I’m a celebrity fashion designer – what it’s really like making outfits for Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, and Shania Twain
YOU know you’ve made it as a fashion designer when the stars come to you for their biggest make it or break it red carpet moments.
More than anyone, Marc Bouwer, who is known for capturing the moment Angelina Jolie transformed her image, knows that haute couture can also mean award season headaches.
DESIGNERS DISH OUT THE DOUGH
Still, the designer behind Whitney Houston’s wedding dress is always up for the couture challenge.
His timeless styles for stars including Beyoncé, Charlize Theron, Toni Braxton, Heidi Klum, and many others, have solidified his place as one of Hollywood’s most iconic designers.
Bouwer can also take a bow for not only helping a star define their style but also reimagining it, such as what he did for Angelina Jolie.
While he acknowledges that bigger houses like Gucci and Chanel might attract the biggest A-listers in the biz, he is always thrilled when someone places their trust in a smaller, independent designer.
“A lot of these stars are getting paid to wear clothes by big names. It can be up to $250,000 but I can’t do that. For me it’s all on merit,” Bouwer told The U.S. Sun.
“Oscars and awards season planning is done way in advance. Once the nominations come out, agents are dealing with major fashion labels,” he said.
FROM GOTH GIRL TO GLAM GODDESS
This year marks the 20th anniversary since Angelina Jolie first happened to come across pictures from his 2004 Fashion Week collection.
Even all this time later, Bouwer still can’t believe what she wound up choosing — and ultimately wearing — to the Oscars that year, where she was also a presenter.
“I was thrilled but really shocked as that collection was all red carpet-looking dresses and she was much more hard-edged at the time.
“We flew out there to fit her and she was such a joy to work with.
“Everybody was trying to steal her away, even in the moments leading up to the show.
“We got the call from her seamstress three minutes before it aired that she was sticking with us.
“It was an amazing moment when she mentioned my name on the red carpet but until then you never really know with these things what can happen,” he said.
NEW ANGIE
The angelic white gown also showed another, more grownup side to Jolie.
“She presented in that dress and it was really a turning point in her career.
“She was filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith at the time but before that, she was always seen as more of a goth girl in black dresses.
“All of a sudden she came out as this angelic beauty in a 1930s-inspired old Hollywood gown.
“She really became a philanthropic meme after this.
“It’s still very sexy with plunging back. It hasn’t gone out of style,” he said.
SWEENEY’S STYLISH TAKE
The dress Angelina wore is now considered to be “one of the best Oscar dresses of all time,” and Bouwer recently decided to pull the piece out from the archives.
But he knew it had to be for the right place and most importantly, the right person.
Exactly two decades since Jolie first donned the dress, Hollywood “it” girl Sydney Sweeney wore the garment to this year’s Vanity Fair after-party.
“Since it’s an iconic dress now with provenance, we couldn’t hem it or alter it in any way. We can’t even have it dry-cleaned since Angelina wore it.
Sydney wasn’t just a copycat of Angelina — she made it her own and it seemed new and fresh again.
Marc Bouwer
“Sydney really put her own spin on it and was giving Marilyn Monroe vibes.
“She wasn’t just a copycat of Angelina — she made it her own and it seemed new and fresh again.”
Unlike the Monroe dress Kim Kardashian wore to the Met Gala in 2022, this one came back in perfect condition.
The gown also garnered Bouwer almost as much attention as the star who wore it, with his name going viral on Google alerts.
THE FUN IS AT THE AFTER-PARTY
It’s no surprise his looks are getting likes as he describes the Vanity Fair event, which was attended this year by Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie, and Jeff Bezos, as being “equally important” as dressing someone for the Oscars.
“It’s even more fun and girls can dress a bit more risque. You see a lot of very sexy dresses.
“A lot of actresses play it safe on the Oscars red carpet so while there are some risk-takers, this is a much more exciting way of dressing and it’s become super important for designers.”
Bouwer, who has also dressed Emily Blunt many times, had a few creations for other Vanity Fair after-party attendees as well, including one very glitzy gown for Quinta Brunson.
The sheer silver off-the-shoulder number was covered in Swarovski and also featured a high slit.
Once you make a name for yourself as fashion royalty, you also get inundated with requests from the stylists of high-profile celebrities to see countless dresses.
But not even a couture Bouwer creation is a done deal.
“You never know if something is actually going to make the cut until a few hours before a big event.
“We only knew Quinta [Brunson] was going to wear the piece the night before.
“They have racks of clothes or deals to wear a particular designer so it’s all a gamble.
“If you have to alter or cut something and they don’t wear it it’s not good anymore,” he said.
EVEN QUEEN BEY BOWS DOWN
One big name who would never send back a Bouwer design is Queen Bey herself.
Beyoncé, one of his “favorite people to work with,” has worn many of his designs, including for world tours and music videos — and those pieces, like the Jolie gown, are now also in the A-list archives.
“These clothes worn by famous people only become more valuable so one day I know I can bring them out for a nice amount of cash,” he said.
WILD FOR SHANIA TWAIN
If you remember the leopard bodysuit from Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much” music video — and who doesn’t? — that was also the brainchild of Bouwer.
“Shania gave me total control to come up with my own ideas.
“It’s a fantasy world so you really have much more freedom to design. It’s like making a costume.
“But you also have to make sure it works on camera.”
Those head-to-toe leopard looks have even become a classic Halloween costume.
“Her career was skyrocketing at the time and this really put her even more on the map.
“Who can forget the look in the middle of the desert?
“I had ideas to add red boots and fingernails but once she saw my leopard design she didn’t want anything else.”