Do stylists and image handlers “make” the stars?
With celebrity stylists and costume designers, actresses have some powerful allies in creating a memorable profile. But ultimately their roles and their talent are what mold them into leads. By Greg Reifsteck (“How Films Fashion Our Lives” Part II; Moving Pictures Fashion issue, Aug./Sept. 2005) Back in film’s Golden Era, a young ingénue’s journey to lead status was charted out by the studio system. Under contract, a band of suits would set up the right roles for their latest starlet and guide her to the top rung of the celebrity sweepstakes. These days a star is born as much offscreen as onscreen, with an entourage of freelance consultants, not the studios, being the ticket to success. And a crash course in red carpet etiquette is becoming as vital to an actor’s or actress’ success circa 2005 as acting lessons from Lee Strasberg once were. Let’s face it, in the modern motion picture game, most actresses are free agents – but they are the “I” in a team of very important image-makers. T
