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The Night Before Oscar

Joan Allen ('96)

The weekend before the 69th annual Academy Awards, the action is on the top floor, where men's quintessential Hollywood power suits line the walls. In a hidden corner is a small waiting area. A vase of calla lilies sits on the desk of a receptionist whose phone is ringing incessantly. On Friday, her pert "Good afternoon! Giorgio Armani!" belies the fact that lines are blinking nonstop, a courier's pager is beeping and Best Actress nominee Brenda Blethyn is waiting her turn to enter "the inner sanctum."

That private showroom is a modest-size space with taupe corduroy furniture, beige carpeting, an orchid spiraling up from a pot atop a side table, and racks of clothing lining the walls. Formal dresses in basic black, or with sparkling beads and elegant flowers, take up most of the space. Only half of one rack is reserved for tuxedos. Silk evening shoes and bags line a conference table. A black serving tray holds a selection of sunglasses as if they were hors d'oeu\vres spread out for the taking.

And there is food: precious little pizzas, grilled chicken sandwiches, cookies.

On Saturday afternoon, as Oscar preparations come down to the wire for tonight's gala, the white, unmarked door to the secret room opens and out pops Best Actor nominee Geoffrey Rush. "I don't suppose there's a room in here where I could smoke?" he asks. The receptionist, educated in the art of accommodating famous people, tries to think of a way to circumvent the law that prohibits smoking in public buildings. "That's okay," Rush says, not at all perturbed. "I'll go outside on the sidewalk."

Cher in Bob Mackie ('88)

And the lanky actor heads out into the common area of the store, his curly sandy hair making him immediately recognizable as "that guy from `Shine.' "

Servicing celebrities is the fashion industry's mission during Oscar season. Designer Vera Wang will fly here from New York to personally oversee any last-minute adjustments with her gowns. Badgley Mischka set up a temporary fitting room to better deal with the team's Oscar clients. Italian designer Valentino was expected to arrive over the weekend. And no one flinches when famous folks call at the last minute wondering if there are any frocks lying about that will make them look fabulous.

For designers who have ongoing relationships with stars, the talk of dresses and tuxedos began just after the nominees were announced.

"Typically we use runway samples and that's catering to a certain body type. . . . But real divas want something that's one of a kind," says designer Mark Badgley. "Then there's the craziness. The dress is zooming back and forth from L.A. to New York. It's going to India to finish being embroidered and then someone has to go to get it and get it back to the celebrity."

If there is no history, a courting ritual between designer and star begins.

Sharon Stone in Vera Wang

"This isn't sitting and waiting for someone to ask you to dance," says Barry Steinhart, business partner of designer James Purcell, who so far has stayed out of the Oscar fray. "You have to work very hard at it."

Designers overwhelm celebrities with clothes and offers of clothes. Nominees receive sketches of possible gowns. In the past, stars have reportedly been flown to Europe to peruse collections. Now, designers claim they're more concerned with quality than quantity.

"If I like the actress, I do [the dress]. If I don't like [her], I don't do," says Gianni Versace. "They call us. Now it has to be more quality. It has to be more human. . . . [Otherwise], it's vulgar for us and stupid for us."

Still, according to several of the big nominees, the wooing remains passionate.

"I've had 10 different designers offering to make me dresses. They sent me flowers, notes. It's been really thrilling," says Best Supporting Actress nominee Barbara Hershey.

To dress a star for the Oscars, one must be willing to invest money, lose money and be disappointed. Phillip Bloch, a fashion stylist who works for actresses, voiced interest in Purcell's designs for clients Jada Pinkett, Lauren Holly and Sandra Bullock. Steinhart responded, "We don't give it away."

"We would love to loan a sample to any actress, especially someone like Jada Pinkett, who's going to be photographed. In the end, we'd probably end up giving the dress to her." But it's a risky endeavor. They've seen colleagues with small, fragile businesses endure frustration, angst and financial loss, only to be let down when a celebrity or stylist rejects a dress at the last minute.

The stars "drag in clothes from all these different designers, then they look at them and then they freak out," says producer Susan Block, a former costume designer who offered a friendly opinion to nominee Diane Keaton. (Block, by the way, says that Keaton was quite efficient in selecting her ensemble. It's expected to be a white Richard Tyler suit.)

One of the most widely quoted examples of the tricky Oscar game occurred two years ago when Purcell was approached by a stylist representing Sally Field. "The representative said if you send us a group of samples and have them altered to fit, she might pick one to wear," Steinhart says. "That would leave us with a group of dresses that no one else could fit.

"We are in total agreement with the benefits that can occur. But we don't want to get involved in that until we can compete. But then, no one can compete with Versace, Armani and Calvin Klein."

Jodi Foster in Armani ('95)

Armned With Armani
There is deep concern at the Armani boutique because $20,000 worth of clothes have been picked up for a "super rush" delivery to the home of Barbara Davis and there is no job number to track who picked up the treasure trove. Just as this glitch is being smoothed out, another yellow Armani garment bag is presented to the receptionist. "This is going to James Woods. It needs to be more super-rush than they've ever been."

Geoffrey Rush still has not emerged from the showroom and so Best Supporting Actor nominee Edward Norton, brown hair spiked up and a little goatee giving his baby face a bit of an edge, is out on the main floor trying on his shawl-collared tuxedo. There are approximately seven customers who don't seem to recognize Norton out of the "Primal Fear" context. And there are about five Armani employees hovering about to make sure the young nominee is happy.

On the other side of the room, Tommy Lee Jones -- in bluejeans, sweater and plaid shirt and looking like he just rode in off the range -- is being attended to with polite chitchat and sodas. When Rush leaves the showroom, a flurry of activity ensues -- like frantic waiters turning a table at a crowded, of-the-moment restaurant.

The Armani boutique opened here in 1988. The following year signified a turning point in the look of the Oscars.

"Armani dressed Michelle Pfeiffer in a navy silk -- well, it was more of a cocktail suit than a traditional Oscar gown," says Armani spokeswoman Wanda McDaniel. "That was the same year that Kim Basinger [in a one-armed dress of her own design] and Pfeiffer appeared in Women's Wear [Daily] and it said `The Agony and the Ecstasy.' "

After that, designers realized the enormous publicity potential in dressing celebrities for an event seen by 75 million Americans alone. The numbers of Armani devotees has exploded. But other designers such as Valentino, Versace, Tyler, Klein, Wang, Badgley Mischka and Isaac Mizrahi have also scored a major celebrity or two.

This year, there are no renowned glamour queens up for big nominations. No Sharon Stone. No Madonna. The nominees aren't known for having loyalties to specific designers. Many of the actresses aren't even recognizable on the street. Still, designers are working overtime, because even if an actress is "a total unknown, she won't be unknown that week," Steinhart says.

Mizrahi, for instance, made a dress for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, a Best Supporting Actress nominee.

A big mystery is who will dress Best Actress nominee Kristin Scott Thomas, arguably the Oscar-goer with the greatest glamour potential. It's not Tyler or Versace. An early rumor had it to be Gucci, but that soon fizzled.

Large photos mark the seats the Oscar nominees will occupy in L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium, where all those designer duds will be on display tonight. Photo: Fred Prouser/Reuter

She showed up at an Oscar nominee luncheon wearing what appeared to be Prada. But our money is on designer John Galliano. Scott Thomas was spotted at his recent show in Paris. Perhaps she plans on showing her allegiance to a fellow Brit.

Designers generally refrain from making any declarations about who will be wearing their clothes. The stars are notoriously fickle, and sometimes, when word leaks out about what they will be wearing, they change their mind, says Ed Filipowski, Versace's and Tyler's representative.

And who pays?

"Usually we do so few that we don't charge for them," says Tory Burch, spokeswoman at Vera Wang. "It's an honor."

Versace does freebies, too. Sometimes, if he thinks the dress has some historical significance, he will ask for it back.

Badgley Mischka dresses sometimes are loaned, occasionally bought and often given as gifts. Chanel has a reputation for its lack of freebies.

Sigourney Weaver, who has bought couture, is known for always paying for her clothes. Oprah Winfrey has a similar reputation.

