It's almost Grammy time and we can't wait to see what the stars will wear on music's biggest night. We spoke with Carrie Underwood's stylist, Trish Townsend, to get the insider scoop on dressing a celeb and to pick up some hints on the Idol alum's Grammy garb. Based out of Nashville, Trish boasts a bevy of country singer clients and has been in the business for 18 years -- as she said, "Way before being a stylist was cool." She told us all about working with Carrie, her go-to designers and how the country superstar's style has developed since American Idol.

Natalie Broulette: How long have you worked with Carrie?

Trish Townsend: I've worked with Carrie about three and half years. It was right when she came out of the Idol contest. I started working with her around September after she had won.

NB: What can you tell me about the collaborative process with her?

TT: I can honestly say about Carrie, she is the hardest working entertainer I've ever worked with. She's really trying to get her feet planted firmly. We just learned to trust each other right away. She trusted me to bring her good ideas. She pretty much set the tone initially. She told me, 'I just want to be feminine.' She loves girly. We really started from scratch. You know she had nothing. She didn't even have a handbag. It was kind of fun, she didn't have any preconceived notions when she got there other than just keep it pretty and grow with it from there, and that's what we did.

NB: How has her style evolved?

TT: It's like with anything somebody does, at first, you feel so conspicuous if you show a little bit of cleavage or you show some leg, but now she doesn't feel quite as conspicuous. She's braver, she doesn't mind wearing brighter colors. She's ready to stand out more and she does, but we took it gently and slowly. We didn't come out guns blazing saying, 'Look at me!' We were very ladylike and gentle about it. I feel likes she's more accustomed and she enjoys the process more now.

NB: Are there certain designers that you go to over and over again?

TT: Absolutely. You know, initially, of course, nobody wanted to help me out at all, but David Rodriguez, BCBG and Nicole Miller were there from the very beginning. We still go to them because they were just so special initially. We also have grown very fond of Naeem Khan, Georges Chakra, Zuhair Murad, oh and Badgley Mischka. We can't forget the Badgley Mischka boys, they've been wonderful. It's fun to add in new designers every time. I want to keep everybody on their toes, keep her on her toes, keep me on my toes.

NB: Can you talk a little bit about blending country style with Hollywood glamour? Is that something that you try to do or does it just happen naturally?

TT: Everything we've done has been so organic. I mean it's my taste combined with her taste. I guess I don't even think of her in a country way. Like what would be elements that say that to you?

NB: I think the floral looks she wears and really even the brighter colors are not typically what you see on the red carpet.

TT: Yeah, like the Grammys last year when she wore the Zuhair Murad.

NB: I loved that dress. I thought that was gorgeous.

TT: You know I said, 'Carrie, I'm just gonna be as honest as I can. There's probably gonna be somebody that says, Oh, she's wearing her grandmother's curtains.' But we both agreed that it was just her. It was fresh. She is a star now, she's not afraid of taking a hit. She said, 'Even if they don't like it, I really, really like it and I feel pretty in it.' So as long as she feels pretty and comfortable, we're happy. People are going to say what they say, but she got a lot of compliments on it.

NB: Can you gives us any hints about what she'll be wearing to this year's Grammys?

TT: You know, I would love to, but we haven't even had her fitting yet. She's got all kinds of stuff going on in her world. So what I'll do is right before the Grammys, we'll do a fitting in Los Angeles. I just do a lot of research and talk to the designers. I'm excited. We're trying to work out some opportunities with Zac Posen this year and Reem Acra -- I'm such a fan of her designs as well. So we might use a new designer, we might stay with the standard. The whole pressure point there is that everything has to come together in a just a couple of days, like after we get the dress, then it's the shoes and the handbag, and then you're competing with the weekend.

NB: And Carrie typically does so many outfit changes, does that make your job harder or is it just more fun?

TT: Well, I already have her performance outfit worked out. I designed it. I design a lot of her performance outfits just because those are the ones she really, really cares about because it's a way to interpret her music. When she's performing, she wants the fashion to coincide with what she's singing, so we always try to make sure it's another way to interpret what the music is about.

NB: Well, that's awesome. We'll look for it.

See more photos of Carrie Underwood's style.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us