KemAlnagdy
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Charlene of Monaco doesnt have a stylist ! Kate also reportedly doesnt have one , but she had one for the Canada tour
Stars Sans Stylists: What Does it Really Mean?
- Thread starter KhaoticKharma
- Start date
there was an article posted in blake's thread a couple of weeks ago about her 'best looks' (i think of 2011) and one of the quotes was "this is the first time i have ever dressed a celeb"
so she might not employ someone with the title "stylist" but she definitely has 'her people' contact 'their people' and the designers pulls stuff for her. i don't think there is anything wrong with that, but blake always tries to pretend as though she actually personally calls designers, or goes shopping for her event outfits. when you are wearing things fresh off the runway it isn't possible to just go get it without some pr people being involved.
so she might not employ someone with the title "stylist" but she definitely has 'her people' contact 'their people' and the designers pulls stuff for her. i don't think there is anything wrong with that, but blake always tries to pretend as though she actually personally calls designers, or goes shopping for her event outfits. when you are wearing things fresh off the runway it isn't possible to just go get it without some pr people being involved.
kokobombon
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Here´s a list of celebs and their stylists, from The Hollywood Reporter
I think it´s interesting that Berenice Bejo has no stylist cause I like her recent RC appearances
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fa...-stylists-jessica-chastain-viola-davis-285175
I think it´s interesting that Berenice Bejo has no stylist cause I like her recent RC appearances
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fa...-stylists-jessica-chastain-viola-davis-285175
I was just going to mention this thread because of Bejo. I think it's cool that he has a longstanding relationship with the team at Elie Saab. I'm thinking she'll opt for Saab at the Oscars or maybe Gucci Premiere again?
Another article from thedailybeast
Stars Without Stylists
With celebrity stylists now charging up to $8,000 a day, some fashionable leading ladies are deciding to go it alone. From Diane Kruger to January Jones, Linlee Allen looks at the perks and perils.Masterminding the perfect look for Hollywood celebrities comes at a price.
And with that price hovering around $8,000 a day for a well-connected stylist, is it any wonder that a new breed of actresses are opting against convention and going it alone? A few brave souls are redefining glamour as something much more personal, choosing their wardrobes based on their own tastes and sensibilities.Leading the pack is Diane Kruger, star of Inglourious Basterds, who regularly dons everything from Chanel Haute Couture to Marchesa, Jason Wu, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein. A former model who once upon a time studied with the Royal Ballet in London, Kruger gets it right without the assistance of a stylist. She often polishes off her looks with a stellar assortment of accessories that would rightfully rival any front-row fashionista.
Sure, the Chanel Fine Jewels and Harry Winston are a mainstay in her red-carpet choices, but her tendency to mix things up by introducing the occasional necklace by Tom Binns, or clutches by Kotur, Roger Vivier and Raven Kauffman, have garnered her additional cachet. And what about her savvy knack for experimenting with color? As if fuschia pink Christian Lacroix Haute Couture at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards didn't earn her enough praise, weeks later she topped it off with a mustard-colored Jason Wu gown at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, proving in essence that not only does she understand the importance of a good photo-op when it comes to color on the red carpet, but also that she's not afraid to work with it.
"Diane Kruger and Marion Cotillard are consistently the best dressed in Hollywood," says Arianne Phillips, whose personal styling work for Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, and Courtney Love over the past decade enabled her career to catapult into the world of costume design and has since resulted in an Academy-Award nomination for Walk the Line and more recently, a BAFTA nomination for her collaboration on Tom Ford's A Single Man.
"Both women are not only incredibly talented actresses, they're extreme beauties in the sense of them both exuding confidence and ease," Phillips says. "They're both clearly working with very sophisticated and informed taste levels in terms of style and importantly, they understand what looks good on them."
Case in point: Where Kruger champions the young American designer Jason Wu for example, Cotillard (who also works sans styliste) remains devoted to her native France and its staple LVMH-owned favorite, Christian Dior. She is, after all, the face of the brand's Lady Dior advertising.
"Marion has a handful of relationships with designers that she frequently turns to for options," says a mouthpiece for the Academy Award-winning actress. Enter: Elie Saab Haute Couture (2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards) and Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture (2008 Academy Awards). Interestingly, however, she favors jewels from Chopard and somewhat more traditional clutches courtesy of Swarovski or Judith Leiber, not to mention occasional pairings of Roger Vivier or Jimmy Choo accessories.
Standing her ground alongside these leading ladies is Mad Men star January Jones, whose penchant for Gucci graphic prints (at a pre-Oscars luncheon) and geometric sequin detailing from Atelier Versace (at the 2009 Emmy Awards) have earned her a cult-like following within the fashion blogosphere. Having single-handedly cherry-picked her own awards-season wardrobe, she affirmed her status as an all-American actress with an all-encompassing eye for style after appearing in a black Lanvin gown teamed with Neil Lane diamonds and a ribbon headband at the Golden Globes.
"She definitely caught my eye" says Phillips. "January is clearly one to watch."
Unless of course you're watching with a microscopic eye.
"They all look great," says Ezra Woods, a freelance stylist who occasionally works with Chloe Sevigny. "Diane, Marion and January all clearly have good taste. Sometimes, upon closer inspection however, I notice they could have opted for a more interesting or flattering accessory, or a dress could have been altered to fit better."
“What’s happening now is that studios are cutting budgets for stylists so a lot of girls are dressing themselves,” says stylist Shirley Kurata.
Shirley Kurata, who styles Zooey Deschanel agrees.
"It's always an advantage working with a stylist because it brings an experienced eye into the mix as well as someone to take care of the right tailor, specific foundation wear, accessories, etc." she says.
"What's happening now is that studios are cutting budgets for stylists so a lot of girls are dressing themselves" says Kurata. "For someone like Diane Kruger or even Tilda Swinton, they're savvy enough to know what works, and they clearly have direct access to the designers so they're probably having actual fittings before they hit the red carpet as opposed to someone else in Hollywood working without a stylist, like Blake Lively for example."
"If the girls are fortunate enough to be friends with the designer, then of course that changes things," she adds.
