Since I'm new to the blogging world...we have some catching up to do! I wanted to share some details about my trip as a stylist preparing for a red carpet event. The event was the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, May 18th. I was hired as a stylist for country music artist Bryan White and his wife, actress Erika Page White. We really wanted to keep the look fresh, crisp and CLASSY. This is just my personal opinion, but so much of what you see on the red carpet at country events lately has been very casual and dressed down. (Not everyone--there are some exceptions.) The casual look isn't bad, but there really aren't that many occasions to "step it up" since jeans and t-shirts are the standard concert performance wear, so why not take advantage of the ACM and CMA awards to really shine??
For Erika, we wanted her dress to be fun and girly and she looked amazing! We looked at a lot of options...visited boutiques and shopped like crazy. We settled on a great BCBG Max Azria dress in a fantastic soft butter yellow, with lots of flower texture to it. I knew we were dressing Bryan in grey, and I loved the combo of her dress and grey! The color scheme was very "now" and hip for Spring 2008.
The next step was ultra fabulous SHOE SHOPPING!! Let me just first say that I LOVE incredible heels so shopping for them is so NOT like work! Our original "almost sure" option was a Stuart Weitzman shoe. (The peep-toe was a very light stone and the color increased gradually to a dark charcoal at the heel.) It was a wonderful shoe, but the deep charcoal of the heel looked too black with the dress, making it harsh. The search continued!! After an exhausting trip to every possible spot (and a search all over the internet) for a grey shoe, we finally found a beautiful Jessica Simpson Collection pair at Belk. They had one pair left that was too big, so we had it shipped in the right size. Beautiful!
Erika's clutch was custom designed by me. I had a vision of what I wanted to see, and it turned out amazing. I had the help of a great creative seamstress who helped me bring it to life. (I have the vision for it but I do not sew!) The main part of the clutch was soft grey satin, and I cut "petals" from different fabrics in charcoal, silver, and multiple shades of butter yellow. The petals were hand-stitched onto the clutch in "clusters" and then Swarovski Crystal beads were added for that perfect final touch!
I worked with local Nashville jewelry designer Mark Morton for "Linx by Mark Morton" for her bracelet. Again, keeping with the feminine, beautiful and fun vision, Mark created a custom piece with absolutely gorgeous color. The bracelet was made with an abundance of Swarovski crystals and beads...and it sparkled like crazy! Check out the link for pictures of his designs...
For Bryan's suit, we went with a very striking pinstripe suit by Swedish designer Sand from the Los Angeles boutique Traffic. His shirt was Dolce & Gabbana, from Posh here in Nashville. He looked great!
I flew to Las Vegas with the couple, and did Erika's hair and make-up for the event. I wanted to do a very soft curl...Erika has amazing hair to work with anyway, and we wanted glamourous and sexy hair, which is not hard to achieve with her!
I used a combination of many of my favorite brands of make-up.
Here's a rundown:
Multiple eyeshadows from MAC, BareMinerals, and Lancome
(I use this a lot for highlighting on the face)
(My have-to-have-it black waterproof eyeliner)
Lips were a combo custom mix...
Jordana easyliner for lips in Baby Berry (from Walgreen's--great inexpensive liner!)
Estee Lauder lipstick in a couple of shades mixed
(I LOVE this gloss in this color and it gives a great shine)
Bryan and Erika both looked amazing, and they were a smash on the orange carpet. (it's not red at the ACM's!) The press was going nuts and calling them a best dressed couple...it was great! For the casual dinners and events in Vegas surrounding the Awards, I found some great outfits for Erika at Hud Lux on Bandywood Drive and jewelry at Francesca's in the Hill Center (both in Green Hills) and some casual wear for Bryan at Posh.
This November, we're doing the CMA's. Let the shopping begin!!
Me with Erika at Koi sushi restaurant in Vegas
Me with Bryan and Erika at the VIP afterparty...
More pictures are posted on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/studioLstyle
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