Sept. 26, 2014 1:36 p.m. ET
ANYONE WHO THINKS it's easy to choose a red-carpet gown would do well to study how Kate Young works. When dressing celebrities, the 38-year-old stylist researches evening-wear inspiration with academic fervor. "When someone's nominated for an Oscar, there are about 11 big events between January and March," said Ms. Young, whose clients include Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman. "To keep it from getting boring I think, 'What can we do that's different?' " She assembles extensive collections of images for each nominee, often digging up stills from old films. "Images from movies resonate with actresses in a way a photo from a magazine doesn't," she explained.
Ms. Young, who lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Keith Abrahamsson, co-founder of record label Mexican Summer, and their 4- and 6-year-old sons, got her start as an assistant to Vogue editor Anna Wintour. She thought she wanted to be a fashion writer, but realized she loved working with clothes more than words. She soon began helping the magazine's fashion director dress actresses for the culture pages, and in a few years, struck out on her own.
Her knack for research prompted her first book, called "Dressing for the Dark," out in October from Assouline. (Her friend, actor and jewelry designer Waris Ahluwalia, saw the book-size folder she created for Ms. Williams's "My Week with Marilyn" appearances and suggested Ms. Young reach out to the publisher.) Though it contains plenty of glamorous photographs, the volume is also a guide for real women. It's broken up into five chapters, according to Ms. Young's theory that everyone leans towards one particular style for evening: relaxed, sexy, classic, fashion-forward or dramatic. She also includes tips on the best salons in New York, Los Angeles and Paris for skin and hair; and the undergarment every woman should own: Victoria's Secret Embracer Waist-Cincher Thong. "My office buys them by the case," she said.
I start my day by: doing transcendental meditation for 20 minutes. It's changed my life.
In my handbag I always have: my wallet—one third of the Céline Trio bag that I've snapped off—my iPad, iPhone, keys and LipJao lip balm. Currently I'm carrying a Mansur Gavriel bucket bag that's black with a blue interior.
My closet is: a walk-in and it's organized—sort of. The drawers are labeled, but it's always messy. I have one closet full of racks for shoes. But I try them on and throw them back in, so there's usually a big heap on the floor. My take is that people who have organized closets have a full-time person for that.
The last thing I bought was: a button-down shirt from the Row. It's blue and white and has this asymmetrical seam running across.
My favorite stationery is: cream-colored Cartier [notecards] with my name in black. But when I'm in Paris, I go to Papier Plus and buy mismatched, colored card stock and envelopes.
My signature scent is: L'Artisan's Passage d'Enfer. It translates to 'the road to hell.'
Children should dress: 100% however their parents want. But it's a limited window. I like to dress babies up as much as possible because they can't tell you they don't like it. Last year, my 4-year-old son, Leif, would only wear red pants. So my little fashiony, rock-and-roll family had a boy from Nantucket.
As a teenager, I dressed: goth. I wore Dr. Martens and a lot of crushed velvet. I had primary-red Manic Panic-dyed hair, and powdered my face white and wore black eyeliner. It was very Drew Barrymore, "Poison Ivy" era.
My drink of choice is: Campari and soda. It's not chic to say I drink it in the winter, but I do.
The best hotel in the world is: Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, France. I've been once, when I [I was working on] a Dior ad. It's utopia.
My favorite flower is: dahlias. My mom grows them for me at her house in Pennsylvania.
The first expensive thing I bought for myself was: Prada black velvet platforms from the Japanese-inspired collection in, like, 1997. I wore them so much, they fell apart.
My favorite fashion film is: "The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant." The fashion is insane. Tom Ford based a whole Yves Saint Laurent collection on it, and Prada fall 2014 was inspired by it, too.
The last book I read was: A.M. Homes's "May We Be Forgiven." It's about loneliness, addiction and lost love. If you haven't read anything by A.M. Homes you're depriving yourself.
My must-have beauty products are: the cleanser, scrub and moisturizer by Lancer skin care.
The biggest fashion mistake women make is: not considering pant length and shoe height. If you find a good pair of pants, buy two and have one hemmed for flats and one for high heels. Right now pants with flats look best if you see the ankle. With a heel, you want to cover the ankle but see the foot.
My secret talent is: being really good with electronics. If you need your universal remote programmed, I'm the one to call.
—Edited from an interview by Emily Holt
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