An example of that is the union of Kirsten Dunst, who only occasionally works with stylists (sisters Claire and Nina Hallworth), and Rodarte. In between donning vintage Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel Haute Couture, Dunst flies the Rodarte flag more frequently than any other label. Seated in the front row of the brand's September 2009 presentation during New York Fashion Week, she wore a T-shirt imprinted with the words "J'aime Rodarte." And in an effort to return the compliment this month, SoCal designer siblings Kate and Laura Mulleavy affectionately told V magazine of its current cover girl, "Kirsten inspires us to be more creative."
Now if only more actresses could do the same.
Benn98
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AMY FINE COLLINS THINKS CELEBRITY FASHION WAS BETTER BEFORE STYLISTS
written by Aria Darcella October 4, 2019
Amy Fine Collins (Patrick McMullan/PMC)
Amy Fine Collins is something of a fashion legend. The author and longtime Vanity Fair contributor has a vast knowledge of fashion, art, and pop culture history. Her new tome, The International Best-Dressed List: The Official Story, blends these worlds to give an unprecedented look at the list, and the people who have been featured on it. The Daily caught up with Collins to learn all about her new book, and pick her brain on the current state of style.
I was flipping through the book and it is beautiful!
There are a lot of unknown and rare images in there. There were so many more that we wanted to include that we couldn’t because of space but it is gorgeous. No matter how many times I look at it, it still retains its beauty and it’s a surprise.
Tell me about how the Best-Dressed list got off the ground!
The list was founded by Eleanor Lambert in 1940 partly to stimulate the American fashion industry as the world was going to war in World War II. Eleanor lived to the age of 100 and this invention of hers has become such an institution, like the other fashion institutions she has founded like the CFDA, Fashion Week, and The Party of the Year (which is now called the Met Gala).
This was one institution that she wanted to insure survived her, so in 2002 she decided to bequeath it to Graydon Carter, Reinaldo Herrera, Aimée Bell, and myself. All four of us were at Vanity Fair and three of us were already on the Hall of Fame. All of us had been sitting on her International Best Dressed List Committee for a while and she entrusted us with this property of hers.
Why was now the right time to write this book?
In 2017, things changed. Graydon departed to found Air Mail, among other things that he’s doing. So we are in a state of transition with the list. Part of the plan regarding how it is doing to evolve is to finally create a book, a full document on the list and its history. It’s something that I was able to do in a way that no one else could’ve done because we also are the heir and sole possessors of Eleanor’s archives of the International Best-Dressed Lists. The files starting from the 1930s all the way up to when she closed her offices.
Oh, how interesting!
That became the basis of the book. I had opened the lid earlier to do an assignment for Vanity Fair that was kind of the precursor of this. I had sifted through the archives and worked with an assistant to organize everything into chronological binders and get it all together. It was clear, once we had organized everything, that I had the makings of a book.
The moment to do it didn’t really arise until the shift at Vanity Fair which opened up the time for me. And I also got a lot of my teammates and colleagues from Vanity Fair. We had all worked together for years. I’m the only one among them that is still on the masthead I believe, but we all understood each other very well. The same level of taste and high standard of taste and duty so it became a pleasure to do. It was a real joy to work on.
When did you first meet Eleanor?
I met her under the circumstances of my being considered to write a book about [interior design firm] Parish-Hadley which the photographer Horst P. Horst’s boyfriend, Valentine Lawford, was initially asked to do. When Valentine declined he recommended me in his place. Eleanor was representing Parish-Hadley at the time.
I ended up not doing that book but the fruit of that was a friendship with Eleanor. She became a major mentor and friend of mine. It was just one of these instant, mutual attachments, which was compounded by the fact that she lived right near me. We had very similar points of view about not just fashion, but about the world in general. We were both coming from an art background and she was a very straight shooter. She had a lot of knowledge that I’m sure she wanted to pass along. And she was close to Geoffery Beene who I was also very close to.
Tell me about the early days of being on the committee!
It was always at her apartment where I felt comfortable because I had been welcomed there so often as a guest. People had very strong opinions. They were harsh judges, but not inaccurate ones, for who might be eligible for the list. It was fascinating. Maybe the first meeting I met [famed New York socialite] Jerry Zipkin. He didn’t live much longer after that but he was a supercilious arbiter of taste and society and he just softened around me. People who might’ve been scary were so lovely and welcoming.
What is the voting process like?
There are several stages. First the ballots are sent out. We follow Elenor’s system almost exactly, so two or three thousand ballots are always sent out. Then we tally the votes. Then the committee meets to talk about the votes which I compare to an electoral college that oversees the popular vote. You need to be sure the list is a little bit varied — you don’t want to end up with people who are all the same age or profession, or have all been on the list before. You want to freshen it up a bit. It needs a little artistic touch.
What do you look at when considering someone’s style?
Everything. The worst is when you see someone looking impeccable on the red carpet and then you see 92 other photos of them looking like a complete unkempt mess without any interest in their appearance whatsoever. That’s when you realize these people have no taste at all! They’ve just been dressed up like little paper dolls for the night.
How do you balance different aesthetics, especially when it comes to people who are more avant-garde or experimental with their looks?
We’ve always been interested in some of the most extreme cases of individual style, where it’s not within the conventional idea of chic but they have a strong identity. Lady Gaga or Rihanna would fit into that. They might not fit into the traditional idea of elegance or chic, but the self-expression through clothing is so strong and so interesting that it would be a qualifier for them.
Some editors complain that personal stylists have killed individuality on the red carpet. What do you think?
Not only individual red carpet style has been killed but individual style, period, has been killed. To the extent that stylists have homogenized the look of stars out there, I don’t think they’ve been doing the industry or the stars a great service. Now they feel insecure without the stylist. It’s one thing if you can learn from a stylist and really collaborate. Help interpret, the way designers used to. Audrey Hepburn wouldn’t have her full look without Givenchy. But it wasn’t like he was just pitchforking these clothes on her. It was a collaboration. In the old movie studio system the wardrobe department would work like that. Edith Head would help someone like Grace Kelly find what’s best for her, but she learned and could do it on her own as well.
