever your want with my pieces, they're like sculpture, you can use them any direction you please," while throwing them on the floor but come the day of the shooting she showed up and freaked out that one strap had slipped off the hanger and made all the models change their pieces to reflect exactly the way that she had personally envisioned them. Which was ugly by the way. In the end the photographer and I waited until she left, re-shot everything and those are the photos that the magazines are interested in.

So I guess what I personally look for is a designer who is communicative, timely with their deliveries, and who doesn't show up on my shoot and style everything herself.

Hope this helps!

 

[Stylebites]

...while some of the smaller ones (Lanvin) don't let stars borrow and they have to buy.

I find it impossible to believe that a stylist couldn't pull a Lanvin sample from their showroom for a star's event.

In a recent interview with Karl Lagerfeld and Alber Elbas (Numero, August 2006), the pair talk about the effect that actresses wearing couture has on their business:

Karl Lagerfeld: Unbeknownst to most people, the one thing that couture clients detest the most is the dress that was worn by an actress. Such product placements are great for promotional purposes, but you can guarantee that the clients will cancel the dress en masse at the bat of an eyelid.

Alber Elbaz: Which strikes me as quite paradoxical.

Lagerfeld: The worst thing on the red carpet is not so much the movie stars--many of whom are delightful--as the stylists and assorted handlers trailing in their wake. Now that's a strange mafia.

Elbaz: There's often a nasty backlash to these events. The slapstick comedians, critics and self-anointed style gurus who slam the actresses for what they're wearing, don't seem to realise that they're also butchering our jobs as designers.

Lagerfeld: They'd have to wake up early to hang us out to dry, darling. Personally, I couldn't care less. Do you let the bad press get to you?

Elbaz: I'm hypersensitive, so pretty much everything gets to me.

...so if Lanvin honestly doesn't lend to red-carpet events, then that's probably why.

 

[rockitgirl]

thank you everyone for all your great opinions, insights, and information...and so quickly too! Wow, keeping an eye on this thread has lead me to have a very unproductive day. Shame on me. I might write more later, for now I am digesting it all. Of course, feel free to leave more comments, I really value the experienced professionals I find on this forum.

 

[rockitgirl]

Stylebites, I've actually got one last quick question for you. How do you find contact info for stylists? For instance say I wanted to contact Trish Sommerville (one of the only names of celeb stylists I can remember at this moment) how would I find her. I did a quick google search and just found tons of articles mentioning her as the stylist for whatever client. Are there agencies that act as a buffer for stylist much like a PR agents would for a celeb? Or do they hide online under other names? Take you for example, I'm not quite sure who you actually are other than your online name (I have been reading your blog today, another great way of being totally unproductive, and it seems like you are busy and work with all kinds of people, as soon as I am ready I am greatly interested in sending you pictures).

 

[Stylebites]

Stylebites, I've actually got one last quick question for you. How do you find contact info for stylists? For instance say I wanted to contact Trish Sommerville (one of the only names of celeb stylists I can remember at this moment) how would I find her. I did a quick google search and just found tons of articles mentioning her as the stylist for whatever client. Are there agencies that act as a buffer for stylist much like a PR agents would for a celeb? Or do they hide online under other names? Take you for example, I'm not quite sure who you actually are other than your online name (I have been reading your blog today, another great way of being totally unproductive, and it seems like you are busy and work with all kinds of people, as soon as I am ready I am greatly interested in sending you pictures).

I'm not sure about Trish but usually all it takes is a little digging. Check out http://www.magnetla.com/ and this article from the LA Times about celeb stylists who have become celebs in their own right (Rachel Zoe). You need to contact the big names through their agents and people like Trish and Rachel are probably too busy to read their non-client email, so good luck, you'll have to push quite a bit. It helps to know somebody who works under/with or used to work with them.

I'm anonymous here (on tFS) so I can comment away in peace. Email me personally and I'll come out of "hiding." Sorry to say that I'm glad you spent so much time on my blog...hope you didn't waste too many hours.

 

[rockitgirl]

thanks, I will for certain email you soon. I don't want to be too much of a bother with all my newbie questions and try to not deluge one person too much

 

[softgrey]

the cost of those dresses that are considered 'editorial' pieces...
ie- they will be photographed or worn to events but will not actually go into production...
come out of the marketing/advertising budget...
not the production budget...

it's part of the cost of doing business for a company...

 

[ultramarine]

(I know that Gwen Stefani had a Christian Dior Haute Couture gown for her wedding, and I have a feeling that Dior wouldn't just loan it to her for a private event.)

Thats incorrect darling ... John Galliano designed it especially for her ... and she wore it twice (gasp!) and there are pics around of it ...

 

[Stylebites]

the cost of those dresses that are considered 'editorial' pieces...
ie- they will be photographed or worn to events but will not actually go into production...
come out of the marketing/advertising budget...
not the production budget...

it's part of the cost of doing business for a company...

Sure that's true for a large company or (gasp!) corporation but no matter where it comes out of the budget, these high production cost "freebies" are sure to effect smaller designers.

 

[BetteT]

Even minor celebs get "loans" and the samples get used over and over again. I've seen it in action on several occasions: Once when I was pulling some Monique Lhullier during the Emmy's ... they had several minor actors in there trying on dresses (I had to compete for what I wanted for a magazine shoot). Once when I had a few Kevan Hall gowns out, they sent an intern to me to pick them up early, because they had a minor celeb coming in to borrow gowns for some other awards thing going on. And once I had a young actress in tow for a pull (she was interested and asked to come along) and everyone offered her stuff for any red carpet events she might have coming up.

That's what the samples are for ... to get them out there ... either to stylists who are doing editorial work or to celebs (and their stylists) that might be photographed in public. It's an intregal part of the fashion machine!

 

[Stylebites]

Second what Bette says. (We love Bette!)