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Trash to class: ELLE's picks for style-challenged celebs
Which celebs have gone from trashy to classy? Read on to discover what a-list stylists are behind these transformations.
By Siobhan Dixon
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The classic 1955 film The Seven Year Itch includes one of the most unforgettable moments in Hollywood history-Marilyn Monroe mincing across a Manhattan subway vent as a wild gust of wind billows her white halter dress in the air. Fifty-one years later, that dress remains a symbol of glamour and sex appeal, proving the power of fashion in Hollywood.
Now more than ever, a celebrity's image can make or break a career. To whit: red-carpet appearances by Elizabeth Hurley and Jennifer Lopez, both in Versace
dresses, put these femmes fatales on the fashion radar. With the stakes so high, stars will pull out all the stops to ensure they always look flawless, but their seemingly effortless chic is usually a strategically crafted persona created by a handsomely paid stylist.
When celebrities want to reinvent their image, they hire stylists such as Jessica Paster and Phillip Bloch. While these fashion pros have transformed the images of such stars as Nicole Richie, some celebs, like Mariah Carey, are still one miniskirt away from a fashion meltdown.
Queen Latifah
In the early '90s, Queen Latifah was known for her Afrocentric style and female-empowering lyrics, but her performance in Chicago marked her crossover into Hollywood. With the help of celebrity stylist Susan Moses, a former plus-size model, Latifah never fails to stun audiences in garments that complement her full figure. For this year's Oscars, she looked ravishing in her strapless Carmen Marc Valvo gown complete with gorgeous hair and makeup. All hail the Queen!
Mariah Carey
Last year, the Grammy-winning singer emancipated Mimi and hired André Leon Talley, editor-at-large of Vogue, to help lock up her Daisy Dukes. Although Carey has recently traded in her stripper getups for designer duds from the likes of Marc Bouwer, the darling diva still managed to bring the House of Coco down! At this year's Golden Globe Awards, the pop starlet wore a skin-tight plunging gown designed by Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld. Unfortunately, Carey looked more crass than couture. While she boasted to the press about wearing Chanel, the luxury company attempted to dodge reporters' queries. Despite Carey's best intentions, her image may never evolve like the proverbial caterpillar into a butterfly.
Nicole Richie
Richie made her"acting" debut behaving like a Beverly Hills brat on the hit TV series The Simple Life. Her slovenly appearance mirrored her personality, but when her friendship ended with co-star Paris Hilton, Richie wasted no time hiring celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe to give her a much-needed image makeover. For Zoe's signature look,"boho chic," she charges about $6,000 a day. Richie has now re-emerged as skeletal, albeit wearing designer gowns and Jackie O-inspired sunglasses. Not only has Richie refined her outward appearance; it seems the grande-dame makeover is also working on the inside -- she has cleaned up her bad behaviour.
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