And now things are completely different.
I don’t really know what happened but everything got commercialized and there are business opportunities for people. Everything is turned around. Instead of a movie star buying clothes, it went to designers lending clothes and then designers started paying celebrities to wear clothes. It’s really hard to find authentic style. There are some exceptions, like Tilda Swinton.
Are there any celebrities that break the mold?
What Elle Fanning has been doing, even though she is clearly working with a stylist, is so different than what you’re seeing on anyone else. It was interesting what she wore to Cannes in May. Nicole Kidman always got it. When she’s super casual there is an innate poise that makes her carry even the most informal clothes in a particular way. Janelle Monáe — she has extraordinary style and she works with designers for sure but boy does she dominate the clothes. She’s nobody’s paper doll.
Do you think social media has had an effect style and fashion?
[It promotes the idea] that clothes should be disposable. The great women of style had no difficulty or trouble repeating their looks. You wore something, acquired something because it spoke to you in some way. Why would you throw it out? Why would you throw away your own identity? The internet and Instagram encourages people to change their clothes and style all the time and the fear of people being bored or boring yourself. In some ways it’s been a great boom because it opens up more worlds and more places to see clothes worn at their best. It’s a mixed blessing. The internet has created a lot of great things and destroyed a lot of great things.
The International Best Dressed List: The Official Story will be available October 22.
Fashionweekdaily
written by Aria Darcella October 4, 2019
Amy Fine Collins (Patrick McMullan/PMC)
Amy Fine Collins is something of a fashion legend. The author and longtime Vanity Fair contributor has a vast knowledge of fashion, art, and pop culture history. Her new tome, The International Best-Dressed List: The Official Story, blends these worlds to give an unprecedented look at the list, and the people who have been featured on it. The Daily caught up with Collins to learn all about her new book, and pick her brain on the current state of style.
I was flipping through the book and it is beautiful!
There are a lot of unknown and rare images in there. There were so many more that we wanted to include that we couldn’t because of space but it is gorgeous. No matter how many times I look at it, it still retains its beauty and it’s a surprise.
Tell me about how the Best-Dressed list got off the ground!
The list was founded by Eleanor Lambert in 1940 partly to stimulate the American fashion industry as the world was going to war in World War II. Eleanor lived to the age of 100 and this invention of hers has become such an institution, like the other fashion institutions she has founded like the CFDA, Fashion Week, and The Party of the Year (which is now called the Met Gala).
This was one institution that she wanted to insure survived her, so in 2002 she decided to bequeath it to Graydon Carter, Reinaldo Herrera, Aimée Bell, and myself. All four of us were at Vanity Fair and three of us were already on the Hall of Fame. All of us had been sitting on her International Best Dressed List Committee for a while and she entrusted us with this property of hers.
Why was now the right time to write this book?
In 2017, things changed. Graydon departed to found Air Mail, among other things that he’s doing. So we are in a state of transition with the list. Part of the plan regarding how it is doing to evolve is to finally create a book, a full document on the list and its history. It’s something that I was able to do in a way that no one else could’ve done because we also are the heir and sole possessors of Eleanor’s archives of the International Best-Dressed Lists. The files starting from the 1930s all the way up to when she closed her offices.
Oh, how interesting!
That became the basis of the book. I had opened the lid earlier to do an assignment for Vanity Fair that was kind of the precursor of this. I had sifted through the archives and worked with an assistant to organize everything into chronological binders and get it all together. It was clear, once we had organized everything, that I had the makings of a book.
The moment to do it didn’t really arise until the shift at Vanity Fair which opened up the time for me. And I also got a lot of my teammates and colleagues from Vanity Fair. We had all worked together for years. I’m the only one among them that is still on the masthead I believe, but we all understood each other very well. The same level of taste and high standard of taste and duty so it became a pleasure to do. It was a real joy to work on.
When did you first meet Eleanor?
I met her under the circumstances of my being considered to write a book about [interior design firm] Parish-Hadley which the photographer Horst P. Horst’s boyfriend, Valentine Lawford, was initially asked to do. When Valentine declined he recommended me in his place. Eleanor was representing Parish-Hadley at the time.
I ended up not doing that book but the fruit of that was a friendship with Eleanor. She became a major mentor and friend of mine. It was just one of these instant, mutual attachments, which was compounded by the fact that she lived right near me. We had very similar points of view about not just fashion, but about the world in general. We were both coming from an art background and she was a very straight shooter. She had a lot of knowledge that I’m sure she wanted to pass along. And she was close to Geoffery Beene who I was also very close to.
Tell me about the early days of being on the committee!
It was always at her apartment where I felt comfortable because I had been welcomed there so often as a guest. People had very strong opinions. They were harsh judges, but not inaccurate ones, for who might be eligible for the list. It was fascinating. Maybe the first meeting I met [famed New York socialite] Jerry Zipkin. He didn’t live much longer after that but he was a supercilious arbiter of taste and society and he just softened around me. People who might’ve been scary were so lovely and welcoming.
What is the voting process like?
There are several stages. First the ballots are sent out. We follow Elenor’s system almost exactly, so two or three thousand ballots are always sent out. Then we tally the votes. Then the committee meets to talk about the votes which I compare to an electoral college that oversees the popular vote. You need to be sure the list is a little bit varied — you don’t want to end up with people who are all the same age or profession, or have all been on the list before. You want to freshen it up a bit. It needs a little artistic touch.
What do you look at when considering someone’s style?
Everything. The worst is when you see someone looking impeccable on the red carpet and then you see 92 other photos of them looking like a complete unkempt mess without any interest in their appearance whatsoever. That’s when you realize these people have no taste at all! They’ve just been dressed up like little paper dolls for the night.
How do you balance different aesthetics, especially when it comes to people who are more avant-garde or experimental with their looks?
We’ve always been interested in some of the most extreme cases of individual style, where it’s not within the conventional idea of chic but they have a strong identity. Lady Gaga or Rihanna would fit into that. They might not fit into the traditional idea of elegance or chic, but the self-expression through clothing is so strong and so interesting that it would be a qualifier for them.
