'i'm Always Plotting.' Teyana Taylor And Others On Surviving And Dressing For The Chaos Of Awards Season

Oscar campaigns are not won, they are endured. There are parties, festivals, For Your Consideration screenings, property junkets and talk show appearances. The nighttime earlier nan Academy Awards, I recovered myself — not an important personification successful nan manufacture by immoderate intends — astatine 2 abstracted parties. Imagine if you’re a nominee, getting shuttled to and fro, shaking hands and making mini talk. At nan first event, I caught a glimpse of nan legendary character Minnie Driver, who was nominated for supporting character for nan movie “Good Will Hunting” successful 1998. She posed, smiled and looked arsenic glamorous arsenic ever. And, pinch an utmost magnitude of grace, she vanished done a doorway successful nan back. Poof. Gone.

And for illustration magic, she reappeared connected nan carpet correct successful beforehand of me, astatine Chanel’s legendary pre-Oscar meal astatine nan Beverly Hills Hotel. She dazzled successful a sparkling gown, a wholly different outfit than nan 1 I’d seen conscionable an hr prior. After years of being successful L.A., I’m not peculiarly starstruck anymore, but astatine this moment, I was thing adjacent to it. How does 1 glide done nan chaos and nan camera flashes of Oscar play pinch poise and perfection? And really do they support a level caput done it all?

It takes a beardown will to beryllium a prima — to strengthen nan setbacks and nan struggles of making it successful Hollywood. To enactment connected top, it takes moreover more. It takes a team. And 1 of nan biggest members of immoderate celebrity’s squad is their stylist. The group who dream up nan looks that sparkle astatine high-profile events, and who make judge that moreover if you don’t consciousness perfect, you astatine slightest look it.

Stylists are nan consigliere, nan therapist and nan trusted correct manus of immoderate Oscar nominee. Without nan stylist, Oscars season would look wholly different, and astir apt a spot worse. How do they support their clients from cracking nether nan pressure? “It’s conscionable asking elemental questions, like, ‘how are you doing today?’” I’m told by nan buzzy personage stylist known arsenic Turner. She’s nan coolest celebrity’s go-to for manner counsel, moving pinch Natasha Lyonne and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. She says that a immense portion of her occupation is “knowing that everything that is shared successful that fitting room stays successful that fitting room.” Because erstwhile you’re retired of nan fitting room and into an arena for illustration nan Chanel dinner, nan eyes and ears of nan world are connected you.

This twelvemonth marked nan 17th juncture of Chanel hosting its Oscar party, an arena that insiders spot arsenic nan past extremity connected nan almanac earlier nan large nighttime astatine nan Dolby Theatre. It’s co-hosted by British multihyphenate shaper and entrepreneur Charles Finch, who presides complete nan matter pinch nan charm and graciousness that typifies nan champion hosts. The Chanel meal brings fashion, movie and creation together successful an invigorating way. It’s some 1 of nan astir exclusive, sought-after invites successful municipality and a jam-packed, raucous bash. Trying to make my measurement done nan throng of movie stars, filmmakers and different luminaries was almost for illustration an Olympic event. If they were handing retired medals for not tripping complete Mick Jagger, I should astir apt triumph gold.

Mick Jagger astatine nan Chanel and Charles Finch yearly pre-Oscar meal astatine nan Polo Lounge successful Beverly Hills.

(Getty)

Awards play itself is its ain benignant of gantlet. Millions and millions of dollars are poured into nan sprawling mobility image system of Los Angeles to drum up support for nan year’s Academy Award nominees. Much of nan economical wellness of nan intermezo manufacture trades — Variety, nan Hollywood Reporter, etc. — trust connected nan avalanche of advertisement spending and free contented that comes from Oscar campaigning. The play conscionable seems to get longer each year, creeping into nan outpouring and summertime months, pinch awards heavyweights for illustration “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” dropping specified months aft nan past Oscar ceremony. And arsenic artificial intelligence and workplace consolidation stone nan business, nan Oscars are an moreover much important barometer of nan wellness of nan movies themselves.

The demands placed connected nominees, particularly actors, are heavy. To beryllium retired successful public, exposed and connected display, successful a conflict for your master life, you don’t conscionable person to beryllium charming, clever and witty successful beforehand of journalists and voters. You besides person to look bully for nan gaggle of photographers that archive your each move astatine events for illustration nan BAFTA Tea Party aliases nan Essence Black Women successful Hollywood Awards. Celebrities person to beryllium prepared for nan marathon astatine each times.

Lily-Rose Depp and Gracie Abrams astatine nan Chanel and Charles Finch yearly pre-Oscar meal astatine nan Polo Lounge successful Beverly Hills. (Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)

From left, Gracie Abrams, Lily-Rose Depp and Sarah Pidgeon astatine nan Chanel and Charles Finch yearly pre-Oscar meal astatine nan Polo Lounge successful Beverly Hills.

(Virgile Guinard / CHANEL)

The speech betwixt stars and stylists originates early, often pinch collaborative meetings and moodboarding. Spencer Singer styles Chanel devotees Lily-Rose Depp (in a sleeveless vest embellished pinch pearls and rhinestones) and Gracie Abrams (wearing a beautiful achromatic tweed dress). His process is highly elaborate and centered astir nan goals of nan client. “With a peculiar project, you thin to spell much thematic, aliases it’s conscionable possibly nan spot that we’re some successful in our lives of loving a peculiar aesthetic,” he says. “The astir nosy portion is throwing everything against nan wall and past pulling retired nan things that consciousness strongest.”

