As Oscars Approach, Designers Vie to Dress Celebrities Who Will Inspire Viewers to Shop; When Star Power Won't Translate Into Sales
With the Academy Award nominations out this week, fashion designers are already jockeying to dress the stars for their big night. But rather than trying to pick the Oscar winners or the most fashionable celebrities, designers should be asking another question: Who will be the most effective at getting viewers to buy the clothes they see on the red carpet?
Red Carpet Best Sellers
Actress Jessica Alba has the highest click-throughs to apparel sales, according to StyleSpot.com.
Among this year's nominees, the "best seller" award is likely to go to a nominee whom few in the fashion world are discussing: Sandra Bullock. At StyleSpot.com, a Los Angeles-based Web site that links red-carpet photos to stores that sell the looks, Ms. Bullock's Vivienne Westwood dress at the People's Choice Awards ranked among the top of all red-carpet appearances this year in inspiring viewers to "click through" to retail sites.
One lesson: It isn't pure chic that moves clothes. "For the most part, celebrities that drive sales aren't necessarily the ones that get nominated" for awards, says Lily Hollander, editorial director of StyleSpot.com. The 45-year-old Ms. Bullock has a down-to-earth image that means millions of women relate to her.
By contrast, with her Best Actress Oscar nomination for "An Education" this week, Carey Mulligan has dozens of fashion designers vying to lend her baubles and gowns for the Oscars. The young actress with the pixie haircut is known as a sophisticated dresser. "Carey Mulligan will be the most watched on Vogue.com," says Hamish Bowles, Vogue's European editor at large, recalling a sparkling Prada dress the actress wore recently.
But despite Ms. Mulligan's fashion credibility, she may not be the savviest choice for product placement. At StyleSpot.com, Ms. Mulligan is not one of the stars who moves the most viewers to buy clothes. Ms. Mulligan wasn't available to comment.
Celebrity placement is more voodoo than science, but among this year's nominees, other Oscar sales influencers may include plus-sized Gabourey Sidibe and the classic Meryl Streep. Ms. Sidibe, the star of "Precious," is "an alternate paradigm for the red carpet, but she can carry these very strong colors," says Mr. Bowles. What's more, the plus-sized market is one of fashion's fastest growing.
Gabourey Sidibe, nominated for best actress for her work in 'Precious,' at the Critics' Choice Awards.
And Ms. Streep's maturity and demure style choices may appeal to women over 40, who spend more on fashion than other demographic groups.
Among top StyleSpot.com sellers who aren't current Oscar nominees, Kate Hudson and Drew Barrymore are in a sweet spot— fashionable, and young enough to inspire Internet shoppers, yet not so young that they're attracting teens or college-aged women, who don't have a lot of money for clothes.
A number of sites track what celebrities wear so that viewers can copy the styles. But red-carpet photos are at the heart of StyleSpot's strategy. The site, which launched last year, links celebrity red-carpet photos to online retail stores from Neiman Marcus and Barneys to Amazon.com. StyleSpot's database compiles images from red-carpet events and organizes them by star, event, and designer brand. The site, which estimates its unique monthly audience at around 10 million people, earns revenue as a percentage of sales when consumers click on a photo and purchase the related item.
Red carpets have become a primary marketing channel for fashion. The Academy Award nominees' photos will be plastered from Boise to Bombay after the March 7 awards show, which will be watched by something north of 35 million television viewers—and seen on a gazillion blogs. It's an irresistible advertising medium. In Los Angeles, designers employ VIP handlers, who work to get the designers' clothes on celebrities who might be photographed in them.
The fashion industry does this because it works. After Sienna Miller wore Thakoon's spring bustier jumper to the premiere of the fashion documentary "The September Issue," every store that bought the piece sold out, says a spokeswoman for designer Thakoon Panichgul.
Yet success, for a designer, is a delicate balance of star power and timing. After Jessica Alba presented an award at the People's Choice awards last month, her Burberry Prorsum knotted platform sandals generated the most click-throughs to retail sites of any red-carpet appearance this season on StyleSpot.
Burberry Check Print T-Strap Patent Leather Espadrille - Nordstrom
 | Burberry Check Print T-Strap Patent Leather Espadrille Muted check print patterns a buckled strap at the base of a chic espadrille sandal crafted from glossy metallic leather.
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Unfortunately for Burberry, those spring-season shoes won't be available in stores for another month. So shoppers had to settle for similar looks offered on the site by Robert Clergerie and Callisto.
Callisto Knotted Wedge Sandal - Nordstrom
 | Callisto Knotted Wedge Sandal Knotted straps cut from supple nappa leather fashion a comfortable wedge-heeled sandal.
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Callisto Women's Grande Sandal - Shop Endless.com
Of course, there are ancillary benefits. High-profile fashion publicist Karla Otto, who recently opened a Los Angeles VIP office, says any appearance by an A-List actress "sells product from clothing to accessories and, if the consumer can't afford the attire, they might buy the fragrance or the beauty products."
Brands' publicists fire off press releases the minute their star steps outside. During last Sunday's Grammy Awards, Emilio Pucci announced that singer/actress Fergie appeared in its blue strapless dress, while Judith Leiber announced she carried a Leiber clutch. Each time Fergie wore Missoni in Cannes last week, the brand shot out a release. "I hope that others will be influenced by her great personal style," said designer Angela Missoni in an email.
Nothing is too minor for mention. Stylist Mark Townsend announced that he set actress January Jones's hair in a French twist for the Golden Globes, blow drying her hair "with a round brush" and securing "it with about 10 bobby pins." He also named hair products and prices: Moroccanoil Treatment, $39 for 3.4 fl. oz.
Dressing Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway and Kyra Sedgwick in one-of-a-kind vintage gowns has rubbed off in sales of totally unrelated clothes, says Juliana Cairone, owner of the New York vintage boutique Rare. "They are not looking for the same item," she says, "they just want something from us."
Having jealously noted these benefits, menswear labels are starting to go after male artists. At last week's Grammy's, members of Kings of Leon appeared in Burberry and John Varvatos.
So who's the Oscars' Actor Most Likely to Sell Fashion—the guy with Ms. Bullock's combination of attractive looks and guy-next-door accessibility?
No, not Jeremy Renner, the sexy star of "The Hurt Locker." The street money's on Best Supporting Actor nominee Woody Harrelson.
Original Article - Wall Street Journal
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