Some editors complain that personal stylists have killed individuality on the red carpet. What do you think?
Not only individual red carpet style has been killed but individual style, period, has been killed. To the extent that stylists have homogenized the look of stars out there, I don’t think they’ve been doing the industry or the stars a great service. Now they feel insecure without the stylist. It’s one thing if you can learn from a stylist and really collaborate. Help interpret, the way designers used to. Audrey Hepburn wouldn’t have her full look without Givenchy. But it wasn’t like he was just pitchforking these clothes on her. It was a collaboration. In the old movie studio system the wardrobe department would work like that. Edith Head would help someone like Grace Kelly find what’s best for her, but she learned and could do it on her own as well.
And now things are completely different.
I don’t really know what happened but everything got commercialized and there are business opportunities for people. Everything is turned around. Instead of a movie star buying clothes, it went to designers lending clothes and then designers started paying celebrities to wear clothes. It’s really hard to find authentic style. There are some exceptions, like Tilda Swinton.
Are there any celebrities that break the mold?
What Elle Fanning has been doing, even though she is clearly working with a stylist, is so different than what you’re seeing on anyone else. It was interesting what she wore to Cannes in May. Nicole Kidman always got it. When she’s super casual there is an innate poise that makes her carry even the most informal clothes in a particular way. Janelle Monáe — she has extraordinary style and she works with designers for sure but boy does she dominate the clothes. She’s nobody’s paper doll.
Do you think social media has had an effect style and fashion?
[It promotes the idea] that clothes should be disposable. The great women of style had no difficulty or trouble repeating their looks. You wore something, acquired something because it spoke to you in some way. Why would you throw it out? Why would you throw away your own identity? The internet and Instagram encourages people to change their clothes and style all the time and the fear of people being bored or boring yourself. In some ways it’s been a great boom because it opens up more worlds and more places to see clothes worn at their best. It’s a mixed blessing. The internet has created a lot of great things and destroyed a lot of great things.
The International Best Dressed List: The Official Story will be available October 22.
Fashionweekdaily
Benn98
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Coronavirus Upended Celebrity Glam Squads — & Artists Are Struggling To Make Ends Meet
Their Instagram feeds might look glossy and curated, but in real life, artists are vulnerable and scrambling for work.
ERIKA STALDER
LAST UPDATED 16 APRIL 2020, 8:21
This past February, like so many others in her 25 years as a freelance makeup artist, Rachel Goodwin boarded a plane from LAX to Paris with a 50-pound bag of makeup and a calendar full of Fashion Week gigs. “By the time I got there, it was like the whole world had changed,” she tells Refinery29. “The Louvre was being shut down, my clients were not going to the shows, and I was getting on a plane to come home because of COVID,” she says. “My world has not been the same since.”
Like many in service-based industries — which make up 25% of the U.S. work force and employ more women than men — Hollywood’s leading makeup artists, hairstylists, and nail professionals have become unemployed virtually overnight as a result of the pandemic. Freelance celebrity hair colourist Cassondra Kaeding, who had just started working with Kylie Jenner, says her entire calendar was wiped clean in an instant. “If our clients aren’t working, we’re not working,” Kaeding says. Hairstylist Jenny Cho had just wrapped an in-salon training in London, worked with Lucy Boynton for the Chloé show during Paris Fashion Week, and finished an ad campaign with Ana de Armas before making it out of Spain right as travel advisories were being put into place. “I literally got home in the nick of time,” she says.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JO BAKER
Makeup artist Jo Baker, hairstylist Jenny Cho, and stylist Leith Clark were in Paris with their celebrity client Lucy Boynton days before the city starting shutting down to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Whether Kylie has fresh highlights or a glittery Fashion Week party gets cancelled might seem trivial in a time of international crisis — especially when it's easy to confuse the lifestyles of glam squads with those of the celebrities they serve. But outside of the flawless last looks and BTS images they post on Instagram, there’s a lot to the job we don’t see. “What’s shown on social media is definitely curated,” Cho says. What's not pictured: a schedule that can change on a whim, 4am call times, jet lag, and long days away from family — all for less compensation than one might imagine. “I love my job,” Cho says. “But it’s not as easy and as glamorous as people may think.”
The Real Cost Of Celebrity Beauty
The truth is, despite its glossy veneer, the job of a Hollywood beauty pro is closer to that of a gig worker: If there’s no one to serve, there’s no work — and no job security, either. “No matter how fabulous the venue, the client, or the event, freelance is freelance and that means you’re unemployed until you’re employed,” says makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown, whose clients include Logan Browning and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Freelance beauty pros are typically paid between 30 to 90 days after completing a job and in one lump sum from which they draw their own salary after paying out-of-pocket for health, liability, and disability insurance, retirement, 401K contributions, agency fees, assistant fees, taxes, and supplies like foundation, brushes, and hairspray. “When people hear our rates, what they don’t understand is that freelance artists are on our own. So what we make at the end of the day is not what it sounds like," Goodwin says. "There’s a misnomer that it’s a big glamorous career, and it is, but it’s also feast or famine. We’re very vulnerable because we don’t get a normal pay cheque. There are people who won’t be able to pay their rent in this unpredictable climate.”
PHOTO: COURTESY OF RACHEL GOODWIN
Rachel Goodwin, longtime makeup artist to Emma Stone, says freelance celebrity makeup artists are more vulnerable because they're not part of an organized union like on-set artists who work in film and teleivision.
As both Goodwin and makeup artist Fiona Stiles point out, the COVID-19 outbreak has exposed other cracks in their sector of the industry. “Makeup artists and hairstylists in the film industry are more protected because they have a union,” says Goodwin, who works with actors like Emma Stone and January Jones. “Our part of the business has never had it and I’ve always wanted there to be one, but there’s just never enough momentum, seemingly, for people to get behind it.”