Teyana Taylor rocking a thrilling, multicolored shearling overgarment from nan astir caller Fall/Winter 2026 Chanel ready-to-wear collection.

(Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)

Sometimes, nan customer knows precisely what they want and makes nan telephone connected nan spot. “I’m ever plotting,” Teyana Taylor, supporting character nominee for “One Battle After Another,” told maine connected nan Chanel carpet. Taylor was rocking a thrilling, multicolored shearling overgarment — look 57 from nan astir caller Fall/Winter 2026 Chanel ready-to-wear collection. Taylor wore nan overgarment afloat buttoned up, fresh to propulsion it disconnected for a melodramatic uncover later successful nan evening. She first saw nan overgarment connected nan runway and knew instantly that she needed it. “I wasn’t moreover backstage earlier I was like, ‘The coat. I gotta get nan coat.’ I knew that coming would beryllium nan cleanable nighttime for it.”

“I really emotion this party, because it’s easy to spot group that you respect and that you would emotion to activity with,” says Sigourney Weaver of nan Chanel pre-Oscar dinner.

(Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)

Sigourney Weaver has been nominated for an Academy Award 3 times and is 1 of nan astir accomplished veterans of nan Oscar circuit. “It’s not a grind for me,” she said successful a buttery yellow-and-black Chanel overgarment from Spring/Summer 2026. Weaver relishes nan chance to dress up and clasp nan glamour of nan season. “I’m very informal successful existent life. I really emotion this party, because it’s easy to spot group that you respect and that you would emotion to activity with. The Oscars themselves are excessively formal, successful a way, unless you’re backstage together.”

Weaver and Taylor some make it look effortless, but sometimes, it’s not rather that easy. Alexandra Mandelkorn has styled dozens of A-list names (Janelle Monáe, Rachel Brosnahan and Laura Dern among others), helping them get done arena aft arena looking their best. For Mandelkorn, styling is arsenic overmuch astir storytelling arsenic it is earthy impulse. When starting a project, she asks, “Are we leaning into nan characteristic [they play successful nan film]? Is she an ingenue? Are we trying to person a resurgence aliases immoderate benignant of different look for her, and springiness her a caller personality wrong manner and nan industry?” Once that’s laid retired and nan goals are clear, nan communicative tin beryllium told. Clothes, for illustration film, are a mean for creativity.

Stylists besides person to get imaginative erstwhile things spell incorrect — and to make judge nan cameras don’t seizure a bad infinitesimal for eternity. “There’s truthful galore things that tin hap betwixt nan fitting and erstwhile you get to nan carpet,” Turner says of nan galore perils of awards season. “Your dress tin wrinkle successful nan car. Your strapless bra tin driblet 4 inches while you’re sitting successful nan car, and past you hide to, like, propulsion it up erstwhile you get to nan reddish carpet. Did your strapless gown besides autumn erstwhile it was successful nan car, and you forgot to propulsion it up? And past you get to nan carpet, and you look astatine nan photos after, and you’re like, ‘oh, God, OK, noted for adjacent time.’”

Mandelkorn tells nan communicative of a perilous clip wherever a strap popped disconnected Monáe’s shoe. “She wouldn’t beryllium capable to locomotion pinch that,” she says. “It had to someway beryllium reattached. We ended up jerry-rigging it utilizing information pins. Thankfully, you didn’t spot nan footwear arsenic she was walking.” Zippers tin break, buttons tin popular off, but stylists person to enactment beardown for their clients. “I support upholstery thread successful my kit because it’s truthful strong,” Mandelkorn said. “Generally erstwhile a zipper pops, it’s because it’s really tight. The girls emotion to beryllium successful a tight dress, truthful immoderate of these zippers, they conscionable springiness way. We make it work, and [fans] ne'er know. You’d ne'er know.”

The risks tin beryllium significant, and nan rewards mightiness not ever come. Five group retired of thousands of acting performances successful a twelvemonth tin beryllium nominated for an award, but only 1 wins. The uncomfortable shoes, flashbulbs and endless rides successful rented cars could deterioration anyone down, but underneath each of nan work, location must still beryllium joy. Teyana Taylor said it simply: “I get excited because I emotion to deterioration clothes. I emotion clothes, I emotion fashion. I admit nan creation of it. I admit nan fabric. I admit each garment.”

Nicole Kidman, left, and Teyana Taylor astatine nan Chanel dinner. The tone and beauty of nan movies is live and well.

(Getty)

The attendees of this latest Chanel statement were channeling each nan joyousness they could muster earlier sitting for dinner. Even successful a clip that feels bleak, nan tone and beauty of nan movies is live and well. As I said my goodbyes and wandered backmost retired into nan lush acheronian of nan Beverly Hills Hotel, I thought astir nan extremity of different awards play coming to a close. Hollywood continues to acquisition a modulation that is shaking nan instauration of nan full industry, nan astir important point we tin each do correct now is conscionable that. Appreciate nan creation of it.