March 20,
2002, #11
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Since
today's article is quite long, I won't include
all the
regular sections. I'll resume those next time.
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FASHION BIZ
Could
You Dress An Oscar Nominee?
With the
Oscars set to premiere this Sunday, it's the
perfect time
to go "behind the scenes" at the Oscars
and look at
how those red carpet looks come together.
For if you
have dreams of one day having celebrities
wear your
designs, this is one place that can make
your name
literally overnight. But it comes at a
price.
Before we get
to that, let's take a quick stroll down
memory lane.
When the
Academy Awards were first handed out in 1929,
they were done
so at a low-key event at the Hollywood
Roosevelt
Hotel. The results were reported in the
paper the next
day, and that, as they say, was that.
But as
technology improved, "talkies" emerged, and
Hollywood
stars became advertising gold, the Academy
Awards began
to take on a much more significant role.
By the late
1930's, an Academy Award meant more
publicity,
higher box office receipts, and a higher
salary for
those who won.
From 1929
through 1942, the awards were held privately
at various
hotels throughout Hollywood. The attendees
wore
eveningwear, since the event was always held at
night, and the
fashion editors of the day diligently
described the
attire of everyone who went. Academy
officials
tried to put a ban on evening attire during
the war years
of 1941-1942, but few stars heeded the
order,
preferring instead to look appropriately
dressed for
photographs and newsreels.
The Oscars
"went public" in 1944 when it moved to
Grauman's
Chinese Theatre. Fans lined the red carpet
as the stars
poured in, and photographers snapped
away. The
event was broadcast live on radio, and
commentators
described the event in detail, including
who wore what,
who arrived with whom, what kind of car
they came in,
etc.
1952 marked
Oscar's first appearance on television.
Because
everything was shown in black and white,
attendees were
given parameters of what colors they
should
wear-namely blue or gray. The studios, as
always, kept
firm control of how their stars looked,
and the
smartly dressed audience did not disappoint
the millions
watching at home. As host Bob Hope
remarked,
"It looks like a PTA meeting in Texas."
(Texans are
known for being meticulously
dressed-that's
why Neiman Marcus popped up in the
middle of oil
country.)
When the
studio system collapsed in the late 1950's,
the stars were
left to fend for themselves in the
image
department. Some who had grown up in the studio
system were
well versed in the power of image and
continued to
attend the Oscars in eveningwear. But by
1967, the
Academy felt compelled to publish guidelines
for
appropriate attire. Young stars were beginning to
show up at the
Academy Awards in daywear, and not very
attractive
choices at that.
It was a trend
that would continue for nearly
twenty-five
years--until Joan Rivers grabbed a mic in
1994 and began
critiquing the red carpet fashions.
Her reports
sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood. Not
since the days
of Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper has
one person had
so much influence on Hollywood fashion.
Stars began to
seek out stylists before daring to
head down the
red carpet, and designers began to
explode their
businesses overnight by dressing Oscar
attendees.
In fact, savvy
designers had been dressing Oscar stars
for many years.
Hubert de Givenchy was Audrey
Hepburn's
favorite designer, and her frequent
appearances in
his clothes sent his sales
skyrocketing.
Giorgio Armani secured his place in
Hollywood by
designing Richard Gere's wardrobe for
"American
Gigolo" in 1980. He's been a favorite among
celebrities
ever since, and is worn almost exclusively
by the likes
of Sigourney Weaver and Jodi Foster, to
name a few.
Valentino has dressed Elizabeth Taylor
many times,
and designed the gown for her last wedding
in 1991.
But Joan's
reviews put a whole new spin on the Oscar
game. Since
Joan and company started announcing the
"best and
worst dressed" of the event, many agents and
publicists
have taken an interest in fashion, some
going to
runway shows twice a year to preview what's
available and
who might best dress their stars.
In fact,
designers, stylists, publicists, agents, and
stars all
eagerly await the award nominations with
equal
anticipation. As soon as they're announced, the
phone calls
begin. Within a matter of hours,
designers are
competing for different stars, and
everyone
supporting the stars encourages the rivalry.