Even before COVID-19 put an abrupt end to the movie premieres, photoshoots, press junkets, and galas that kept Hollywood’s glam teams earning a steady income, many artists in the industry had already taken financial hits with a changing landscape. In the 2008 financial crisis, rates were slashed to a quarter of what they once were and have never fully recovered, according to Goodwin. Meanwhile, a surge of young talent who are looking to break into the industry and willing to work for less has congested the field and stymied rates. “There are artists who will fly themselves to LA or to Paris during Fashion Week or to France for Cannes to make themselves available wherever the clients are going,” notes freelance hairstylist Lacy Redway, whose clients include Tessa Thompson and Zazie Beetz.
It’s a precedent that can trickle up to seasoned pros, who are expected to occasionally pay out of pocket to keep a client on their books. “Since the 2008 economic disaster, studios have cut budgets so low that they sometimes ask us to pay for travel ourselves or to crash at a friend's house like we’re 19 years old, but I try not to do that,” Cho says. Collecting frequent flyer miles can help lift the burden, but that doesn’t always cover it. Sometimes, celebrity clients split the difference.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF RACHEL GOODWIN
Goodwin, seen here with Brie Larson, says she's banked enough savings to get by for a few months, but worries about emerging freelance artists who don't have a safety net.
Financial Worry Despite Fiscal Responsibility
In some ways, the fluid and unstable nature of freelance artistry in beauty has better prepared veteran artists and stylists for the type of sudden fallout that many gig economy workers are facing due to the coronavirus. All the pros we talked to for this story have stacked savings to draw from while they’re out of work — in this case, because of a pandemic. “When I first got into this business, I was told to save my money and be able to position myself to where I had a six-month fund because you want to ride out times when your loyal clients aren’t working. Even without COVID, you can have a dry spell, so you have to be the kind of person who thinks ahead and doesn’t live beyond your means,” Goodwin says.
A healthy war chest built to cover a few months of expenses can help ease the pressure of sudden job loss, but the unpredictable nature of the pandemic is worrying even the most prepared of professionals. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster,” says Redway about her concerns brought on by the shutdown. “It leaves artists and creatives in such an uncertain place because we don't know when we're going to be able to go back to work. We work in such an intimate way with talent — we’re touching their faces, hair, and nails constantly. After the ban is lifted, when will people be comfortable with having other people touching them in that way?”
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JO BAKER
Right before COVID-19 became a threat, hairstylist Jenny Cho had a calendar of Fashion Week events with actress Lucy Boynton.
In the meantime, there is something of a life raft being thrown to freelance artists and other gig workers, who are now able to apply for unemployment benefits through the CARES Act. Some brands, including SuperGreat, are paying makeup artists their day rate to create online tutorials. Other organisations, like the Professional Beauty Association, are trying to rally grassroots financial relief efforts to support artists.
But it's not enough, and many are still left waiting and wondering what the future will hold. “I’m definitely worried about what’s going to happen,” notes Cho, who had just closed escrow on a new home when the shutdown hit and has a family to support. “I applied for unemployment and am waiting for it to show up. It’s not a lot, but it’s something.” For her part, makeup artist Emily Cheng is looking into enrolling as well.
It’s not just those with dependents who face additional challenges to making ends meet at a time when work has flatlined. As Goodwin acknowledges, freelance artists still establishing themselves in their careers might not have had the privilege of stacking an emergency fund. “The artists I feel bad for right now are the ones who are just starting because they haven't been able to build up and establish themselves,” she says. “If I was two or three years in, this could be a roadblock I may not be able to get by.”
The Instagram Economy
Queenie Nguyen is an LA-based nail stylist who works with both private and celebrity clients. Last year, after more than 10 years in the salon sector, she made the switch to working with talent. Since then, she has impressively grown her portfolio, not only by gaining agency representation and working with stars like Halsey and Soirse Ronan, but also by building a modest following on Instagram. Though she says she has some savings to draw from, she couldn't have prepared for the sudden and massive fallout from the coronavirus. The nail stylist is working to drum up brand partnerships on Instagram. But she also recently signed up to be a Postmates delivery driver a few times a week in order to cover the cost of her grocery bills.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CASSONDRA KAEDING
Hair colorist Cassondra Kaeding mixes up custom color kits for her longtime clients, as well as new customers she's gained through Instagram.
Because the app allows her to pick her shifts, she’s able to prioritize nail-focused opportunities as they come up. “If I have a collaboration with a brand or a set Instagram Live, then I can make sure to be there for that,” she says. She’s already partnered with a beauty brand on a DIY video since the shutdown and is working to do more. “I don't really make a lot of money from this. It's just for the exposure, so that when this is over, I'll have more work,” she says.
Kaeding, who splits her time between working with celebrity clients and in a salon, has found her own unexpected revenue stream in quarantine. Right when her salon was closing, the colourist made moves to stock up on supplies. “I thought, Maybe I can do something for my clients,” she says. She landed on making at-home hair colour kits to help clients keep up their colour while self isolating.
The endeavour has earned her a little extra cash, and connected her more closely with her regulars as well as new clients from all over the country. “It broadens my horizons and it’s cool to see people so happy and excited when they’re able to do colour themselves,” she says. “Before, I worked so many hours that I was never able to brainstorm and come up with ideas. But this has got my wheels turning. Maybe this is something that I can continue to do later down the road for people who can’t come to me.” In addition to mixing $110 custom-colour kits for customers on Instagram, Kaeding is working on creating a website to make ordering more seamless.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HANG NGUYEN
Nail artist Hang Nguyen, who is nine months pregnant, creates custom nail decals at home — a small source of income for her now that red-carpet work has stopped.
Nguyen and Kaeding aren’t the only artists taking to Instagram to share their skills. Despite increasingly dire circumstances, there’s never been a better time to get beauty advice straight from Hollywood pros who are typically too slammed with their day jobs to engage online. Makeup artist Reiko Brown has partnered with brands like BeautyBlender and Kevyn Aucoin for tutorials and Q+As. “It’s keeping me creative,” she says. “There’s times that I can’t do something like this because we have back-to-back press junkets and I don’t have time to do a how-to or beauty breakdown. Now I have time. I’m going more in depth and sharing a lot of knowledge. That feels good, and the response has been amazing.”
