A STAR IS BORN
Elizabeth Taylor’s contribution to film and AID’S awareness are monumental. She was a great talent and a genuinely caring individual that used her “celebrity” for good things. When she passed away, I thought about her influence on fashion too. What woman wouldn’t want that same curvy figure? She was bold enough to wear a flimsy slip and deliver an Oscar Award winning performance in “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof”. Elizabeth’s other fashionable impressions included her fabulously huge jewelry, big hair, decottage and a “devil may care” attitude. The great opera singer Maria Callas once told a master opera class “Find a style and stick with it”. Well, Ms Callas could certainly site Elizabeth Taylor as finding her style, and sticking to it.
Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Steve McQueen, Kathryn Hepburn also had their own distinct style. Fashion designers, celebrities and consumers continue to be influenced by their on and off screen wardrobes. When I worked with the fashion house of Escada to dress Kim Basinger for the 1998 Academy Awards, Kim looked to Grace Kelly’s elegant style for inspiration. When Kim’s photo and Escada’s name were splashed all over the world, I saw real women line up to buy that Escada gown. Escada later made the gown in other colors to capitalize on women influenced by Kim’s walk down the red carpet.
I learned firsthand the importance of aligning my fashion clients with celebrities because I saw consumers looking to update their look and spend their hard earned dollars to wear the latest celebrity “approved” look. Models grace the cover of magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, but statistics prove that sales are generated by celebrities. Afterall, how many women can compare themselves to Giselle? Whereas American Idol runner up, Lauren Alaina, has the shape and size of the majority of women and the visibility to show it off. We know if she looks good wearing tight jeans on stage singing to millions, we can too!
A British study conducted by Dr Charlotte De Backer established that celebrities are seen as being of a “higher status or more successful others” which means that people are likely to “mimic their behavior pattern“. Justin Bieber’s hair, Sarah Jessica Parker’s passion for shoes in “Sex In The City” and a reality star like Kim Kardashian help both high and low merchandisers take advantage of an opportunity for a sale. Teen star’s Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift fill the pages of magazines with a fan base eager to spend money. If you have a product that will appeal to a celebrity, you are one step closer to landing a “walking billboard”. In fact, one internet fashion site, StyleSpot, capitalizes on the power of celebrity marketing by tracking what celebrities are wearing so their viewers can copy the styles. To drive retail sales the site links the celebrity red-carpet photos to online stores from Neiman Marcus and Barneys. One stop shopping is blazing fast thanks to a celebrity, their image and the designers who dress them.
If you are interested in marketing your product to Hollywood, you need to connect to celebrities to make it happen. My book “Will Work For Shoes – The Business Behind Red Carpet Product Placement” will give you detailed insight about how to reach these people. I’ve worked with hundreds of celebrities, stylists and costume designers and have an insider’s experience to let you know all the steps necessary to make it happen. Today’s icons may have their own unique sense of style, but they still need tons of product and merchandise to help them stand out.
If you have a product you’d like to align with a big star, you’ll want to read “Will Work For Shoes” and get the 411 on how the entire process works. Elizabeth Taylor might be gone, but there are other bright stars on the horizon just waiting for your call.
