Selena Gomez Channels ‘Elegant Opulence’ at First SAG Awards

The postponement of the 2022 awards season influenced the look that star stylist Kate Young put together for Selena Gomez to wear at Sunday night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.

“It feels strange to be so late and just starting [with awards season],” says Young, who did a final fitting with Gomez on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 26. “It’s been a long time for everyone, so we talked a lot about elegant opulence, the idea of something that feels glamorous and fancy. I think everyone is going to be excited about dressing up.”

The Only Murders in the Building actress, attending her first SAG Awards ceremony as part of the Hulu show’s nominated cast for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series, is wearing Oscar de la Renta to the event, a black velvet gown with puffed sleeves from the just-debuted fall/winter 2022 collection by co-creative directors Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia.

“It’s super flattering and feels very her,” notes Young, who viewed the collection prior to its Feb. 17 release via video. “There’s always that moment when someone puts on a dress and it’s immediately apparent that this is the one. The cut is fun and feels aligned with Selena’s style.”

Young and Gomez first exchanged ideas via text, then did an early fitting once it was confirmed the actress would attend the SAG Awards. “The pandemic has changed the dynamic of how stylists work with clients,” Young says. “When you’ve been on a big press run for a show or a film, by the time you get to an awards show, you’re typically seven dresses in; you’ve been talking a lot, and you’re on a wavelength. So for the SAGs, this felt like a new conversation: ‘Do you want to be this girl, or would you rather feel like this girl?’ But because she’s nominated, we also wanted it to feel a little more special.”

Gomez’s look is paired with diamonds by Bulgari, including a high-jewelry Serpenti necklace, featuring two pear-shaped brilliant emeralds and diamonds totaling 37.04 carats set in white gold, and a high-jewelry ring that highlights a 9.89-carat cushion-cut Columbian emerald set in platinum.

“We really wanted to do tons of jewelry, and [the ring] is a major emerald,” Young says. “Together with the velvet, the look feels really grand and over the top and interesting.”

Gomez’s ensemble is finished with Christian Louboutin pumps, a clean, simple design that contributes to a feeling that’s “elevated in a classic way,” Young adds.

Also counting Margot Robbie, Dakota Johnson, Michelle Williams and Sophie Turner among her clients, Young says she typically eschews the idea of asking a designer to create a fully custom gown, preferring to select either a look from a collection or to use an embroidery or other detail seen in a collection as a jumping-off point for a custom design.

“It’s not the runway sample; they made this dress custom for Selena, but it wasn’t designed for her,” explains Young of the dress which was made to perfectly fit Gomez without changing design details.

“Oscar de la Renta didn’t do a traditional runway show, but even if they had, whether people have seen a dress before doesn’t concern me. I’m not interested in asking a designer to cook up a custom dress just for the sake of doing custom; I think it’s important that dresses relate back to what’s on the runway. My job is to take the best of what’s available in the world of fashion and match it to these women.”

That’s precisely what she did for Gomez and her inaugural SAG Awards moment, Young says: “It’s the best dress on the best girl, and I think she looks really good.”

This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.

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