For artists who have no other subject to work on, this unique time is pushing their skills in new directions. “Personally, I've never wanted to be in front of the camera, but it's not like I have anyone else to do makeup on, and I miss it so much that this has encouraged me to think about getting a little more personal and showing my personality off a little bit,” says makeup artist Emily Cheng, who works with Yara Shahidi, Laura Harrier and Julia Garner.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JENNY CHO
Cho is trying to build an office in her new home for freelance work, while serving as a caretaker for her four-year-old son.
Other artists are using this time to focus on content to deepen connections in the beauty community and inspire their followers. As co-founder of the forthcoming Makeup Museum, Goodwin is working to create online content around its #generationsofbeauty campaign. On her own platform, she’s creating an IGTV series called “State of the Art” for burgeoning industry pros. Redway is also offering her services wherever they’re needed. “At the beginning of this, I started to question whether or not I should post on social media because I was starting to feel like what I did wasn't as valuable and important as a nurse, a doctor, or other people on the front lines,” Redway says. “People are suffering or losing family members and don’t know how they’re going to pay their next bill. If me showing them how to do an updo or twist-out at home is beneficial to them, then I'm happy to get on that Zoom call and do it for free.”
Instagram and brand sponsorships can help provide some income for artists, but they're typically reserved for those with an established social media presence, which can take years to build. Let's not forget that artists are also just doing their best to survive during a traumatic time. Hang Nguyen, a nail stylist who works with Jennifer Garner and Emma Roberts, is expecting her third child any day. Though she does have some income thanks to collaborations with nail companies, she’s most concerned with staying healthy. Cho is thinking about creating her dream product line in between unpacking boxes in her new home and homeschooling her four-year-old kid. Like countless other working women, moms like Goodwin, Redway, and Stiles are suddenly taking on the role of primary educator.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF FIONA STILES
Makeup artist Fiona Stiles says juggling homeschooling and her small business is nearly impossible.
“For parents, you’re suddenly a chef and full-time teacher and parent. I have zero time. I’m trying to figure out how to do second grade math and still run Reed Clarke,” Stiles says of her ecommerce beauty site. “When am I going to have time to do a YouTube video? This is not a creative moment for a lot of us. It’s just a lot of extra doing.”
From Hands-On To Hands-Off
No matter how slammed Stiles is with her quadrupled workload, she can’t help but think about how the process of executing a red-carpet look is going to change moving forward. The veteran artist has been hyper vigilant about sanitation and preventing contamination since day one. She washes her hands, uses sanitiser constantly, and deep cleans her tools after every use.
But like other celebrated makeup artists in the business, Stiles, who works with Zoey Deutch and Gabrielle Union, typically uses her fingers to tap and blend cream blushes, lipsticks, and other makeup products onto her clients’ skin. “My fingers are a big part of my toolkit. I mix colours on the back of my hand to get a custom lipstick shade or to see what the chemical reaction of a product on the skin will be before I put it on someone. What used to be an asset — my hands, my fingers — are slightly weaponised,” she says.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF BASIA BOWENS
Makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown, who works with Letitia Wright, says doing makeup in Hollywood will change forever after COVID-19.
Adjustments will have to be made, she says. “Moving forward I’ll have to figure out how to mix colours and products in a way that doesn’t include contact with my skin. It’s going to be interesting to pick an intuitive part of doing makeup and adjust it to a more systematic way of touching a product.”
Celebrity nail stylists may already wear protective gloves and masks, but Nguyen thinks pros will have to rethink how certain products, like dip powders, are used. Redway pictures a scenario in which every member of a glam team wears masks while working. She’s also considering whether gloves will need to be worn when touching the scalp while braiding hair. How will they not rip or cause static cling? “Someone may have to create a glove that feels like human touch,” she says.
It’s hard to imagine when Hollywood glam teams will get back to work, much less how. “Some people have clients who only do performances, and we know we’re not going to be in packed amphitheaters anytime soon. With movies, I don’t know what press junkets will look like moving forward,” Reiko Brown says. “I do know the dust will settle and nothing will go back to normal. We’ll have a new normal, but the industry will hold. We’ll adapt to survive.”
Refinery29
Their Instagram feeds might look glossy and curated, but in real life, artists are vulnerable and scrambling for work.
ERIKA STALDER
LAST UPDATED 16 APRIL 2020, 8:21
This past February, like so many others in her 25 years as a freelance makeup artist, Rachel Goodwin boarded a plane from LAX to Paris with a 50-pound bag of makeup and a calendar full of Fashion Week gigs. “By the time I got there, it was like the whole world had changed,” she tells Refinery29. “The Louvre was being shut down, my clients were not going to the shows, and I was getting on a plane to come home because of COVID,” she says. “My world has not been the same since.”
Like many in service-based industries — which make up 25% of the U.S. work force and employ more women than men — Hollywood’s leading makeup artists, hairstylists, and nail professionals have become unemployed virtually overnight as a result of the pandemic. Freelance celebrity hair colourist Cassondra Kaeding, who had just started working with Kylie Jenner, says her entire calendar was wiped clean in an instant. “If our clients aren’t working, we’re not working,” Kaeding says. Hairstylist Jenny Cho had just wrapped an in-salon training in London, worked with Lucy Boynton for the Chloé show during Paris Fashion Week, and finished an ad campaign with Ana de Armas before making it out of Spain right as travel advisories were being put into place. “I literally got home in the nick of time,” she says.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JO BAKER
Makeup artist Jo Baker, hairstylist Jenny Cho, and stylist Leith Clark were in Paris with their celebrity client Lucy Boynton days before the city starting shutting down to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Whether Kylie has fresh highlights or a glittery Fashion Week party gets cancelled might seem trivial in a time of international crisis — especially when it's easy to confuse the lifestyles of glam squads with those of the celebrities they serve. But outside of the flawless last looks and BTS images they post on Instagram, there’s a lot to the job we don’t see. “What’s shown on social media is definitely curated,” Cho says. What's not pictured: a schedule that can change on a whim, 4am call times, jet lag, and long days away from family — all for less compensation than one might imagine. “I love my job,” Cho says. “But it’s not as easy and as glamorous as people may think.”
