Wearing Designer Clothes Can Pay Off For Hollywood Stars

Wearing Designer Clothes Can Pay Off For Hollywood Stars: Emily Blunt's Stylist

By Barnali Pal Sinha on June 04 2015 8:59 AM EDT

Emily Blunt arrives for a screening of the film "Sicario" at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 19, 2015. Reuters/Yves Herman

Hollywood actress Emily Blunt’s stylist Jessica Paster has revealed that actresses get paid to wear designer clothes. The stakes seem to be high in the styling business. At various award ceremonies, for example, actresses wear designer clothes and designers vie against each other to make sure their creations are worn.
But it’s typically a star's stylist who calls the shots on who wears what. The stylists know their clients’ bodies and insecurities, negotiate with the brands and know how to solve last-minute emergencies. A magical red carpet moment can make an actor’s career and even drive sales for the designer fashion and jewelry brands, hence the designers are willing to pay huge amounts to put the right person in the right dress at the right event, according to Hello.

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Paster revealed that actresses can receive as much as $250,000 to wear a specific gown for a glitzy award ceremony. She was speaking at the Vulture Festival’s Hollywood Power Stylist Panel in New York. Celeb stylists Brad Goreski, Brandon Maxwell and Erin Walsh also participated. Paster admitted that she has received $30,000 to $50,000 for choosing a certain outfit, while actresses can expect $100,000 to $250,000.
She added that if the outfit looks awful, the money is not worth it. “But if it looks gorgeous and this is the dress you were going to pick anyway, why not get paid? Let’s not forget that when [designers] make these custom dresses, they’re spending about $100,000,” the stylist revealed.
Paster, who has also worked with models including Miranda Kerr, said the arrangements typically don't involve a contract. If the actress ultimately decides to not wear the dress for whatever reason, no one gets paid. However, describing the deals as “ambassadorships,” all the stylists agreed that it can be beneficial for both parties as it cements a close relationship between the celebrity and designer, which can lead to starring in high-profile campaigns.
New designers mostly find themselves in a tough situation as they can’t afford to shell out too much money for the actresses. Goreski said that new designers are often roped in for last-minute events. Maxwell, who works with Lady Gaga, remembered how during 2014 Oscars, he learned just 12 hours in advance that the singer would attend the award function. But all the panellists agreed that after all the designing and styling, it was the clients' happiness that was most important and rewarding.