Making A Pop Star

Music and fashion have always been friendly bedfellows, with one influencing the other and vice versa. Whether it was Gwen Stefani teaching ’90s girls everywhere the power of visible (and bedazzled) bra straps or Lady Gaga being a muse to fashion designer Alexander McQueen before he passed, the impact of these two cultural forces coming together is beyond measure. Pop music, in particular, has consistently produced icon after icon with aesthetics so clearly defined that one could argue that their fashion sense is as equally important to their success as their talent. Often, these standout music video looks or red carpet ensembles aren’t birthed solely from the singer’s imagination. Cultivating the image of a pop star can take a village — or, at least, a damn good stylist.

Stylists are truly more than that — they’re image architects, as Law Roach (who counts Zendaya and Celine Dion as some of his many clients) says. Pop music icons like Madonna, Michael Jackson, and even Elvis worked with a stylist, or at least a trusted confidante, to help develop the looks they became known for. Britney Spears worked with a number of stylists during the peak of her career, including Estee Stanley, who put her in the iconic red latex catsuit for “Oops!...I Did It Again,” and the styling duo Kurt and Bart (who recently designed the costumes for the The Crow reboot) helped solidify her crop-tops-and-low-slung-jeans look, and were behind that unforgettable double-denim moment. Trish Summerville (also now a costume designer) famously put Christina Aguilera in chaps for “Dirrty.” Destiny’s Child didn’t have a typical stylist, but they had something even better — Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles — who custom-made the girls’ memorable matching outfits under her House of Deréon line.

These past few years, there has been something of a pop diva renaissance, with Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Doja Cat, and Chappell Roan ushering in a new era. Not only do they gift us with the boppiest anthems, but all four artists have distinct looks. Carpenter’s is retro-romantic girly to the fullest; Charli is the indie sleaze club-rat (or Brat) queen; Doja Cat isn’t afraid to be over-the-top and sometimes shocking (which we desperately need as Lady Gaga has mellowed out since her meat dress days); and Roan is the sheer, queer, camp queen we’ve been waiting for our whole lives. While Charli, Doja, and Roan often use the same stylists (Chris Horan, Brett Alan Nelson, and Genesis Webb, respectively), some artists work with multiple, like Carpenter, whose dream team consists of Jared Ellner, Jason Bolden, and Ron Hartleben. When done right, the styling synergistically curates a cohesive and exciting look everyone wants to replicate.

The Power Of The Music Video

Hartleben, who has been working with Carpenter for two years, mainly styling her music videos, approaches the work from a cinematic POV. “I think, down the line, I would love to do a movie because I’m always thinking of who the character is: why she’s wearing what she’s wearing and what’s the intention behind [each piece],” he tells TZR. “Even if it’s as simple as a dress, it’s like, ‘What does that little dress mean in this world, for this character?’”

His cinematic storytelling approach as a stylist mirrors that of film costume designers, which is especially fitting for Carpenter’s recent music videos — “Taste” and “Please, Please, Please” — as both contain Easter eggs hinting at various cult-favorite and commercially successful films. In “Taste,” Carpenter and scream queen Jenny Ortega fight over the same man, largely paying homage to the 1992 black comedy Death Becomes Her. There are also nods to other films like Ginger Snaps, American Psycho, and Kill Bill: Volume 1, with some references delivered solely via costume design. (After this interview, I messaged Hartleben about Carpenter’s white “murder-your-husband robe” feeling “very Joan Cusack in Addams Family Values,” and he confirmed that I clocked the reference.) Meanwhile, “Please, Please, Please,” directed by Hartleben’s longtime friend, Bardia Zeinali, was inspired by director Quentin Tarantino and films like Bonnie and Clyde and Natural Born Killers.