The Real Cost Of Celebrity Beauty
The truth is, despite its glossy veneer, the job of a Hollywood beauty pro is closer to that of a gig worker: If there’s no one to serve, there’s no work — and no job security, either. “No matter how fabulous the venue, the client, or the event, freelance is freelance and that means you’re unemployed until you’re employed,” says makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown, whose clients include Logan Browning and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Freelance beauty pros are typically paid between 30 to 90 days after completing a job and in one lump sum from which they draw their own salary after paying out-of-pocket for health, liability, and disability insurance, retirement, 401K contributions, agency fees, assistant fees, taxes, and supplies like foundation, brushes, and hairspray. “When people hear our rates, what they don’t understand is that freelance artists are on our own. So what we make at the end of the day is not what it sounds like," Goodwin says. "There’s a misnomer that it’s a big glamorous career, and it is, but it’s also feast or famine. We’re very vulnerable because we don’t get a normal pay cheque. There are people who won’t be able to pay their rent in this unpredictable climate.”
PHOTO: COURTESY OF RACHEL GOODWIN
Rachel Goodwin, longtime makeup artist to Emma Stone, says freelance celebrity makeup artists are more vulnerable because they're not part of an organized union like on-set artists who work in film and teleivision.
As both Goodwin and makeup artist Fiona Stiles point out, the COVID-19 outbreak has exposed other cracks in their sector of the industry. “Makeup artists and hairstylists in the film industry are more protected because they have a union,” says Goodwin, who works with actors like Emma Stone and January Jones. “Our part of the business has never had it and I’ve always wanted there to be one, but there’s just never enough momentum, seemingly, for people to get behind it.”
Even before COVID-19 put an abrupt end to the movie premieres, photoshoots, press junkets, and galas that kept Hollywood’s glam teams earning a steady income, many artists in the industry had already taken financial hits with a changing landscape. In the 2008 financial crisis, rates were slashed to a quarter of what they once were and have never fully recovered, according to Goodwin. Meanwhile, a surge of young talent who are looking to break into the industry and willing to work for less has congested the field and stymied rates. “There are artists who will fly themselves to LA or to Paris during Fashion Week or to France for Cannes to make themselves available wherever the clients are going,” notes freelance hairstylist Lacy Redway, whose clients include Tessa Thompson and Zazie Beetz.
It’s a precedent that can trickle up to seasoned pros, who are expected to occasionally pay out of pocket to keep a client on their books. “Since the 2008 economic disaster, studios have cut budgets so low that they sometimes ask us to pay for travel ourselves or to crash at a friend's house like we’re 19 years old, but I try not to do that,” Cho says. Collecting frequent flyer miles can help lift the burden, but that doesn’t always cover it. Sometimes, celebrity clients split the difference.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF RACHEL GOODWIN
Goodwin, seen here with Brie Larson, says she's banked enough savings to get by for a few months, but worries about emerging freelance artists who don't have a safety net.
Financial Worry Despite Fiscal Responsibility
In some ways, the fluid and unstable nature of freelance artistry in beauty has better prepared veteran artists and stylists for the type of sudden fallout that many gig economy workers are facing due to the coronavirus. All the pros we talked to for this story have stacked savings to draw from while they’re out of work — in this case, because of a pandemic. “When I first got into this business, I was told to save my money and be able to position myself to where I had a six-month fund because you want to ride out times when your loyal clients aren’t working. Even without COVID, you can have a dry spell, so you have to be the kind of person who thinks ahead and doesn’t live beyond your means,” Goodwin says.
A healthy war chest built to cover a few months of expenses can help ease the pressure of sudden job loss, but the unpredictable nature of the pandemic is worrying even the most prepared of professionals. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster,” says Redway about her concerns brought on by the shutdown. “It leaves artists and creatives in such an uncertain place because we don't know when we're going to be able to go back to work. We work in such an intimate way with talent — we’re touching their faces, hair, and nails constantly. After the ban is lifted, when will people be comfortable with having other people touching them in that way?”
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JO BAKER
Right before COVID-19 became a threat, hairstylist Jenny Cho had a calendar of Fashion Week events with actress Lucy Boynton.
In the meantime, there is something of a life raft being thrown to freelance artists and other gig workers, who are now able to apply for unemployment benefits through the CARES Act. Some brands, including SuperGreat, are paying makeup artists their day rate to create online tutorials. Other organisations, like the Professional Beauty Association, are trying to rally grassroots financial relief efforts to support artists.
But it's not enough, and many are still left waiting and wondering what the future will hold. “I’m definitely worried about what’s going to happen,” notes Cho, who had just closed escrow on a new home when the shutdown hit and has a family to support. “I applied for unemployment and am waiting for it to show up. It’s not a lot, but it’s something.” For her part, makeup artist Emily Cheng is looking into enrolling as well.
It’s not just those with dependents who face additional challenges to making ends meet at a time when work has flatlined. As Goodwin acknowledges, freelance artists still establishing themselves in their careers might not have had the privilege of stacking an emergency fund. “The artists I feel bad for right now are the ones who are just starting because they haven't been able to build up and establish themselves,” she says. “If I was two or three years in, this could be a roadblock I may not be able to get by.”
The Instagram Economy
Queenie Nguyen is an LA-based nail stylist who works with both private and celebrity clients. Last year, after more than 10 years in the salon sector, she made the switch to working with talent. Since then, she has impressively grown her portfolio, not only by gaining agency representation and working with stars like Halsey and Soirse Ronan, but also by building a modest following on Instagram. Though she says she has some savings to draw from, she couldn't have prepared for the sudden and massive fallout from the coronavirus. The nail stylist is working to drum up brand partnerships on Instagram. But she also recently signed up to be a Postmates delivery driver a few times a week in order to cover the cost of her grocery bills.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CASSONDRA KAEDING
Hair colorist Cassondra Kaeding mixes up custom color kits for her longtime clients, as well as new customers she's gained through Instagram.
