MEET THE STYLIST: CHRISTIAN CLASSEN

A Conversation with Christian Classen: Celebrity Stylist & Fashion Editor

Stylist Christian Classen was born into fashion. Christian’s early exposure to haute couture provided the seeds of interest in crafting his eye for style in all aspects of fashion. Often choosing a muted palette or unusual combinations of color and texture, Christian’s styling portrays an inner confidence of classic Parisian chic. His non-formulaic style focuses on piecing together a minimal number of items while blending in statement pieces that organically work together.

Christian has styled the likes of Camilla Belle, Jennifer Lawrence, Alice Eve, Daphne Guinness, Libery Ross, Leslie Bibb, Anna Kendrick, Rosario Dawson, and Anton Yelchin. His work has graced the covers and pages of magazines such as Vanity Fair Italia, Flaunt, Bullett, Numero Tokyo, Modern Luxury, and Plaza.

Christian's current client list includes: Wes Bentley, Lucy Punch, Leven Rambin, Evan Peters, Brie Larson, and Daniela Ruah. He works regularly with photographers Mike Rosenthal, Stevie Mada, and Christopher Schmidt. Christian has served as a fashion consultant for Mean Magazine, and currently holds the position of American Fashion Editor for Plaza Kvinna Magazine.

Tell us the story behind your favorite wardrobe item

I have so many favorite pieces in my wardrobe that I just love so it's hard to pick just 1. My uniform tends to be a black or grey suit (typically Lanvin, they make impeccable suits and I always trust them for my clients) or a great Marc Jacobs blazer with tailored denim. But deep in my fur closet I have a gorilla coat from the 1920s. I named her Isabella. I don't wear her but she has definitely made her way on a few planes and on some sets. She's the pet I swear I'll never own.

What's your most memorable 'panic moment'? Panic moments are infamous, and so are zippers! I've learned how to avoid them now but years ago the night of a huge premiere I had a major incident that I'll never forget. We had a dress that had a nasty zipper that kept getting stuck. My tailor changed out the zipper into a new one which worked. The dress was shipped to New York. The night before when I arrived in NYC, we tested the dress and the zipper worked. Hair and makeup was running late the night of the premiere as it usually does so I only had 10 minutes to dress her. And of course, the zipper broke again. We had to sew her into the dress which was about a 2 foot long gap.

How did you recover from it gracefully? I now ALWAYS change out the zipper on dresses and make sure to have a needle and thread the day of. Zippers on dresses are nasty and annoying!

What is your favorite era for fashion? The glamour, debauchery, and of the late 1700's was magical. Garments were rich, embellished, and extravagant, and the construction was impeccable. Corsetry and headpieces. Many modern designers such as Oscar, Zac, Lacroix, and even Chanel's RST 13 collection all mimic this art form. I also love the early 80's for its in your face glamour which Tom Ford has brought back to life now. A platform on a shoe is my pet-peeve and the higher the better. 5 inches, no platform, in croc, pointy and black, HEAVENS, I'M SOLD!

What was your big break? I feel like there have been a few but I loved a couple years back getting Lucy Punch on Vogue's Best Dressed of the Week List two weeks in a row. For the Hunger Games World Premiere this year, I got Leven Rambin on Italian Vogue's Best Dressed of the Week and Wes Bentley on GQ's Best Dressed list. From each of those hits came many jobs from new clients.

Whose closet would you most like to raid? For myself, I would love to raid Cary Grant, James Bond, Christian Grey, JFK Jr., Matt Bomer, Jude Law, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent. For women's closet to own archive pieces, I would love to raid Lady Amanda Harlech, Dita Von Teese, Marie Antoinette, Grace Kelly, Carine Roitfeld, Gloria Swanson, and The Olsen Twins.

Who are your favorite designers? Favorite Designers: Lanvin, Marchesa, Christian Lacroix, Stephane Rolland Haute Couture, Givenchy, Prabal Gurung, Tom Ford, Brunello Cucinelli, Valentino

Thanks so much, Christian! You can follow Christian on Twitter @chrisclassen & check out his website www.christianclassen.com