Video Age International October 2016

36 October 2016 V I D E O A G E draw of companies paying for the placement,” O’Connor said. Getting everyone to be on the same page can be difficult, too. “A celebrity has many people on retainer, i.e. a manager, agent, public relations people all of whom have an opinion — and not always the same one — about how a celebrity should look.” O’ Connor spends a lot of time determining “the look” that the celebrity wants to achieve. “Working with the celebrity’s coloring, body type, height, etc., and choosing the right amount of contrast and ‘correction’ to achieve the look is important too. Contrary to what many believe, very few bodies and body types, even celebrities, are ‘perfect’ — and that’s actually what makes each of us unique and beautiful. It’s vital to know what cut of dress might add a curvy look, or diminish some of the curve, or even them out if necessary. Also, having a visual sense of how to add height or use color to bring out hair, eyes, or beautiful skin tones. It’s equally important to have an eye for what will complement each other with makeup and hair, dress, jewelry and shoes. Everything plays a part.” Like Levine, O’ Connor noted that social media is a necessity with his styling business. “Social media has been a huge benefit to designers whose product is being worn. Celebrities often will Instagram or Tweet photos and mentions of designers directly from the red carpet. Additionally, through social media, sometimes a stylist can also find the perfect element to use for styling. I followmany brands and designers to see their newest pieces. It acts as inspiration and a resource.” With the recent Emmys, O’Connor startedmonths in advance, viewing new pieces to see what’s trending and what was out there — and from whom. “I rarely know who I am styling until much later — like when the nominations come out and in some cases, the week or few days before the event. That’s why it’s great to already have elements filed away in your mind or on your phone or computer so that you know where to go to last minute. Closer in, I try to pull looks together based on trends and will often send out ‘look books’ of pieces to my celebrity contacts to get them thinking. “As the event gets nearer, things get a little crazier and because of the timing, I usually start ask designers about availability of the pieces and I ask them if I can showcase their work for a day or two to allow for try-on’s and pulling together of looks. The final week is simply ‘go where needed.’” While styling is a very competitive business, one of the things O’Connor has relied upon over the years is relationships. “The celebrities that I’ve worked with over the years know that they will see truly unique and different elements from me, from a number of designers — both well-known and newer. They know that I won’t try to push them into a particular look or designer if it’s not right for them. They also know that I will give them an honest opinion on if something works, backed up with the reason, as well as other options.” He continued: “One celebrity was shocked when I told her honestly that a particular pair of earrings was totally wrong for her face and that it made her face look wide. Perhaps nobody had been that upfront with her before. Once I explained to her why and showed her other options that were more flattering, she understood what I was saying! She not only still comes to me but we have become friends. “The designers trust that I will also be honest with them. If something has no chance of being worn, I’ll tell them upfront and not simply take it and hold onto it. In addition, I advise each of them about the fact that things can change last minute. The best things to deal with the competitiveness are honesty, integrity and building a good relationship based on both,” he said. Red Carpets Heat Up (Continued from Page 34) ATF formats pitch 2016 advert 270x360mm - VideoAge.indd 1 9/5/16 9:13 AM