Because the app allows her to pick her shifts, she’s able to prioritize nail-focused opportunities as they come up. “If I have a collaboration with a brand or a set Instagram Live, then I can make sure to be there for that,” she says. She’s already partnered with a beauty brand on a DIY video since the shutdown and is working to do more. “I don't really make a lot of money from this. It's just for the exposure, so that when this is over, I'll have more work,” she says.
Kaeding, who splits her time between working with celebrity clients and in a salon, has found her own unexpected revenue stream in quarantine. Right when her salon was closing, the colourist made moves to stock up on supplies. “I thought, Maybe I can do something for my clients,” she says. She landed on making at-home hair colour kits to help clients keep up their colour while self isolating.
The endeavour has earned her a little extra cash, and connected her more closely with her regulars as well as new clients from all over the country. “It broadens my horizons and it’s cool to see people so happy and excited when they’re able to do colour themselves,” she says. “Before, I worked so many hours that I was never able to brainstorm and come up with ideas. But this has got my wheels turning. Maybe this is something that I can continue to do later down the road for people who can’t come to me.” In addition to mixing $110 custom-colour kits for customers on Instagram, Kaeding is working on creating a website to make ordering more seamless.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HANG NGUYEN
Nail artist Hang Nguyen, who is nine months pregnant, creates custom nail decals at home — a small source of income for her now that red-carpet work has stopped.
Nguyen and Kaeding aren’t the only artists taking to Instagram to share their skills. Despite increasingly dire circumstances, there’s never been a better time to get beauty advice straight from Hollywood pros who are typically too slammed with their day jobs to engage online. Makeup artist Reiko Brown has partnered with brands like BeautyBlender and Kevyn Aucoin for tutorials and Q+As. “It’s keeping me creative,” she says. “There’s times that I can’t do something like this because we have back-to-back press junkets and I don’t have time to do a how-to or beauty breakdown. Now I have time. I’m going more in depth and sharing a lot of knowledge. That feels good, and the response has been amazing.”
For artists who have no other subject to work on, this unique time is pushing their skills in new directions. “Personally, I've never wanted to be in front of the camera, but it's not like I have anyone else to do makeup on, and I miss it so much that this has encouraged me to think about getting a little more personal and showing my personality off a little bit,” says makeup artist Emily Cheng, who works with Yara Shahidi, Laura Harrier and Julia Garner.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JENNY CHO
Cho is trying to build an office in her new home for freelance work, while serving as a caretaker for her four-year-old son.
Other artists are using this time to focus on content to deepen connections in the beauty community and inspire their followers. As co-founder of the forthcoming Makeup Museum, Goodwin is working to create online content around its #generationsofbeauty campaign. On her own platform, she’s creating an IGTV series called “State of the Art” for burgeoning industry pros. Redway is also offering her services wherever they’re needed. “At the beginning of this, I started to question whether or not I should post on social media because I was starting to feel like what I did wasn't as valuable and important as a nurse, a doctor, or other people on the front lines,” Redway says. “People are suffering or losing family members and don’t know how they’re going to pay their next bill. If me showing them how to do an updo or twist-out at home is beneficial to them, then I'm happy to get on that Zoom call and do it for free.”
Instagram and brand sponsorships can help provide some income for artists, but they're typically reserved for those with an established social media presence, which can take years to build. Let's not forget that artists are also just doing their best to survive during a traumatic time. Hang Nguyen, a nail stylist who works with Jennifer Garner and Emma Roberts, is expecting her third child any day. Though she does have some income thanks to collaborations with nail companies, she’s most concerned with staying healthy. Cho is thinking about creating her dream product line in between unpacking boxes in her new home and homeschooling her four-year-old kid. Like countless other working women, moms like Goodwin, Redway, and Stiles are suddenly taking on the role of primary educator.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF FIONA STILES
Makeup artist Fiona Stiles says juggling homeschooling and her small business is nearly impossible.
“For parents, you’re suddenly a chef and full-time teacher and parent. I have zero time. I’m trying to figure out how to do second grade math and still run Reed Clarke,” Stiles says of her ecommerce beauty site. “When am I going to have time to do a YouTube video? This is not a creative moment for a lot of us. It’s just a lot of extra doing.”
From Hands-On To Hands-Off
No matter how slammed Stiles is with her quadrupled workload, she can’t help but think about how the process of executing a red-carpet look is going to change moving forward. The veteran artist has been hyper vigilant about sanitation and preventing contamination since day one. She washes her hands, uses sanitiser constantly, and deep cleans her tools after every use.
But like other celebrated makeup artists in the business, Stiles, who works with Zoey Deutch and Gabrielle Union, typically uses her fingers to tap and blend cream blushes, lipsticks, and other makeup products onto her clients’ skin. “My fingers are a big part of my toolkit. I mix colours on the back of my hand to get a custom lipstick shade or to see what the chemical reaction of a product on the skin will be before I put it on someone. What used to be an asset — my hands, my fingers — are slightly weaponised,” she says.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF BASIA BOWENS
Makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown, who works with Letitia Wright, says doing makeup in Hollywood will change forever after COVID-19.
Adjustments will have to be made, she says. “Moving forward I’ll have to figure out how to mix colours and products in a way that doesn’t include contact with my skin. It’s going to be interesting to pick an intuitive part of doing makeup and adjust it to a more systematic way of touching a product.”
Celebrity nail stylists may already wear protective gloves and masks, but Nguyen thinks pros will have to rethink how certain products, like dip powders, are used. Redway pictures a scenario in which every member of a glam team wears masks while working. She’s also considering whether gloves will need to be worn when touching the scalp while braiding hair. How will they not rip or cause static cling? “Someone may have to create a glove that feels like human touch,” she says.
It’s hard to imagine when Hollywood glam teams will get back to work, much less how. “Some people have clients who only do performances, and we know we’re not going to be in packed amphitheaters anytime soon. With movies, I don’t know what press junkets will look like moving forward,” Reiko Brown says. “I do know the dust will settle and nothing will go back to normal. We’ll have a new normal, but the industry will hold. We’ll adapt to survive.”
Refinery29