Why? To make
sure that the star stands out from the
rest of the
crowd.
Remember, the
ceremony may be for only one night, but
the images
remain for weeks and months to come.
Pictures and
credits will appear in newspapers and
magazines all
over the world, and clips will be shown
on the news,
entertainment shows, and of course,
Joan's fashion
review. Getting so much exposure is no
small deal-it
can make lots of money for everyone
involved.
How? Because
when viewers see their favorite
celebrities
wearing all those beautiful clothes and
jewels, they
want them in their own wardrobes. Now
obviously, not
everyone can afford a $7,000 designer
gown or a $1.6
million Harry Winston necklace with its
hovering guard.
But there ARE people who can. And
nothing gives
them more satisfaction than saying, "I
got it from
so-and-so, just like (insert star's name
here) wore at
the Oscars."
Think I'm
kidding? Why else would designers put
themselves
through all the trouble if it didn't pay
for itself in
spades? They wouldn't.
And from all
reports, it's a lot of trouble. Some
celebrities
will have two or three designers make
dresses for
them, only deciding which one to wear the
day of the
event. Others will have designers whip up
dresses for
them, only to go with something else
entirely at
the last minute (remember Sharon Stone and
her Gap
T-shirt a few years ago?). One former Oscar
winner
requested that ten gowns be custom-made for her
so that she
could decide which one she felt like
wearing when
it was time to get dressed for the show.
Sound spoiled?
Unreasonable? Completely
out-of-control?
Welcome to the world of working with
celebrities!
Now obviously,
not all of them are like this. But
there is a lot
of grumbling from fashion professionals
about the
demands made by their celebrity clientele.
Many stars
want their gowns and accessories for free
in exchange
for mentioning the designer's name on
camera. Some
want complete wardrobes given to them
gratis for the
pre-Oscar luncheons and other events.
Others expect
hair and makeup services to be donated.
The list goes
on and on. One former grunge rock star
who was
transformed into a media darling later stiffed
the stylist
who had done all the hard work.
So how can you
make sure that you'll get rewarded for
all your
efforts? If this is really something you
have your
heart set on, network with other fashion
professionals
well in advance of the awards season to
find out who
to go after and who to avoid. Everyone
wants to be
"the latest and greatest designer" find,
but be
reasonable about it. This is a business, after
all, and you
don't want to mortgage your house to
finance a gown
that may or may not be worn.
Instead, go
about it intelligently. Build your local
reputation
first by selling in your region and getting
local
publicity. Then, send a press release to some
of the top
industry publications like Women's Wear
Daily, W,
Harper's Bazaar, etc., to try and get a
mention. Use
copies of any write-ups you get when
approaching
celebrities or their handlers.
If they're
interested in working with you, don't just
agree to
anything in your excitement. Don't do
anything that
you're uncomfortable with or that you
feel you can't
provide. Spell out precisely what you
expect out of
the arrangement, preferably in writing.
If the
celebrity reneges, hold her to the agreement.
Talk to her
business manager, if necessary, to clear
up the
situation. If her camp still resists, threaten
to "go
public" with her behavior. More and more
disgruntled
fashion people have found the press to be
a great
collection agency.
So what's the
best way to prevent things from coming
to a head in
the first place? By networking and
finding out
who are the "best" celebrities to work
with ahead of
time, as I said earlier. If a celebrity
has a
reputation for being difficult, stay away.
Period. There
are plenty of fresh faces every year
that you can
work with to your mutual benefit.
And who knows?
When Joan stops someone on the red
carpet and
says, "You look fabulous! Who did your
dress?"
The name the celebrity mentions could be
yours!
Want to learn
more about how to start and promote your
own fashion
line? Download a copy of
How To Get
Started In Fashion Design at:
http://www.FashionJobReview.com
Good luck!
Diana
http://www.FashionJobReview.com
[email protected]
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