From Harriet star to fashion icon.
Cynthia Erivo has taken this awards season by storm with her unforgettable red carpet fashion. The man behind her bold looks is stylist Jason Bolden, who calls Erivo “The new Hollywood: Brave, black and beautiful.”
Bolden will be styling Erivo, 33, on Oscar Sunday and tells Us exclusively that her Oscar look will be magical. “We’re going full magical moment. And that’s all I can give you. It’s a surprise but it’s a full magical moment but it’s going to be so perfect,” the Styling Hollywood star explains. “It’ll be magical and old Hollywood with huge diamonds.”
Bolden, who will be styling a whopping 10 Oscar attendees including Alicia Keys and Ava DuVernay, describes Erivo’s red carpet style as existential couture. “It’s those things that you kind of always dream about. Huge dresses with great volume and really interesting yet still kind of hard to wear but you still fall in love with them.”
The Broadway performer is no stranger to huge dresses and huge diamonds. One of her most memorable looks from this awards season was at the Golden Globes where she wore a casual $3 million worth of Bulgari diamonds to accessorize her custom sequined black-and-white Thom Browne dress that took 800 hours to make.
Erivo’s stylist gave Us a glimpse into the process of styling the Outsider star for Hollywood’s biggest night. “The amazing thing about working with her is she kind of lets you ease into your own talent and that’s why she trusts you. She has no questions.”
The Harriet actress also looks to honor her Oscar-worthy role when it comes to her fashion choices. “She always sends me loads of images she loves,” Bolden tells Us. “She loves sending me images of the past, inspired by her role in Harriet. She really kind of jumps into that world. It’s never anything really modern or new, it’s always from archives.”
The British born-beauty will be walking the Oscars red carpet on Sunday as a first-time nominee for her role as Harriet Tubman in Harriet. If she wins, she will become the youngest EGOT winner, joining only 15 people have reached the coveted milestone.
Fans and A-list stars alike will be waiting with bated breath to see what the Bad Times at the El Royale actress will wear when she steps onto the Oscars red carpet. Fellow style icon Charlize Theron had to see what the Widows actress was rocking for herself when they both attended the Oscar Nominees Luncheon on February 8. “[Cynthia] was just telling me that she was at Oscar brunch and Charlize Theron ran over to her and said, ‘I just ran over to see what you were wearing,’” Bolden tells Us. “I was like, ‘Charlize said that to you?’ It’s amazing that other fashion icons are recognizing your sensibility.”
The Hollywood stylist thinks Erivo was born with her keen eye for fashion. “I do think she is like a full on fashionista. I think she just loves fashion, it doesn’t matter what it is. I honestly think that with some people, it’s just in them,” Bolden explains.
The A-list stylist, who partnered with Invisalign® clear aligners — the modern and discrete way to straighten your teeth — says Erivo’s best accessory on every carpet is her radiant smile.
The British actress, who has two Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Song, is set to perform “Stand Up” at the 92nd Academy Awards airing Sunday, February 9.
