In Tom Ford for Gucci
This is when Tom Ford first came onto my radar. I still remember this as one of Madonna's majorly iconic looks. The silk trousers, the silk shirt—people weren't doing this at the time. I don't think she's ever looked more gorgeous. Even now, more than 10 years later, she looks so cool! I don't necessarily know if you would see people doing this type of look now. It's very understated for the Video Music Awards because now people go in thigh-skimming dresses, tons of jewelry, tons of makeup, and a platform shoe. But this was just high fashion at its best. I wish more people would dress like this.
In Calvin Klein
Modern, simple, elegant, chic. Gwyneth has always been on the cutting edge of fashion and she's known for pushing boundaries. She's had her Alexander McQueen moment and her Zac Posen moment, but I love the simple shape of this Calvin Klein dress. These are the types of shapes we're starting to see come back on the runways. Hopefully, we're going to see a little bit more of this kind of direction happening on the red carpet. Everybody loves a big ball gown, but this kind of simplicity is so elegant and sometimes, it says a lot more than huge gown. Sometimes, everything tends to look like prom, instead of people wearing clothes that
they are wearing and that aren't wearing
them. But Gwyneth looks so sexy—and Brad Pitt couldn't look happier to be with her. Today, if she wore this on the red carpet, she would be best dressed all over again. There's also an element of surprise to it because it feels like the dress could fall off at any moment!
In Versace
I'm a huge Courtney Love fan. I followed her around Lollapalooza. I was a grunge kid. She was largely responsible for the way teenagers dressed in the early 1990s. Here, she is really claiming her moment through the way she's dressed. This Versace dress is the right amount of sexy and the right amount of classy. It also looks like something she could wear with her tear-tees, barrettes, and a little bit of lipstick and it might be good for a whole concert; but this sleek bob, really pretty makeup, and simple jewelry make her look like a movie star. You look at this and you don't think, 'Crazy, grunge rocker"—you think, 'Movie star."
In John Galliano for Christian Dior
I want to see this dress in person really, really badly. Nicole Kidman is known for taking fashion risks, being directional, and setting the trends. This whole look to me is absolute glamour and red-carpet perfection. I love the color, the embroidery, the fur trim, the ethnic-tone jewelry, her hair, and the red lip. She looks like a goddess to me. I remember being in Canada, watching her on the red carpet, and just thinking that I knew I wanted to be a part of whatever this was. How beautiful she looked had such an impact on me.
In vintage Valentino
This is vintage at its finest. The black and white contrast looks very simple, but then, in the back, there's this explosion of tulle. Sometimes, the dress needs to be the star. There can be a little too much competition between tons of jewelry, the makeup, and the hair, and then, the dress doesn't actually get its moment to shine. In this instance, Julia Roberts really let it be a collaboration between
her being the star and
the dress being the star. I feel like if you talked to her right now and asked her about that, she would feel like it was the perfect dress for the perfect moment.
In Versace
This is elegant, glamour, sophistication, and still young. Kate is known for that California, bohemian, very earthy kind of style. The gown itself actually leaves me breathless. The lace, the train, the neckline; she looks like a princess. I love the color palette with her skin and there's really no pop of color. There are no red nails, no lips. She just looks golden. Kate looks so beautiful here—it actually takes my breath away.
In Jean Paul Gaultier
I love it. I love it. I love it. I feel like a lot of people didn't love this look and I don't know why. This color on Cate—with her hair and her complexion—is absolute perfection. I love the one covered arm and the one exposed arm. It fits her like a glove. Sometimes, I feel like there's a lack of color on the red carpet and this just stood out to me. This is one of my all-time favorite looks that she's worn; next to the
Christian Lacroix Haute Couture that she wore this year that I thought was out of control. Cate knows exactly how to work an outfit. She knows how it's supposed to look and how it will photograph. She oozes cool. She's just graceful, like a lioness.
In Guy Laroche
My fave. I love this gown for so many reasons. I remember when she stepped onto the red carpet and we saw the front of it—she was so covered up. But then, she turned around and it revealed so much of her body. And when I'm styling, that's what I call the 'peek-a-boo"—it's the surprise. You always want to give the photographers and the masses a little something to talk about. From the front, the dress fit her beautifully and looked gorgeous on her; but then, in the back, it was so sexy and sensual. I think this dress was very, very directional. It still holds up today as something that's super chic and beautiful.
In Vera Wang
Michelle was so young here when she was nominated for
Brokeback Mountain. I love how deep the V is, the pleated ruffle detail around the neckline, the twist around the front, the color, and the belt. It's just old Hollywood glamour at its finest—and that's a term I don't love using because it gets tossed around too much. But this is done in a really young and cool way. I love that her stylist played with the notion of doing an 'old Hollywood glamour" red-carpet moment, but kept it completely fresh, young, and cool. She looks like a young movie star.
In Narciso Rodriguez
I freaked out when I saw her in this. I was not expecting Julia Louis Dreyfus to turn it out. I love Narciso and I love what he does for her; but this dress in particular is really on the mark. What I love about it is that it's super modern, super minimalist, super cool and young, but still very age-appropriate. It's hard at the Emmys because people are off the mark and often overdo it. They go way too far with everything—but this is just on the mark.
In Atelier Versace
Drama! I feel like I almost cried when I saw Penelope in this dress. Atelier Versace delivers a gown like no other can. Everybody gasped when she came down the red carpet. She's one of the people that can bring drama year after year and we expect it from her. This is just a work of art—it's couture at its finest. This is something, as a stylist, that you get excited about showing people. You know that it's going to be something that people talk about. When you're getting all the gowns into the studio for the fitting and you see a gown like this, you know you have something really, really special.
In Jean Paul Gaultier Couture
Marion Cotillard brought high French couture to the red carpet in 2008. This is a very, very tricky gown to pull off, but she did it with elegance and grace. It's a different type of drama—but it's fashion and it's a risk. It's something people will discuss and either love it or hate it. It's one of those iconic moments. It's just so French. How great to win an Oscar in Jean-Paul Gaultier Couture. That's a dream!
In Prada
Carey is, in my opinion, somebody who always gets it right. This is, for me, a new way of dressing for the red carpet. It's got some sort of hardness and rock and roll to it. All the pieces that were embroidered onto the bodice were keys and watch parts, so it has a sort of a sense of humor to it, too. I feel like Carey Mulligan always brings something a little unexpected and this was the perfect thing to bring to the Oscars. The long earring is a really nice touch. I personally would have done a dirtier diamond instead of a bright diamond, but it brightens her up in the face. It takes a very brave person to wear a dress like this on the red carpet and it takes the right person for this dress to land on. When you're styling somebody and going through all of the dresses and you see this dress end up on Carey Mulligan, you have that gut feeling when you know, 'This is it." And they must have had that moment.
In Giorgio Armani
He is so incredibly handsome. I picked this one specifically, first of all, because I love the satin shawl collar and the little bow tie. But it's more about his personal grooming. I love the way he did his hair for this red carpet. He played into the whole Carey Grant-thing. He looks like the ultimate gentleman. I think his grooming is flawless. And his then-girlfriend Sarah Lawson looks
real happy to be with him. She's got, 'Oh my god, I'm with George Clooney," written all over her face.
In Tom Ford
I personally like to look at Brad Pitt's changing hairstyles. This is his best hair—kind of choppy, but still done. And I love that he's wearing a little bit of man jewelry. I like the little tiny details of this outfit—the black shirt studs, the patent leather shoes, and that the bow tie is the exact right size. It's all about a patent leather shoe with a tux. If you're going to do it, you might as well do it. This is the way I would want to look on the red carpet. I'd maybe have my suit tailored super, super skinny—but I know that's not really Brad's look.
In Emporio Armani
I would wear this outfit—that's why I picked it. Usher just has a lot of fun with clothes. You can tell he loves to get dressed up, but he also loves a T-shirt and beat-up leather jacket. There are so many things about this outfit that I like—I love the polka dot tie with a check shirt, I love the piping on the trim of the suit, I love the khaki, and I love the sunglasses. There are tons of moving parts, yet they all move in sync with each other.
In Chanel
This is a Chanel jacket and I want to wear it so badly. When I saw him wearing it at the Grammys, I was just like, 'You Go, Kanye!" He's on another level with this outfit. I love Kanye's style—I love that he loves clothes; I love that he'll wear a huge fur coat coming off of an airplane; and I love that he loves the actual art of making clothes. Color blocking and accents of color are really big for spring and summer this year and he's just ahead of that trend. It looks editorial and it looks high fashion, but it's just cool and different for a rapper. He was like, 'I'm going to wear a Chanel sequined jacket. And I'm going to wear it with skinny jeans and gloves and put in an orange pocket square and have a mullet." This is when fashion excites me.
In Lanvin
I am a huge fan of Lanvin—everything down to the sneakers is Lanvin. I love that Robert Downey Jr. knows what he's wearing. You can see on his face that he knows he's not wearing something conventional to the Oscars; but it all just works for me. I love the baby blue bow tie and the navy blue suit. I love that he will take these risks. He even puts blue lenses in his glasses. I don't know if that's what the outfit needed, but it works so well. I just call this outfit, 'Pure RDJ.' If you're going to do your style, you might as well do it with Lanvin at the Oscars.
In Tom Ford
Crazy handsome. He is the definition and epitome of handsome. The scruff really goes with the look—it adds a little more swagger. The tux has to be Tom Ford because of the peak lapel. This looks like it was sewn on him; it is perfectly fitted to his body. This is the type of tuxedo that ends up of the floor beside the bed at the end of the night. It's the type of tuxedo you see on somebody and want to take off somebody. But that's what Tom Ford does best.
Talk about a movie star. He just looks so Hollywood and he's doing it his way. I like the three-piece, which I think is underused on the red carpet. I think three-pieces are so sexy. They also look good at the afterparty, when you take off your jacket, roll up your sleeves, and you're not just in a white shirt. I also love that he's not wearing a bow tie. I think Tom looks super, super sexy in this look. He looks like the epitome of the classic American sex symbol.
Mark Mainz / Getty Images
