The top 25 stylists in Hollywood, along with their muses, the celebrities, were all in on the Jimmy Choo power dinner at the Sunset Tower in West Hollywood. What was interesting about it? Everything. 

The brand has an annual 25 Most Powerful Stylist List that brings together the best of the best every year to talk about style and interact at a level that feels spiritual to artists in the industry. Is it an elitist social event? Most likely, but it says much about the style trends that Hollywood runs after at this time.

Celebrities such as Megan Thee Stallion, Dakota and Elle Fanning, Barry Keoghan, and many stylists responsible for styling celebrities throughout the award season attended the event.

A Place To Connect

Some called it a family reunion, but that’s only for big-deal insiders who dawn on attire from Chanel or Dolce and Gabbana with a mint pair of Jimmy Choos. Of course, not everyone can be a part of the family. Celebrities attended the event with their most recent stylist. The Fanning sisters, Dakota and Elle, hung out with their stylist Samantha McMillen.

“No one deserves this more than Samantha,” said Elle. “Like Elle said, she’s really part of our family. We see her outside of all the fun styling things that we get to do, and she’s the most hardworking and unassuming person,” Dakota completed her sister’s sentence. “She doesn’t want any of the lights on her, but she really does deserve it.”

Stylists are often not always at the forefront, the celebrities and brands take away the fame. Now, stylists are getting more and more attention as time moves on further. Hollywood is already at risk of a writer’s strike, a stylist’s strike would be more than devastating so it’s about time to give them the recognition they deserve. 

McMillen And Stewart 

The Fanning sisters further explain how McMillen is a big part of their family. How she’s the one who’s always out there supporting the two, whether it’s with her work or just her supportive nature.

“She’s someone who helps you to feel your best or however you want to feel in any particular moment. Stylists help you to feel comfortable in your own body; you’re literally very intimate with them because you’re naked half the time,” said Dakota. It’s obvious that having to find that level of comfort with your stylist is essential. The dresses you put on become a style symbol, especially when you have millions of eyes on you. McMillen makes the sisters just about comfortable enough to shed their clothes and try new ones.

“It’s having someone who understands your personality, your body, and your vibe so much that it makes everything come to life in the best way possible.”

The event returned to the public eye for the first in-person meeting after the infamous COVID-19 virus that shook Hollywood like the rest of the world. Elizabeth Stewart, a veteran in the styling industry, received Stylist of The Year for her work with Cate Blanchett and Viola Davis. 

Another big name at the dinner was Law Roach, who arrived at the event with his client Megan Thee Stallion. Roach was recently recognized as one of the most powerful stylists in the industry and became the center of attraction for many eyes. However, he later announced his retirement from the personal styling industry. Perhaps he has other plans up his sleeve.

The event was a big deal for many celebrities, but most importantly, it was for artists who received the well-deserved spotlight.

The recent BAFTA awards have been a huge blast, with many well-deserving nominees winning awards for their work. German director Edward Berger’s new project All Quiet on The Western Front won big time, accumulating several awards, including Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director. 

On the other hand, Austin Butler won Best Actor for Elvis, and Cate Blanchett took home Best Actress for her portrayal of Lydia Tar in Tar. While awards were all the heat at the ceremony, fashion was also quite noticeable. Here are some celebrities who showed up in outstanding outfits and damn near stole the show.

Jodie Turner-Smith and Michelle Yeoh

Turner-Smith is known for her highly acclaimed film White Noise. She also stars in the prequel to The Witcher series, The Witcher: Blood Origins. Turner-Smith stars with actress Michelle Yeoh who was nominated for her fantastic role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Jodie Turner-Smith was seen wearing a bold yet elegant lilac gown by Gucci. She also wore a beautiful Chopard choker studded with diamonds and sapphires to accentuate her overall look.

“I wore all the sparkles tonight,” said Turner-Smith

On the other hand, her co-actress from Bloof Origins, Michelle Yeoh, showed up in a sophisticated high-class Dior suit that perfectly went with the actress’ persona and character. She also wore a diamond-studded watch by Richard Mille and a blue ribbon around her finger to show support and solidarity with UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. Other celebrities were spotted wearing the same.

Cate Blanchett and Austin Butler

The star winners of the evening both came in magnificent black colors and looked fantastic, holding their awards for Best Actress and Actor. Blanchett and her stylist worked together to repurpose one of her older outfits that she wore at the Oscars back in 2015. It was a black Maison Margiela dress which was sleeveless and topped off with “repurposed Tahitian pearls and a step-cut tourmaline recovered from a previous High Jewelry design,” according to the Instagram post of her stylist, Elizabeth Stewart.

Austin Butler, on the other hand, wore a black woolen tuxedo by Alexander McQueen. Butler won Best Actor later in the evening, which is a huge feat and well deserved too. Butler had to undergo rapid body transformations gaining and losing weight for his role as Elvis Presley. Fitting back into the stellar black suit is nothing short of magic. Butler put his best foot forward and took the award home. “This means the world to me,” he said as he received the award.

Angela Bassett and Viola Davis

The veteran actress Angela Bassett showed up in stunning colors wearing a silk Pamella Roland dress.  Angela Bassett was one of the nominees for her famous role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

Her stylist Jennifer Austin took to social media to talk about the dress and the inspiration behind it. She noted that the dress “was inspired by the tulips and flowers of spring.” Basset was spotted wearing luxurious silk extensions around her arms that gave her a majestic look, completed by the  Judith Leiber Couture clutch shaped like a flower.

Her co-actress from the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Viola Davis, was also present and nominated for her leading role in The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. Davis was seen wearing a purple dress by Stella McCartney. The message of the dress was quite environmental in nature, according to Davis’ stylist, Elizabeth Stewart:

“This Stella McCartney dress shows their commitment to being a zero deforestation brand by using a beautiful cellulose acetate fabric made from traceable wood pulp and lead-free crystals.”

Iconic actor and fashion trendsetter Billy Porter are all set to be the narrator of BET’s docuseries Black + Iconic. It is a four-part series of documentaries that focus on various black icons and supernovas who were masters of their art form and pioneers in their style and substance. Billy Porter is known for his acting skill and has starred in films like Humblind, Anything’s Possible, and the 2021 live-action iteration of Cinderella. Porter has won numerous Grammys, Emmys, and Tony awards over a lifetime of reality TV shows as well as film projects that focus on pride and fashion. Now, the actor will tell the story of black-style icons who made history.

About The Docuseries

The project is executive produced by Stanley Nelson and will focus on how black icons set great examples in the world of fashion, whether they were singer-songwriters like Rihanna or actors like Porter himself. Here’s what Nelson had to say about the 2 hour long docuseries:

“I was really excited to tell this story,” Nelson said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The producer spoke about how his father’s passion for style lit a spark in him that brought him here today.

“He always felt that, to keep the world at bay, one of the things that he could do was dress.”

The producer wanted to cover a lot of different aspects under one umbrella. That was their main goal while trying to bring together black people from all walks of life in the industry. The documentary will include interviews with models as well as stylists who have been trailblazers of style and substance. 

“We really wanted to cover as much as we possibly could in a two-hour program,” said Nelson.

“I think one of the interesting things that’s happening in fashion is that everybody’s into fashion. Who would have thought 20 years ago that the stars of hip-hop would be so into fashion? I think it’s time that we look back on the history of fashion, but also on contemporary fashion.”