As the Oscars approach, Kate Young β the stylist who dresses Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Margot Robbie and others β talks risk taking, intimacy, and why method dressing drives her "nuts".
On any given Oscar Sunday, Kate Young is sipping black coffee while perched in a movie star's bedroom. I treat them like a final exam. Young's academic roots go deep. What great training to stand in front of a movie studio and explain why their biggest, most bankable star should wear something that might be a little risky! Those risks β like the canary-yellow Vera Wang gown she chose for Michelle Williams at her first Academy Award ceremony in β have helped propel Young to the status of a Hollywood fashion guru.
Today she is among the most influential people in fashion. Celebrities are the first place that most people see designer fashion. But they still have to be human beings β I mean, can they sit down in a couture evening gown? Can they walk in a pair of designer shoes without someone holding their hand?
If not, then I'm not interested, no matter how famous the brand is. After shoots with then-emerging stars like Sienna Miller and Katie Holmes, Young would often field requests from Hollywood publicists β or sometimes the actresses themselves β for a last-minute gown. Can you help? Young considers the vivid yellow gown that Williams wore when she was nominated for a best actress Oscar for Brokeback Mountain as an early professional coup.
So we created this very sparkly moment, especially with the jewellery. Because of its colour, that dress was almost a spotlight in itself, and that was very intentional.
