Red Carpet Diamonds

Neil Rasmus/BFAnyc/Sipa Press

With just one month to plan her secret Hawaiian wedding, Elizabeth Smart had mere days to finalize details like flowers, a guest list … and her dress.

“I tried on just about every dress in Utah,” Smart tells PEOPLE. Frustrated, she hoped a quick cross-country trip would prove fruitful. “I was going to New York with my friend for the weekend and we thought, ‘Why don’t we just see if we can get into Kleinfeld’s and look around?’”

Miraculously, she scored an open appointment slot at the famed Manhattan bridal shop (featured on TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress) — and found her dress, too. The Alita Graham gown — with lace sleeves, a sweetheart neckline and satin-covered buttons down the back — was an ideal fit for her nuptials.

“It was traditional, but still was different,” she explains. “I felt like it was just perfect.”

And while she did plan her dream wedding in record time, she also had to gloss over a few traditions. When asked if she chose “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” for her big day, the newlywed laughs. “Are you kidding?” she says. “There’s been no time!”

For more details and exclusive photos of Smart’s wedding — and to see what the groom wore, too! — pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

–Reporting by Alicia Dennis and Cathy Freeh

WireImage; AP; FilmMagic

We know how we feel about stars’ red carpet looks, but how do the dresses, jewels, hair and makeup look through a stylist’s eyes? Sam Saboura, who’s dressed Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman and Sarah Jessica Parker, among others, thinks it’s been an “interesting” year so far, he tells PEOPLE.

“I was surprised to see such a lack of color at the Golden Globes,” he shares. “So many actresses jumped straight to pre-fall for their dresses — we weren’t even able to enjoy what was coming for spring 2012.” The SAG Awards were an improvement — “I was happy to see there were pops of bright color,” he shares — and Saboura predicts the Oscars will be even better.

“Coming off the spring 2012 couture shows, we’re seeing a lot of color in couture, a lot more volume, fuller skirts,” he says. “It’s so perfectly appropriate as we come into the Oscars.”

So that being said, who is the stylist most excited to see? Perhaps unsurprisingly, some of the newcomers.

“I was blown away by Shailene Woodley at the Globes,” he says. “What people don’t get is that a dress on the red carpet can make a celebrity into a superstar. These first few times out, she has to impress us; get our attention while still staying safe, presentable and appropriate. So I thought she was stunning, especially for a first-timer.”

Another favorite is “the amazing” Rooney Mara. “She’s staying true to herself. She balances the character she’s going to be on the red carpet,” Saboura says. “For the Oscars, though, I do hope she steps outside of herself a little bit.”

An actress he’s hoping to see some improvement from is The Help‘s Jessica Chastain, who’s “so beautiful,” Saboura says. “I like her because she’s taking risks, but I don’t feel she’s found her footing just yet.”

Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy are two other stars “going in the right direction,” according to the stylist, but for Sunday night’s big dance, he’s really hoping for some pleasant surprises from every leading lady. “I hope we see more edginess, some maturity,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

CHOOSE THE BEST DRESSES FOR YOUR FAVE STARS IN ‘PREDICT-A-GOWN’

Neil Rasmus/BFAnyc/Sipa Press

Katie Holmes‘s co-pilot in her contemporary clothing enterprise, Holmes & Yang, is also the sartorial mastermind behind her red carpet looks.

“Taller, slender ladies are really lucky that most anything works for them,” Jeanne Yang tells Celebuzz of her famous client. “Even really wild fashion works when you are blessed with these features.”

Regardless of body type, Yang believes there are certain pieces every woman should own: a white blouse, a perfect LBD and leg-lengthening nude pumps to “add a chic flair to any outfit.”

And when it comes to the Oscars, Yang doesn’t agree with our prediction that Holmes will go for refined modernity: “Oscars will be all about color!” she portends. “Everyone will want to stand out in signature shades that work best for them.”

–Justine Harman

CHECK OUT ALL OF OUR BEST OSCAR GUESSES IN ‘PREDICT-A-GOWN!’

Jason Merritt/Getty

If the stars’ adoration for the new Marni for H&M collection is any indication, the pretty skirts, dresses and separates are going to sell out in no time. Gathering at the Sowden House in Los Feliz, Calif., over the weekend, several stylish celebrities sang the praises of the line, out March 8.

“I love that it’s accessible and affordable,” Drew Barrymore told reporters. “I mean, bottom line, I want to get a bag of clothes for the price of one garment. That’s what shopping is all about for me.”

Mila Jovovich, a friend of Marni designer Consuelo Castiglioni, said she’s “always respected” the brand. “Everyone loves Marni’s prints, everyone loves Marni’s cuts,” she said. “They really know how to bring the best out of a woman. It’s classic, beautifully shaped … it’s almost like rock ‘n’ roll Jackie O.”

Dianna Agron and Jessica Chastain were also on hand to fete the brand, as was Freida Pinto, who might make her way to her local H&M come March 8. “I wouldn’t go out always and buy a designer dress,” she told reporters. “But I do shop at H&M, so it’s nice for me to know that I can have an H&M Marni, and not just a Marni — which would burn a hole in my pocket!” Check out the entire Marni for H&M lookbook on the Huffington Post.

–Reporting by Reagan Alexander

SHOP THE CELEBRITY STYLES TO STEAL RIGHT NOW

Robin Marchant/Getty

Daily chlorine exposure wreaks havoc on star swimmer Michael Phelps’s hair. “It feels dead at times,” he admits to PEOPLE. But dealing with dry scalp issues isn’t enough to make the Olympian go to extremes.

“I would never shave my hair, zero shot,” he says. “If it falls out then it falls out. But I could never actually take a razor to my head and BIC it. I just couldn’t imagine it. I couldn’t see myself without hair.”

Luckily he won’t need to resort to shaving anytime soon: Phelps is the face (and, um, scalp) of the Head & Shoulders “Wash in Confidence” campaign, designed to boost self-esteem through healthy hair. “Head & Shoulders really helps re-moisturize my head, my hair and my scalp,” the athlete says. “It feels good, it feels clean.”

Phelps’s face is on select bottles of Head & Shoulders now, a part of the campaign he calls “kind of weird, strange and cool. I never imagined I’d be on the front of a shampoo bottle.” But he’s happy to be a spokesman for the brand, especially going into the 2012 London summer Olympics.

“Over the last eight months to a year, this is probably the happiest I’ve been since Beijing,” he admits. “I feel confident, I’m excited, I’m training, and I feel like I’m heading in the right direction to be able to accomplish my goals.”

Though the swimmer confirms that these will be his final Olympic games — “I always told myself I would never swim past the age of 30,” the 26-year-old explains — he’s looking forward to accomplishing a lot out of the pool through his Michael Phelps Foundation.

“I’m helping kids live healthy and active lifestyles, and learning how to swim is something I think all kids need,” he says. “It’s fun for me to always be around kids, have them smiling and enjoying themselves, and teaching them that they can do anything they set their minds to.”

–Kate Hogan

SEE THE STARS’ WACKIEST WINTER HAIRCUTS

Getty

Though her cropped do has been lauded as influential, Harry Potter alum Emma Watson says its initial reception wasn’t exactly constructive.

“I had journalists asking me if this meant I was coming out, if I was a lesbian now,” she tells the U.K.’s Independent. “That haircut did make me realize how subjective everyone’s opinion is. Some people were crazy for it and some people just thought I’d lost my [mind].”

The 21-year-old face of Lancôme says that her red carpet style is also hotly contested. After graduating from the Potter franchise, “I was fully game for ‘Throw me in this, throw me in that,’” she admits. “The press destroyed me over this Rodarte dress I once wore — it was bright blue with chains on it.” Still, she doesn’t consider the edgy look a mistake: “I loved it.”

But perhaps Watson has decided to tone it down as a result of the negativity. “I have to be more careful with my look in my everyday life,” she recently lamented to French Elle.

Still, she refuses to apologize for the decisions she makes. “I’m a multidimensional person and that’s the freedom of fashion,” she says, “that you’re able to reinvent yourself through how you dress and how you cut your hair or whatever.”

–Justine Harman

CHECK OUT MORE TRESS TRANSFORMATIONS: ‘STARS’ WACKIEST WINTER HAIR!’

Rex; Inset: Dave M. Benett/Getty

While those of us in our east coast office are still recovering from New York Fashion Week, our British counterparts are busy stylespotting all over London for — you guessed it — London Fashion Week. Here, read up on the latest from the chic shows and star-packed front rows:

Mulberry

Mulberry celebrated another “monster” hit when its latest collection showed at London’s Claridges on Sunday morning. Greeting front row attendees such as Michelle Williams, Elizabeth Olsen and Olivia Palermo were two giant yeti creatures standing guard over the catwalk — and guests’ seats were covered in shaggy goat hide, too.

Inspired by Maurice Sendak’s book Where The Wild Things Are (with English boarding school references tossed in), the collection was a mix of delicate lace and printed dresses teamed with chunky Mongolian fur jackets and shaggy gilets. Models were sporting the latest Mulberry bag, the Del Rey, named after singer Lana Del Rey, who sat front row with her white ostrich leather bespoke edition (and performed at a private dinner later that evening). The show closed playfully with The Muppet Show theme song.

Though stars like Palermo are fashion week veterans, actress Olsen confessed to being a newbie. “This is my first Mulberry show and my second fashion show ever,” she told PEOPLE beforehand. “I have no real reason to go to them. But I’ve heard Mulberry is quirky and fun so this is really exciting!”

Enjoying some time off in London before she starts shooting an independent film in March, Olsen, wearing a Mulberry bow-tie blouse, toted her favorite bag, the black “Evelina.” “I’m obsessed with [it],” she shared. “I’ve only had it a few months but it’s been everywhere with me since.”

Dave M. Benett/Getty

Burberry

The Burberry Prorsum show always offers a fresh take on quintessential British fashion, and designer Christopher Bailey’s latest offering in Kensington Gardens on Monday afternoon was no exception.

As Kate Bosworth mingled with Mario Testino and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, will.i.am slipped in next to Alexa Chung, taking in Bailey’s parade of sophisticated velvet coats in burgundy-wine red and fawn. There were also khaki country-style parkas featuring oversize pockets, and quirky elements like sequined owl motifs on jumpers, duck-head handbag clasps and wolf-shaped belt buckles.

Bosworth modeled one such owl top teamed with a tweed pencil skirt. Her go-to Burberry item? “Of course, the coats,” she told PEOPLE. “I’m always a little more on the classical side but this top is playful,” she added, referencing her shirt.

will.i.am, wearing a Burberry trench coat and clutching a studded tablet holder by the brand, raved about everything. “It was beautiful. I wanted to just trip the models and take it all,” he told PEOPLE jokingly. And Chung lauded Bailey, saying, “It just never ceases to amaze me how he comes up with a new twist on a classic design every time.”

As the finale began to a crack of thunder, simulated rainwater fell onto the outside of the marquee as confetti rained down inside and models took to the catwalk with umbrellas in hand. Looking up to the ceiling, will.i.am was obviously impressed, exclaiming, “That was fresh!”

Leon Neal/Getty

–Monique Jessen

SEE MORE STYLE STARS IN ‘LAST NIGHT’S LOOK: HIT OR MISS?’

Courtesy Gucci

Yes, her photo shoot was with the super-sexy Chris Evans, and yes, they had to “get intimate,” as she says. But Evan Rachel Wood tells PEOPLE her Gucci Guilty shoot with the Captain America star was anything but awkward.

“We had a great time,” she says. “There was a lot of laughing.”

Gucci creative director Frida Gianni approached Wood about starring in the Gucci Guilty campaign in 2010, hooking her with talk of the ads’ film noir angle. “I was excited about the Frank Miller inspiration,” she explains. “It’s a darker, edgier kind of fragrance campaign.”

The shoot took place in Italy — which would be exciting enough — but it happened to be set on a soundstage once used by director Federico Fellini, which made it extra special. “That part was pretty amazing,” Wood says. “As actors, Chris and I were just going gaga.”

At the moment, Wood is making the rounds to promote the newest Gucci fragrance, Gucci Guilty Intense, which she describes as “just that. It’s literally more intense than Guilty.” The fragrance has notes of pink pepper, lilac flower and violet, plus peach, patchouli and amber.

“I love the scent,” she insists. “I’m happy to say that. I really do enjoy it.”

Another facet of Gucci she enjoys? The clothes, of course! “Once I came to the realization that as an actor, fashion was going to be a big part of my job, I decided I was going to have fun with it, take some risks,” she explains.

So with Gucci, “I think Frida has really given the label new life,” she says, “and to have her design a Golden Globes dress for me was just amazing.” Though Wood doesn’t yet know if she’ll be at this weekend’s Oscars — she’s currently filming a movie in New York — she looks forward to future red carpet moments. As she promises, “There’s lots more Gucci to come.”

