The celebrity stylist Kate Young explains how she juggled dressing four star clients—including Dakota Johnson and Natalie Portman—during this year’s Golden Globe Awards.
It was a rocky start to Golden Globes weekend when the #bombcyclone totally derailed our travel. Canceled flights and dangerous roads were the only story of the first day. On Friday, I finally got on a flight to L.A., but I had to drive from New York to Philadelphia to catch it. It was a long day and I had two epic fittings after landing.
First, we fit the international press tour for I, Tonya as well as a number of awards shows, as my client Margot Robbie will be attending something like 11 red carpets before the Oscars so there is a lot of work! Last, we fit her Gucci dress for the Globes. We had tried on the toile in New York City before Christmas and now we were seeing the real thing. The chic and fabulous crew flew in from Rome, and we worked on the dress together to make sure that the beading placement and fit were perfect.
After that, I headed to Michelle Williams’s hotel to try her Louis Vuitton dresses for the BAFTA tea party and the Globes. I loved that the shape of Michelle’s gown actually had the same proportion as her favorite summer look—an off-the-shoulder top with a high-waisted jean. It felt true to who she is and chic. Afterward, the Louis Vuitton team and I had a somewhat delirious dinner at The Beverly Hills Hotel. We were all exhausted and jet-lagged, but the delicious lobster, the band, and Jon Hamm sitting next to us really perked things up.
Saturday morning started with a fitting at Natalie Portman’s house. We decided between three dresses and a tuxedo (all black, of course!). The dress we chose was a long-sleeved velvet gown from Dior’s last couture show. Natalie has such incredible bone [structure] and the simplicity of the dress really allowed her to shine. We picked an incredible natural sapphire ring from Tiffany Co. and then chatted about hair and makeup and all of her work with Time’s Up. She’s finally joined Instagram, which is very exciting—follow her!
From there, I went over to Dakota Johnson’s, where I reunited with the fabulous Italian crew. We had tried the Gucci gown before Christmas in London and just needed to check alterations and pick accessories. We were going for a Charlotte Gainsbourg ’90s vibe and selected some fantastic diamonds.
After that fitting, my entire crew had finally arrived in Los Angeles and we sat down to lunch. A former assistant of mine, Kacie Carter, had quit the business and opened a restaurant in L.A. called Honey Hi. She brought us all the most incredible lunches and smoothies and piles of avocado toast. The food is so beautiful and delicious and healthy that we were energized to get on with the day.
There were so many details to work out—jewelry, shoes, and bags to return and organize, hair and makeup inspiration boards—so that’s what we did for the rest of the day. I went to bed early that night so that I’d be rested for the big day.
Sunday morning I woke up early, chatted with some hair and makeup people, went to Erewhon Market for sustenance, and then met the team for breakfast. We’re not the most professional, we mostly crack up, but we managed to go over everyone’s details and set the plan for the day. We each went to a different client. I had a driver for the day who drove me between everyone’s houses so that I could be there to check everything and fix any problems.
When my last client was out the door, we headed to the Chateau Marmont, where we watched the red carpet and show with the Louis Vuitton team, Youssef Marquis from Givenchy, Ryan Hastings, and Petra Flannery. It’s the most fun because we’ve known each other for a while and were all so relieved that our work was done. As soon as the show was over, I headed back to the hotel to rest up for my 7 a.m. flight back to NYC!
See Every Look from the 2018 Golden Globe Awards Red Carpet