On a more mundane note, Purcell wonders: If celebrities are walking advertisements for designers, are the stars declaring these pricey dresses (which can be worth thousands of dollars) on their tax returns? Now that's a good question.

At Armani, the glamorous gowns are on loan. The stars receive free consultations on jewelry, shoes and evening bags to help keep the faux pas to a minimum. "We've had those moments when we think, `Oh no! You were supposed to choose one necklace, not all five,' " McDaniel says.

Armani veteran Jodie Foster arrives during an intense handbag search for actress Kim Delaney of "NYPD Blue." Dressed in gray-blue silk trousers and a matching sweater set (Armani, of course), Foster heads to the showroom, a pair of silver wire-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. In a few minutes, she emerges wearing a pale aqua beaded tunic and a pair of shimmering gray evening trousers. "Looks good, right?" she asks one of the trusted Armani-ettes.

After slipping off her Oscar night ensemble, Foster tucks several Polaroids -- one of which is of her pedicured foot -- into the pocket of a velvet jacket that awaits Mel Gibson. It is a curious practical joke.

Then she explains the allure of Armani.

"It fits me so well, first of all," she says. "I think the thing I like about it as a style is it isn't about being flashy. It's timeless. It's always comfortable. It allows you to be subtle.

"A lot of actors -- not stars, but actors -- are intimidated by style. Actors are really about the internal life," she says. Whatever. Let's get back to the clothes.

Foster has to get moving because Best Supporting Actor nominee Cuba Gooding Jr. needs the showroom. He already has changed from his gray sweat pants and black T-shirt into a custom-made Armani tuxedo with high, peaked lapels and hidden buttons. He is smiling, charming. It is his day.

One of 11 tailors on staff is putting chalk marks on the trousers; they need to be hemmed and taken in a bit in the waist. Why did he join the Armani club?

"Armani's the man!" Gooding says with the same enthusiasm with which he uttered the now-famous "Show me the money!" in "Jerry Maguire."

"Since I was a kid, I dreamed of going to the Oscars in Armani."

But there's precious little time for chatter. Gibson now is on hold in the waiting room. He'll be presenting the Oscar for Best Director, which he won last year. "It's kind of nice to hand it off," he says. Best Actor nominee Woody Harrelson is due to arrive and the Armani staff is trying to decide where to put his clothes.

Don't Call Us ...
At the offices of the Cloutier Agency, there is controlled pandemonium.

"It's like an air traffic control room. Everyone has headsets on. And a lot of it is simply directing where everyone is going," says Chantal Cloutier, whose agency represents about 35 hairstylists, makeup artists and wardrobe consultants, including Bloch.

"Usually, we'll get calls a few months ahead of time to hold an artist on the chance that the client is nominated or going. Once the announcements are made, people are released or confirmed," Cloutier says. Two of her top people have been confirmed for Oscar night for almost a year. Courtney Love booked her hairstylist some six months ago.

Cloutier clients include Foster, Scott Thomas, Hershey, Holly, Pinkett, Bullock, Angela Bassett, Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, Andie MacDowell, Nicole Kidman and Winona Ryder.

Wardrobe stylists no longer really shop for clothes. "Now, major celebrities have all the clothes sent to them from designers. Now stylists go to the house, pick which outfit to wear and coordinate it," Cloutier says.

So unbeknown even to Armani, a celebrity could be stockpiling designer duds and saving the final decision until Oscar afternoon.

Designers say the payoff is worth all the effort and the uncertainity. And indeed, a few gorgeous Oscar moments have gone down in fashion history -- along with Demi Moore's unfortunate bicycle shorts and every ghastly ensemble that Cher has ever shown up in.

Uma Thurman's ethereal Prada gown reinforced the eclectic fashion label's place in the lucrative Hollywood style machine. Oscar publicity has put Vera Wang's name in the public's consciousness and made her illusion-netting famous. Ryder and Teri Hatcher made Badgley Mischka Hollywood-hip. Armani's name has become synonymous with the Oscars.

And for the celebrities, upon rare occasion, as when Elizabeth Hurley wore a revealing Versace slink, a career can be built on a few wisps of fabric.