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CNN Live Today

Style, Talent Go Together at Oscars

Aired March 20, 2002 - 11:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A lot of people who tune into the Academy Awards this Sunday won't just be watching to see who wins what; they are going to be watching to see who is wearing what.

Our own fashion diva this morning, Daryn Kagan, is in L.A. She has got more on that, and we are going to hear more about her shopping exploits, no doubt.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let me tell you, Leon, this has been a shopping education to see how the stars get all dolled up.

HARRIS: Oh, education.

KAGAN: It has been very educational.

HARRIS: You have to use that word; otherwise you can't write it off. I understand.

KAGAN: That's it.

You know, the stars just don't go out to the stores and shop for their own gowns. No, no, no, no, no. They have stylists who go and do all that work for them. In fact, it's a collaboration between the stylists and the top designers.

And ladies, you know what it's like when you are shopping for the dress and you see something, and you say, I like the top of that dress, but I like the bottom of that dress, or I wish this was in a different color; when you are a top star, this is not a problem.

To show you how this collaboration takes place, I was lucky enough to hang out with three very powerful men in the fashion industry: Phillip Bloch, who is a top stylist -- he was dressing Halle Berry, who he has dressed quite often -- then Mark Badgley and James Mischka -- Badgley, Mischka, they make up that design team -- they have a store on Rodeo Drive.

We were there yesterday with Phillip Bloch, and we are going to give you a peek now at how some of this collaboration works between top stylists and top designers.

And one little warning, Phillip Bloch is a little over the top, and he doesn't hold back.

So go ahead and take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: OK, let's talk about how you would talk about a certain dress, what might you do.

PHILLIP BLOCH, FASHION STYLIST: This is a perfect example I think, right? This dress is amazing as it is. They created it. It is beautiful, it is stunning. But oh no, my client has maybe large breasts, so she wants some extra support. So we are going to fit it really tight. And then she is going to say, I want straps on it, or, I want the straps beaded just like that beading up there. Or she'll say, I've got these amazing shoes I want to wear, so I want that beading on the bottom of the dress to match that.

You know, everyone has a creative input. It is always a team effort, I think, don't you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I think it is important the dress takes on the personality of the celebrity as well.

BLOCH: This is a great example too. Say my client, Rita Hayworth, Betty Davis, Marlene Dietrich, kind of an old Hollywood story -- she was entering, and so her left side as going to be exposed, so all her costumes for that night at the Oscars were designed so that the left was going to be there because she wanted to walk across the stage and to see her legs. And that is something you could do because you could put a slit in this dress.

Slits are really good. I love slits. I think you guys do too, because for women of all ages, the legs are the last thing to go. I hope you are bringing tissues with you for Sunday, because I get up there, I get so emotional when Gwyneth got out in the pink dress, and you know, you are just like, Wow.

KAGAN: But sometimes you go, Oh, wow.

BLOCH: Some days I really cry. Some days I really cry and I think why didn't they just call me, I could have squeezed them into the schedule. I would have just passed them on. Call Mark (ph) and James; there is help out there. There should be help line, a fashion help line.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A fashion help line. That's just a little taste of what you will see during our Oscar special. That is Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

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