What it’s really like to dress for the Oscars, by stylist Petra Flannery

A career in fashion wasn’t the obvious choice for Petra Flannery. She left suburban San Francisco at 18 to attend the University of Southern California, majoring in political science. In 1995, she joined Elite Models as an agent, her entrée into the fashion industry. After five years in the role, Flannery was itching to explore her own creativity, and was soon working on set assisting for producer Yasuko Austin and designer Andrea Lieberman – who, at the time, was creating looks for Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez. It was in 2006 that Flannery made the decision to strike out on her own, quickly amassing an enviable client list, including Avatar star Zoe Saldana, who she still styles today. Almost 15 year later, Flannery’s elegant yet experimental aesthetic has made her Hollywood’s most in-demand stylist. Here, she reveals the work that really goes into creating the perfect Oscars look…

“The red carpet is a different realm; there’s so much room for creativity – you can go really experimental or keep things very chic and classic. It’s important to dress for the occasion but you also want the outfit to have a little bit of magic. If I’ve done my job right, a look should appear as if it all came together effortlessly – but really, there’s a lot of preparation and research that goes into each and every outfit. The secret is to find a piece that captures someone’s personality. The red carpet is a big responsibility, but the payoff is amazing.”

“I’ve worked with a lot of my clients for a long time and one of the upshots of that is that you get to really understand someone, so you know what they want – and how to push the envelope. Like with Emma Stone and Zoe Saldana – we basically grew up together. I’ve been there as their careers have exploded. Zoe has always been this action hero, so I tend to put her in unexpected pieces because she can carry them off. With Emma, when she was promoting La La Land, her looks paid homage to the movie and Old Hollywood.”

“It’s usually a column-shaped dress that is chic but understated and complements her elegant figure. Renée Zellweger and Reese Witherspoon have been working in the industry for a long time so they know what they want. I started working with Renée in 2016 but I had been watching her style evolve for years before that. She’s always been extremely chic and had a timeless aesthetic. It’s simple, but it speaks volumes. When I started working with her, I just took that class and added a modern twist.”

“That’s what happened when Renée saw the initial sketches of the Armani Privé gowns she wore to this year’s Golden Globes and Academy Awards. The brand is so precise about fit, so they were wonderful to work with. For the Oscars we had 12 fittings. The Globes dress was all about finding the perfect shade of blue, we went back and forth with so many swatches – but we got there it in the end – while the Oscars dress literally took hundreds of hours to embroider.”

“I have an incredible team – it really does take a village. Usually by the day of a big event, we’ve already done the hard work; running around for weeks to ensure that we’ve got enough shoe and handbag options, and that all our ducks are in a row. My big styling trick is moleskin – you can cut out precise pieces to layer under uncomfortable sandals and heavy jewels or to pad out rings that risk slipping off. Of course, we make sure to have secondary dress options in case a seam bursts or something goes really wrong, God forbid. In those moments, I just think, ‘this too shall pass’. I’ve been doing this for so long that I know, no matter what happens, it will all come together in the end.”

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