Power Stylists 2022: Behind the Scenes With Michael B. Jordan, Selena Gomez, Kristen Stewart, Mary J. Blige and Their Image Makers

After two years of virtual awards shows and at-home shoots, the town’s most in-demand image makers returned full of gusto to in-person red carpets and all that goes with them, including capes, feathers, billowy chiffon and OTT sparkle (hello, Mary J. Blige!). “The red carpet gives people something to look at — it sparks joy. Everybody knows it’s smoke and mirrors. There’s someone behind the hair, the makeup, making sure the lighting is just right, but the fantasy of it all is what keeps bringing us back,” says Law Roach, THR‘s Stylist of the Year (for the second year running) and the mastermind behind Zendaya’s internet-shattering ensembles and Venus Williams’ spectacular looks. Adds Selena Gomez’s stylist, Kate Young, who invited THR inside her downtown Manhattan stilettos-filled studio for a fitting with the Only Murders in the Building star: “It was nice to think about shoes! I feel like everyone wears slippers on Zoom.”

And for those who may feel escapist fantasy has no place in our lives considering the real-life news around the globe, Marvel superhero Simu Liu’s stylist Jeanne Yang considers that both can coexist: “The most skilled in our industry know how to create productions that reflect both at the same time — including but not limited to Don’t Look Up, CODA, The Power of the Dog, King Richard. These features gave us escapes while making their social messages heard.” And the stars stepping out on the red carpet shone a light on those projects while also serving up a little magic, as conjured by their stylists — 12 of whom made a particularly notable impact this past year.