Star clients keep stylists on the run

PARIS — Besides rich clients and the world's fashion journalists, there are a handful of others who descend upon Paris each season for the haute couture shows, which took place this week. They are the celebrity stylists, such as Fati Parsia of Los Angeles, who come for a firsthand look at the world's most glamorous fashions for their clients to wear in magazine layouts, music videos, TV appearances, movie premieres and awards shows.

"Even though I get 'look books' and videos, that is not enough to experience the fashions," Parsia said. "It's my job to see for myself what's out there."

Parsia has dressed Kim Basinger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Heather Locklear and, just recently, Shania Twain for the American Music Awards, a four-outfit occasion for Twain, who made her grand entrance in a black-buckled Givenchy couture gown chosen for her by Parsia.

For stars, fashion-consciousness is no longer optional. The public's interest in red-carpet attire is insatiable, and the pressure on celebrities at awards ceremonies can be intense. People, US and other publications are snapping photos of the beautifully clad as they arrive at the Oscars, while editors and commentators are baring their claws for their fashion-bloopers items.

"The pressures are enormous," Parsia said. "The press and every person has an opinion. The celebrities need you to get them through all this. If they get bad criticism from the press, you are the fall guy."

To ensure a client's good press, Parsia and other stylists must keep up with the trends. While only the tiniest sliver of the population can afford haute couture, the business functions as a kind of hothouse for fashion, allowing designer creativity to flourish without concern for the bottom line. (The money is made on ready-to-wear and licensing arrangements.)

In couture, pieces are hand-tailored, often requiring as many as five fittings per garment. The simplest gowns sell for a minimum of $15,000; prices rise steeply from there. The more hand-details and the more precious the materials, the higher the price.

Although many people believe celebrities get their clothes free, given the cost of haute couture, this is not always the case. Most fashion houses said they expected their samples returned. Some said exceptions are occasionally made but would not name names.