And what to do when a fashion disaster happens
What is the one thing everyone (including celebs) always carries around in their bag, now matter how big it is? Their phone of course.
Stylist Elizabeth Stewart would know, she's dressed celebrities like Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis and Amanda Seyfried on the red carpet for years, and this is the one thing they always have in those little clutch bags.
'All a celebrity needs on the red carpet is their phone, and a lot of clutch bags don't fit the newest models. At the Oscars, you have to have your tickets and usually a lipstick, and you'd be surprised how many bags don't fit all that,' she says.
Which is how she came about designing her own bag, with Tyler Ellis. Because you really need room for your phone, don't you?
Photographer: Sami Drasin at Walter Schupfer Management
Elizabeth explains, 'Tyler usually does evening bags, and she asked me what my dream bag would be and I said it would be a bag where I could find my phone at all times. It has that outside phone pocket which means I'm basically addicted to only using this bag because it's the only bag I have that has that, especially when I travel a lot.'
And it turns out she's not the only one to want a tote bag, as her celeb clients ordered their Ivy tote (named after Elizabeth's daughter) before it even launched.
'Julia Roberts has one. There are pics of her watching a soccer match with it. Gal Gadot has a red one (the bag also comes in black, navy and grey). The bag wasn't even out yet but both of them saw me carrying it and wanted it. It fits a computer and everything else you need!' she says.
Shop now: Ivy Tote for £2,654.48 from Tyler Ellis
But Elizabeth is of course known for her red carpet styling, and while she has the day bag sorted, she also has some hacks for avoiding any outfit disasters during the evening. Scroll down to read...
Do you have a plan B if another actress wears a similar dress?
It doesn't happen much at the big events because it tends to be custom made, to avoid problems like that. For smaller events, it's the first question a stylist would ask, if it's been worn. We tend to stick to samples, which are one-of-a-kind.
Have you ever had any disasters on the red carpet?
The worst thing that can happen is a technical disaster, I had a dress, with someone I worked with a long time ago, that literally split right at the back as she was walking out the door. Literally, the entire dress. We had a back-up dress (I always have one, this is the only way to avoid problems) but she didn't want to wear it, so we were in Beverly Hills and we phoned a tailor who came in and sewed it in about 20 minutes. She had to be cut out of it later.
I don't have a lot of horror stories, it's literally all about planning. Get your dress, make sure it fits and you're comfortable with shoes, and you have a back-up.
Any other tips for the red carpet?
You always have to have proper under pinnings. I've seen a lot of nipple covers peek out, I've seen Spanx peek out. Number one, have the right ones, and number two, make sure they don't show. It's also important to make sure the lining matches your skin tone.
