Hanna Fillingham
Micaela Erlanger is one of the most well-known stylists in Hollywood with a client list many would envy, but she takes it all in her stride.
The stylist to the stars – including Kelly Clarkson and Meryl Streep to name but a few – is non-stop right now in the thick of awards season, with the SAG Awards next up on Saturday February 24, yet she still found time to sit down with HELLO! to give an incredible insight into her job.
What exactly happens from the moment a celebrity confirms attendance for a high-profile red carpet event, to the night itself? From the sounds of it, calling upon Micaela not only takes the stress away, but ensures that they turn up looking fabulous – and most important of all – confident.
This is all achieved by Micaela and her talented team in many ways, including ensuring no stone is left unturned should any unforeseen events result in damage to the outfit.
“Every client has a backup dress in case of a problem,” Micaela explained. “Like if last minute something happened with foundation or zippers are broken, we are prepared with a dress that’s there should there be an emergency. It’s a quick solution. And that kind of thing alleviates stress, it’s being prepared.”
And is she ever nervous about dressing Hollywood stars ahead of their big moments?
© JP Yim“I don’t ever get nervous about the process. I mean, I’m certainly not nervous on the day. If you’ve done your job well, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about,” she said confidently.
“Everything’s ready to go, every client has what they need. There’s no fashion emergencies to my knowledge that I need to be worried about, there’s no stone left unturned,” she said.
“I’m at a place in my career where I’m really confident, and just excited to see the response.”
“You know, no one else’s opinion really matters other than my clients’ and my own. And if we’re happy with the work that we put out, then that’s all I care about. I care that my clients are happy and that they feel their best, but if we happen to get a great response too, fantastic.”
There is a lengthy process in selecting the perfect outfit for celebrities to wear on the red carpet. “Typically when someone’s nominated, that’s when you start getting to work,” she explained. “But there are from time to time, last minute attendance requests for things and I have worked in really short time frames in my day.”
“However, things are frequently not totally finalized until around a week before, and then you might still be picking out the perfect pair of earrings, that kind of thing. There are also provisions that happen on in game time. For example, we might have a tray of jewlry and the hair is a little different than what we thought it would be, and we need to change an earring.
“But the way I work, is that we like to have everything buttoned up, it’s a big collaboration with the hair and makeup teams too who are a part of the client’s look. So they too need to see the color of the outfit, whether they are wearing jewelry around the face or the neck.”
She continued: “Then the nail artist needs to know because they are going to be choosing a color or doing nail art based on jewelry and the overall theme. So we really do need time to plan this, it doesn’t just happen over night. It’s a craft and a business and it takes a lot of work, and by the way, I have an incredible team that works with me. I am not a one man show. I couldn’t do what I do without my team. So it’s a really big effort to create a look. It’s a wonderful, collaborative experience, but it takes time.”
It’s safe to say Micaela loves her job. “You know, there is such a deep level of trust and communication, respect and creativity, between me and my clients, and it becomes really fun and creative when we’re thinking for each other and bouncing ideas back and forth. The trust in their experience with me and friendships are really important.”
Micaela will be busy working her magic at the SAG Awards, and we can’t wait to see!
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