Awards

It costs over $40K just to get an actress Golden Globes ready

Actress Amy Adams dazzled last year when she picked up her Golden Globe — Best Actress in a musical or comedy film, for “Big Eyes” — in custom periwinkle Versace gown.

While the dress was no doubt a loaner, there’s still an insane cost for getting an actress awards-show ready.

The “free” dress: $12,500

Amy Adams stunned at the Golden Globes 2015 – with a hefty price tag. Her Versace gown was loaned to her for $12,500.AP

“There’s a lot of prep involved — we’re talking weeks!” says stylist Micaela Erlanger, who is dressing Lupita Nyong’o for this year’s Globes. “From talking to designers if you’re doing something custom to getting the samples in and, of course, fittings — it’s crazy.”

A major Hollywood stylist like Erlanger comes with a day rate of around $1,500 — for movie nominees, the cost is usually picked up by their film’s studio. For a major red carpet like the Golden Globes, that means a payday of over $10,000 for several days of work.

Putting the finishing touches on the gown doesn’t come cheap either. Brands such as Chanel (which dressed Keira Knightley and Dakota Johnson at last year’s ceremony) usually fly in their own couture-trained tailors from Europe. That’s at least $1,500 for a flight and another $1,000 to put up said tailor in a hotel room for a few days (which the dressmaker pays for, in exchange for the publicity).

Hair: $6,000

A Golden Globes worthy hairstyle runs celebrities around $6,000.Reuters

For celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel, who has worked with Natalie Portman and Reese Witherspoon, the process starts a few days before the actual awards: “I look at the dress — the lines, the construction, the texture.” Then he pulls inspiration from books and past red carpets, presenting options to his client. Creating the actual hairstyle on the day of the awards takes two to five hours.

As for cost? Stylist Chris McMillan — known for creating Jennifer Aniston’s “Rachel” haircut — did both Aniston and Julianne Moore’s ’do for last year’s Globes. He commands a reported $2,000 day rate. Multiply that times Abergel’s estimation of a few days of prep, and you’re looking at $6,000.

Makeup: $5,000

Adam’s makeup costs $5,000.Getty Images

Makeup artist Stephen Sollitto was behind Adams’ look at last year’s Golden Globes, working in conjunction with Chanel — who likely picked up Sollitto’s tab and provided all of the cosmetic products gratis.

“We always talk beforehand — like, ‘How was your week?’ ” he says. “But once everyone sits down to work, it’s an hour.”

The cost for an hour of Sollitto’s time? At least $1,500. Adams seems relatively low-key, though — other celebrities demand a makeup trial run a few days prior and, often, the exclusive use of a celebrity makeup artist’s time, which can increase the rate to $5,000.

Nails: $300

A house call for a red-carpet ready manicure runs for about $300.AP

“A lot of times the celebs will [pay] on their own and — I can only speak for myself — I’ll give a much-reduced rate,” says celebrity manicurist Tom Bachik, who works with everyone from Beyoncé to Jennifer Aniston. “It’s a special moment, and I get excited to be part of that experience.” Even with that preferential rate, celebs can expect to pay $300 for a house call.

The “free” jewelry: $20,000

The Tiffany & Co. jewelry that Adams donned was worth $530,000 but was loaned to her for $20,000.Left: AP; right: Getty Images

Adams wore $530,000 worth of Tiffany & Co. jewelry to last year’s Globes — but all of that was on loan.

What does cost money is all of the security to keep said jewelry safe. “Armored trucks, guards and insurance are all part of the process,” says Forevermark Diamond expert, Kristen Trustey. And brands usually need to hire security teams not once but twice. “Once a stylist has made their selections, we typically bring the jewelry to a fitting with the celebrity.”

Stone Security Services regularly works red carpets, and the company estimates that all this could easily run a jewelry brand at least $20,000.