A Conversation with Ilaria Urbinati: Celebrity Stylist
Ilaria Urbinati was born in Rome and raised in Paris. She started out in fashion at 18 working for her aunt, designer Laura Urbinati, becoming a buyer for her West Hollywood boutique. She later became the buyer for LA boutiques Satine and Milk before landing a job as Head Stylist for Showtime’s The L Word. Since then, she has been freelance styling for a number of magazines including Elle, GQ Italy, Flaunt, Nylon and InStyle and styling actors and bands for red carpets, talk shows, press tours, album covers and music videos.
Ilaria has styled runway shows for the likes of Agent Provocateur, worked on various commercials for NBC, ABC, and Bravo in addition to print advertising and catalog work. She has worked with many actresses including: Zooey Deschanel, Ashley Greene, Isla Fisher, Emma Stone, Bijou Phillips as well as actors James McAvoy, Bradley Cooper, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, and Giovanni Ribisi.
Ilaria has been profiled in Elle, W, Time, WWD, LA Times, The New York Times, V Man, L’Uomo Vogue, E! Online, and Good Morning America, to name a few. In the fall of 2008, Ilaria opened a store in Los Feliz, California with business partner Danny Masterson named Confederacy catering to hipster locals and fashionable celebrities and musicians. Ilaria has a women’s line out with renowned designer Rebecca Minkoff and a line of suits with client Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes.
Her current client list includes Emmy Rossum, Nina Dobrev, Krysten Ritter, Jayma Mays, Bradley Cooper, Chris Evans, Armie Hammer, Joel Edgerton, Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Foster,
Tell us the story behind your favorite wardrobe item
Ilaria: Currently my favorite wardrobe item is a pair of GORGEOUS red satin heels from Gucci that they gave me as a gift after awards season. They are so amazing, they look like flamenco shoes. And my cowboy boots I’ve had since high school. I’m a big country nerd at heart.
What’s your most memorable ‘panic moment’?
Ilaria: There have been a few of those! Most recently when we first went to try Jayma Mays’ SAG Awards gown on after it had been altered, it had been altered too small and too short. My brain almost melted…..but luckily the seamstress was able to fix it overnight.
How did you recover from is gracefully?
Ilaria: That’s why you do fittings in advance – so it can be fixed and your brain DOESN’T actually melt. I tend to take things in stride and not let this stuff get to me because life is just too short.
What is your favorite era for fashion?
Ilaria: The 90′s is my favorite era for everything, it just makes me nostalgic. I love the minimalist 90′s Calvin and Narciso era, the body con supermodel era, and the grunge aspect of it. All of my major fashion obsessions are from the 90′s including Johnny Depp, Kate Moss, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Versace runway shows, Claudia Schiffer Guess ads, Steven Meisel Vogue shoots with Bridget Hall, Cameron Crowe movies – all of it.
What was your big break?
Ilaria: I’ve had a lot of lucky breaks. First it was wardrobing The L Word which was my first styling job. The show was a big hit at the time (I only did season two) and it got a lot of attention and opened a lot of doors. I’ve also been lucky in that a lot of my clients have blown up right around the time I started working with them like Ashley Greene with Twilight, Bradley Cooper with The Hangover, Armie Hammer with The Social Network, or people I had been working with a long time suddenly blew up overnight like Chris Evans with Captain America, and so on. So I feel lucky, especially because I love working with a client and seeing them achieve great success. As a stylist you are definitely on their team and you are always rooting for them. I only work with people I really believe in.
Whose closet would you most like to raid?
Ilaria: So many! Ralph Lauren’s, Charlotte Gainsbourg’s, Gwyneth Paltrow’s, Chloe Sevigny’s, Elizabeth Taylor’s, 70s Jane Fonda, Alicia Silverstone’s in Clueless, Kelly Taylor’s on the original BH 90210, and my grandmothers.
Who are your favorite designers?
Ilaria: Proenza Schouler, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana
