You can’t stop a weird dress from looking weird and quiet luxury doesn’t attract the eyeballs that oddity does, but you can at least make something fit. Which is why London tailor Nafisa Tosh has become the fairy godmother of the red carpet.
A recent example: Bella Ramsey’s look from Prada that appeared at the same event as Timothée Chalamet’s voluminous pinstripes, a tailored ensemble of red shirt, black pants and dramatic black crystal fringing. Like many redcarpet celebrities dressed in Prada, Chanel and other labels, it was Tosh who tailored the look.
Luxury brands may have endless resources, but the body is unpredictable and red carpet timing unforgiving. The designer creates, the atelier makes, the stylist selects — and the tailor holds it all together.
“I’ve become the go-to for Mrs Prada and Raf Simons for special events,” Tosh said. “They trust me.”
She continued: “In the case of the cage dress that Cynthia Erivo wore for the London premiere of Wicked: For Good in November, Prada was able to send something that wasn’t fully finished, so I could adapt the corset and add extra layers of crinoline and panelling, along with a repair kit with extra beading, threads, zips and boning.”
Stylish past
Tosh, 56, comes from a fashion family. Her father was a tailor who arrived in London from India in 1960. “Of course, at the time, he wasn’t allowed to work above the stairs on Savile Row, staying only in the basement,” she said.
Tosh studied fashion but had already had an apprenticeship of sorts. “I was fascinated by what my father was doing,” she said. “Seeing someone build up canvases to change a body shape looked like magic.”
She trained int he studios of Elizabeth Emanuel — famed for co-creating Princess Diana’s wedding dress — and Jasper Conran, before becoming a key member of Alexander McQueen’s studio for several seasons. Her work began with McQueen’s 2006 Widows of Culloden collection, including the dress worn by Kate Moss in the finale, which appeared to float as a hologram inspired by a Victorian optical illusion.
Star attraction
Some actors specifically insist on Tosh’s involvement. Gwendoline Christie, who is just over 6-foot-3, usually relies on her partner, designer Giles Deacon, for custom looks, but occasionally collaborates with others — including Tosh, who worked on the blue satin Miu Miu gown Christie wore to the Season 2 premiere of Wednesday last year.
More recently, Tosh worked on Tilda Swinton’s two -piece leather Chanel suit for the opening of a Wes Anderson exhibition at London’s Design Museum, as well as a turquoise Standing Ground dress by Michael Stewart Dunne for Swinton’s Gentle Monster campaign.
“That dress was one of my favourite pieces from a past collection,” Dunne said. “Nafisa essentially took it apart and put it back together again in under two days.” .
A recent example: Bella Ramsey’s look from Prada that appeared at the same event as Timothée Chalamet’s voluminous pinstripes, a tailored ensemble of red shirt, black pants and dramatic black crystal fringing. Like many redcarpet celebrities dressed in Prada, Chanel and other labels, it was Tosh who tailored the look.
Luxury brands may have endless resources, but the body is unpredictable and red carpet timing unforgiving. The designer creates, the atelier makes, the stylist selects — and the tailor holds it all together.
“I’ve become the go-to for Mrs Prada and Raf Simons for special events,” Tosh said. “They trust me.”
She continued: “In the case of the cage dress that Cynthia Erivo wore for the London premiere of Wicked: For Good in November, Prada was able to send something that wasn’t fully finished, so I could adapt the corset and add extra layers of crinoline and panelling, along with a repair kit with extra beading, threads, zips and boning.”
Stylish past
Tosh, 56, comes from a fashion family. Her father was a tailor who arrived in London from India in 1960. “Of course, at the time, he wasn’t allowed to work above the stairs on Savile Row, staying only in the basement,” she said.Tosh studied fashion but had already had an apprenticeship of sorts. “I was fascinated by what my father was doing,” she said. “Seeing someone build up canvases to change a body shape looked like magic.”
She trained int he studios of Elizabeth Emanuel — famed for co-creating Princess Diana’s wedding dress — and Jasper Conran, before becoming a key member of Alexander McQueen’s studio for several seasons. Her work began with McQueen’s 2006 Widows of Culloden collection, including the dress worn by Kate Moss in the finale, which appeared to float as a hologram inspired by a Victorian optical illusion.
Star attraction
Some actors specifically insist on Tosh’s involvement. Gwendoline Christie, who is just over 6-foot-3, usually relies on her partner, designer Giles Deacon, for custom looks, but occasionally collaborates with others — including Tosh, who worked on the blue satin Miu Miu gown Christie wore to the Season 2 premiere of Wednesday last year.More recently, Tosh worked on Tilda Swinton’s two -piece leather Chanel suit for the opening of a Wes Anderson exhibition at London’s Design Museum, as well as a turquoise Standing Ground dress by Michael Stewart Dunne for Swinton’s Gentle Monster campaign.
“That dress was one of my favourite pieces from a past collection,” Dunne said. “Nafisa essentially took it apart and put it back together again in under two days.” .