You Don’t Have to Be a Star to Glitter Like One

Entire magazines are predicated on the premise that celebrities are beacons of style. That message goes over well in Middle America. But here, in the home of manufactured glitz, we know that some stars have innate taste and flair, making their choices of hairdos, home decor, beauty products and clothes worth noting. Others just have phone books crammed with the numbers of stylists, designers, hairdressers, makeup artists and decorators who help them get it together.

Phillip Bloch’s beeper number is in many of those Filofaxes. The self-titled stylist to the stars helps such flashbulb magnets as Salma Hayek, Fran Drescher and Jada Pinkett dress for televised awards shows and premieres, and, with a team of makeup artists, hair wizards and glamour photographers, transforms Johnny Depp, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and many others who regularly grace the covers and pages of glossy magazines.

A former model and designer, and now a frequent enough guest on cable television fashion shows to have developed his own, noncelebrity following, Bloch has put his fashion philosophy between soft covers in “Elements of Style” (Warner Books, 1998). At once a beautifully illustrated fan’s scrapbook and fashion primer, the book offers tips on everything from how to mix funky patterns and textures to the camouflage afforded by carefully chosen layers. The pictures are subtly instructional, showing how clothes and makeup define a mood and can radically alter someone’s appearance.

“I wanted the book to be inspirational,” he said. “You know actors and actresses aren’t models. They don’t all have perfect bodies. Some of them are short. Some have features they want to hide. So I hoped that by seeing how great they can look, people would get ideas and see what’s possible.”

When Bloch turns Kim Delaney out in a gleaming Pamela Dennis gown for a cover of Entertainment Weekly or recasts Julianna Moore as a rock ‘n’ roll mama in a pastel satin officer’s coat from Emporio Armani left open to reveal the clump of diamonds in her navel, he’s working with uncommonly beautiful women and unlimited resources. But to prove that a little know-how can go a long way, he’s doing a series of workshops at Saks Fifth Avenue stores around the country. Working with real people and clothes by Emanuel / Emanuel Ungaro, a line of moderately priced career-oriented designs spiced with sequined miniskirts, leather sheaths and backless knit evening dresses, Bloch made-over five women at a Saks style seminar in Beverly Hills last week.

The most common concern was how to go from the office to an evening out on the town without a complete change of clothes. Bloch suggested changing into a dressy top under a suit, such as a navy satin V-neck, or replacing low heels with a higher, strappier shoe.

“Clothes are so expensive now, so I want people to understand that they can buy something and get a lot of use out of it by wearing it in different ways,” he said. “That’s the secret, really, and good tailoring. The Emanuel clothes aren’t terribly expensive, but they’re well cut. And they do have pieces that mix up well to give you a variety of looks. In the seminars, I’m doing what I tried to do in the book--show people the possibilities. Women ask me, ‘I have leather pants and a leather skirt, what should I wear them with?’ A sexy little boy’s T-shirt or just a satin camisole or something lace.”

Bloch wants everyone to happily feed from the style trough, even those who aren’t posing for a magazine cover or sitting on Rosie O’Donnell’s couch.

Why We Love Ally: Although Ally McBeal is ordinarily far more obsessed with romance than her wardrobe, she knows, deep in her seemingly dazed and confused heart, that cute clothes can nourish the soul better than a pint of Haagen-Dazs. In a recent episode of her TV show, our heroine mused, “Sometimes I’m tempted to become a street person, cut off from society. But then I wouldn’t get to wear my outfits.”

Don’t Mess With Bill: Bill Blass’ spring collection was modeled at the Colleagues’ annual Valentine’s Day luncheon, sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue to benefit the organization’s efforts for abused and neglected children. The 75-year-old designer, who sat with Nancy Reagan at the show, is a favorite of the former first lady and her friends, but he obviously isn’t designing just for them. His clothes are as young and sexy as those created by designers half his age.