Michael Kors with date, Julianna Marguilies, who is wearing his revealing design but no word on whether this was a friend date or paid work event. Rachel Zoe has certainly made her name and made plenty of green with the pay-to-ply model.
At New York Magazine’s Vulture Festival, The Cut‘s senior editor Isabel Wilkinson had a discussion with four big-time Hollywood stylists about the effect of “style” on a celeb’s career. The talk included Jessica Paster, Erin Walsh, Brad Goreski, and Brandon Maxwell, who have been responsible for red-carpet looks for stars like Kerry Washington, Lady Gaga, Maggie Gyllenhaal and many more…
The question celebrities and stylists getting paid by brands to wear a certain dress on the red carpet came up and Jessica Paster said that in her experience, stylists receive anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 for these deals, and actresses often receive $100,000 to $250,000 (and more if they are paid spokespersons for the brand.)
“I’m not going to bullshit. If it looks gorgeous on you and this is the dress we were going to pick anyway, why not be paid?
If it looks awful on you, $100,000 or $250,000 is not worth it, but if it looks gorgeous and this is the dress you were going to pick anyway, why not get paid?”
Brandon Maxwell, who works mostly with Lady Gaga, said:
“The whole point of having a stylist is that you can make more money, or more people will want to hire you or the brand that you’re wearing is making more money because it’s driving sales. It’s all wrapped up in money. It’s Hollywood, we’re not at church!”
But both Maxwell and Goreski said they’ve never been offered money to ensure one of their clients wears a certain designer.
“It’s not like they’re trafficking drugs. They’re wearing a dress. So what? If somebody offered me $150,000 to show up in a beautiful dress by ‘x’ designer, I’d be like, where do I sign?”
Paster said none of these arrangements involve a contract. If the actress ultimately decides to not wear the dress for whatever reason, no one gets paid;
“Let’s not forget that when [designers] make these custom dresses, they’re spending about $100,000 dollars, so someone is getting paid.”
The panelists explained that these relationships between actress and luxury brands usually lead to campaigns, which are major coups for their clients. Walsh said;
“There is prestige to being an ambassador for a brand, 100%. That’s a goal for people.”
Goreski agreed:
“If you build out their looks in the right way, those campaigns will readily come to them.”
Which means even more $$. But all this makes you wonder WHY Reese Witherspoon started her #AskHerMore campaign? Of course, no one is ever as honest as Paster for fear of being called on the practice, but it does seem disingenuous for an actress, like Nicole Kidman, for instance to brush off the question when she has profited so mightily. Oh, well, to each his or her own. Will red carpet “reporters” ask Caitlyn Jenner, “Who are you wearing?” You can bet they will.
(Photo, Pacific Coast News; via Fashionista)
The post #NiceWork: How Much Stars (& Their Stylists) Get Paid To Wear Fashion Brands appeared first on World of Wonder.