Hartleben says that Carpenter is “really directional” and knows what she wants when it comes to the look and feel of her projects, as well as the characters she’s trying to portray. In “Espresso,” she wanted a “Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, vintage vibe” but modernized in a way that still felt authentically her. “The thing that’s always really exciting with her, too, is that she is always in on the joke,” adds Hartleben. “It’s always tongue-in-cheek. She’s very aware of the context and how things come off. The song is, at its core, really explicit and about her enjoying sex, but the video is bubblegum, girly, cutesy, and very vintage Barbie — it’s this juxtaposition that makes it really interesting.”

Pulling From The Past

While many pop stars indulge in cheeky references (shoutout to Ariana Grande’s epic homage to Mean Girls, Bring It On, Legally Blonde, and 13 Going on 30 in 2018’s “Thank U, Next”), some singers take inspiration from other musical icons, and their stylists help make their vision happen. For instance, Tate McRae’s sporty-meets-sexy ’fits are heavily inspired by Aaliyah and Britney Spears, and she has worked with her stylist Joanie Del Santo to balance her “tomboy” style with feminine silhouettes.

When Lizzo needed a look to attend Missy Elliott’s Out of This World Experience show, her stylists, Matthew Reisman and Reginald Reisman, instantly knew they wanted something that would represent how much of an inspiration Elliott has been to Lizzo, so they decided to create a look inspired by Missy’s breakthrough video for “The Rain.” “We were able to find an exact pair of glasses that Missy herself wore in 2019 while receiving her MTV Vanguard Award,” the married duo tell TZR. They paired the glasses, created by Kerin Rose Gold of A-Morir New York, with a custom leather look by Brea Stinson of Stinson House.

Finding That Signature Look

Pop stars tend to have a specific look, garment, or accessory they become known for, sometimes igniting a trend that spreads beyond their fan base. Madonna’s cone bra look may not have been as widespread as her rubber bracelets, but the underwear-as-outerwear look that pops up on trend lists every couple of years can surely be credited partly to her (and Jean-Paul Gaultier). When Spears came out with “Baby One More Time,” she popularized and become known for the quintessential schoolgirl look. (Fun fact: Every piece in the video was purchased at Kmart for less than $17 each.) The late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla’s bedazzled bra is still a look referenced today, and Shania Twain’s hooded leopard one-piece from “That Don’t Impress Me Much” is forever etched in our brains.

These days, music’s it-girls also find their signature style items and looks. For singer Madison Beer, corsets have become her style signature. Kris Fe, the singer’s stylist since 2019, says that if there’s one thing Beer loves, it’s looking snatched. “Corsets have been a staple throughout her career, evolving from the princess-like styles of her Life Support Tour to the bold, sexy silhouettes of her recent Spinnin Tour,” Fe tells TZR. “It’s been amazing to see the corset transform alongside her growth as an artist.”

The Art Of Reinvention

There’s also the tradition of reinvention. From Britney to Madonna to Lady Gaga, revamping one’s image is a true rite of passage for every pop star. (Remember when Law Roach turned Celine Dion into a bona fide style icon in 2017 after dressing her in jaw-dropping couture and a Vetements Titanic hoodie?!) When David Thomas, who has styled Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and the Spice Girls, dressed Kylie Minogue for her 1991 “What Do I Have to Do” music video, it was during a moment of transformation for the singer. “Before that time, she had more of a girl-next-door look and was known for acting in Neighbours, and the video was going to be inspired by Old Hollywood glamour,” he tells TZR. “It was an amalgamation of these different sexy screen sirens, like Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and Brigitte Bardot,” says Thomas.

Stylist Katie Qian, who has worked with Tyla, Tinashe, and Hayley Kiyoko, was brought on to work with Camila Cabello for her latest XOXO album, a transformative era for the singer in which she is sporting a new blond hairstyle and more of a hip-hop-inspired sound. “The era is so authentic to her and her Miami roots, so it’s just very rewarding to have the privilege of bringing a part of her world alive with the styling,” Qian tells TZR. “I love that this era is very creative and has a youthful, rebellious edge to the visuals, so it’s been extremely fun for me to channel some of that into the outfits.”

Branding Moves

As one would expect, styling for appearances requires a different approach than tours and performances. “For red carpet, everything revolves around a brief moment — the moment your client steps onto the carpet and gets their photo taken,” says Qian. “Comfort and practicality can sometimes be less of a priority because glam usually takes the cake (i.e., Tyla’s Met Gala dress, which was absolutely perfect for photos, and less so for stairs). When we style a tour, we need to consider that the look stays looking great for several hours each day, from every angle, in every position and movement. The biggest priority is that my client feels confident and that the look does its part, adding to and not taking away from the show's creative and the client's artistry.”

It’s safe to assume that Taylor Swift’s longtime stylist, Joseph Cassell, didn’t have trouble getting custom Vivienne Westwood for her Eras Tour, but overall, pop stars have better access to designers than in the past. According to Thomas, in the early ’90s, it was difficult to get fashion designers to lend clothes for music videos because they wanted the samples to be available for fashion magazines. “This was prior to pop stars or actresses being on the covers,” he explains. “But a few designers were ahead of the curve and would lend you clothes. Jean-Paul Gaultier was one. Thierry Mugler was another. I literally went to Paris on a plane, went to Mugler, and borrowed a whole bunch of clothes. It was incredible.”

Stylists have the power to help make an indie brand or lesser-known designer gain notoriety by featuring it on their clients; of course, it also gives the star the advantage of wearing something never before seen on anyone else. For Cabello’s summer festival tour, Qian worked with designers like Kate Broadrick, Ashton Michael, and Star Cat, as well as Di Petsa and Frolov Heart to create “experimental silhouettes and interesting textures” for the shows. Hartleben dressed Carpenter in a $140 polka-dot set by the girly-nostalgic L.A. clothing brand Blondita. The Reismans stay inspired by what they call “the hunt,” which is simply looking at what is around them. “We search for new designers, new shapes, and new concepts constantly.”

Stylists can even help bring new life to legacy brands and overlooked vintage trends. After sister styling duo Chloe and Chenelle put Olivia Rodrigo in a Spring 2000 Betsey Johnson ribbon dress, it instantly went viral, with prices skyrocketing on resale sites like Poshmark and Depop and bringing a new, young, and enthusiastic customer base to the 82-year-old designer (though, that is never hard for Betsey Johnson). The brand, owned now by Steve Madden, even began remaking the ribbon and milkmaid dresses that Rodrigo has worn.

The Many Faces Of Influence

How the world is introduced to a rising pop star, and ultimately their sense of style, is vastly different than in the past. In today’s post-MTV world, we’re given instant and increased access to celebrity style through social media amid an accelerated trend cycle and the pressure for a viral moment. Thomas points to music videos as not only the formerly biggest way for a pop star’s image to be cemented in the public’s mind, but also an opportunity for the artist and stylist to truly make fashion magic. “It was always the most creative arena to play in because we weren’t governed by any kind of [marketing] constraints,” he recalls. “We were in this incredible moment of freedom and creativity.”

Sometimes it’s not what the singer wears that dictates trends, but what they say. A lyric from Taylor Swift’s song “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” from her album Midnights prompted Swifties to exchange friendship bracelets at her concerts last year, leading to a bead shortage in certain parts of the globe. Beyoncé's birthday request for fans to wear silver led to the metallic hue becoming a recurring theme for her shows. And then there’s, of course, Charli XCX, whose Brat album cover resulted in bright neon green being the 2024 version of last summer’s Barbie pink.

No matter how we get introduced to their music, pop stars will forever influence the way we dress. Growing up, Fe, like many of us, was captivated by the styles of Aaliyah, Spears, Aguilera, and Destiny’s Child. “For me, pop star style was all about bold self-expression,” she says. “Seeing today’s artists draw from those early ’90s and 2000s looks feels like a nostalgic full circle. Now, as a stylist, I’ve come to appreciate how personal and unique pop star style can be.”