SHOP STARS’ SIGNATURE SCENTS

Yes, she often feels bigger around her sisters, and yes, it definitely makes her feel bad sometimes. Khloé Kardashian Odom recently finished shooting Kardashian Kollection swimsuit and lingerie campaigns with her sisters, and the reality star tells PEOPLE the experience was not her favorite.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking being next to Kourtney and Kim in lingerie or a bikini,” she admits in the clip above. “But that’s the blessing of having a line that’s designed by three different body-shaped women.”

The Kardashian Kollection, which launched in Sears stores in September, has grown rapidly since its start; aside from dresses, separates and accessories the line now includes denim. After lingerie and swim launch this spring, the sisters will roll out a home line, too. Tell us: Do you shop Kardashian Kollection for Sears?

MEET MORE CELEBRITY DESIGNERS

Courtesy Carol’s Daughter

We already know she takes sage skincare advice from her mom, but Cassie has another secret for a flawless complexion: the Carol’s Daughter Açaí Skincare Collection.

In ads for the new product line, the spokeswoman (she shares the gig with Solange Knowles and Selita Ebanks) flaunts her flawless face in a close-up photo.

The new açaí-based line of products includes cleanser, lotion, toner and face butter for normal-to-dry and normal-to-oily skin types. The items use the anti-aging powers of açaí berry extract, plus natural ingredients like aloe, witch hazel, vitamins A and E and more to keep skin young and healthy. Tell us: What do you think of Cassie’s new ad?

STUDY UP ON STARS’ RED CARPET BEAUTY SECRETS

Will Hart/NBC

Debra Messing has always been defined in part by her bright red hair, but for Smash, the actress selected a subtle accessory to help her character stand out: glasses by Sama eyewear.

“For this project, Debra actually wanted to use frames as a key prop to define the character,” Sama co-designer and head of production Ross Vance tells PEOPLE. “She decided from the first reading of the script that Julia [Houston, her character] had a look defined by glasses and wanted to see her face framed the right way to give off a specific look to match.”

To find the perfect frames, Messing (above, with costar Christian Borle) took photos while wearing a variety of styles, eventually selecting the solid Chelsea and Arte 2 spectacles (available at ilori stores and Destination Sama boutiques) in several different colors. “The eyewear helps her character project sophistication and fashion forwardness, but also a smart and vulnerable side,” Vance adds.

Before working with Messing on Smash, Sama created the actress’s personal eyewear wardrobe, plus frames for her roles in The Women and Starter Wife. Tell us: What do you think of Messing’s Smash spectacles?

SEE MORE ON-SET STYLE IN ‘LIGHTS! CAMERA! FASHION!’

New York Fashion Week is just a memory, but London Fashion Week is in full swing, and a slew of celebrities recently hopped the pond to see the latest in British style.

Over the weekend, Mulberry showed its fall 2012 collection at Claridge’s Hotel, with stars like Michelle Williams, Elizabeth Olsen, Lana Del Rey and Azealia Banks sitting front row (Vogue editrix Anna Wintour was there, too). The brand’s collection, inspired in part by Where the Wild Things Are, was an instant hit.

“It means everything’s game,” Olsen said of the show’s imaginative theme. “I really loved playing with the furs and the patterns and the lace and the beading.”

Williams agreed. “It was everything that I hoped it would be … and similarly a bunch of things I’d love to wear, love to bundle up with in the fall and winter. I especially loved the knits.”

After the show — and a quick change — the stars hit London’s Savile Club for a private dinner, where Alexa Chung joined the fun and Del Rey took the mic. Catch all the action in the clip above.

RELIVE THE EXCITEMENT OF NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

Roger Wong/INF

She’s styled Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner … and now Tiffany. Tiffany & Co., that is. The iconic jewelry store recently asked the celebrity stylist to create stunning windows at its New York, Beverly Hills, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and London stores, and the new mom was much obliged.

“Doing this collaboration has been one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life, certainly of my career,” she told reporters Thursday during an unveiling ceremony in New York. Zoe designed five jewelry-filled windows, each showcasing a particular decade of glamour. Spanning from the 1930s to the 1970s, they include lots of diamonds — and, in the 1960s window, Elizabeth Taylor’s Fleur de Mer brooch.

The project was timed to coincide with the Oscars, an event Zoe knows a little something about. “This is clearly different than dressing a person, because you’re dealing with a small space, trying to convey a message and style using different pieces,” she explained. “But jewelry, for me, almost always sets the tone for the decade that I’m trying to reflect when I’m dressing a woman.”

In New York for Fashion Week, Zoe was in part on a mission to find Oscar dresses for her clients. Without revealing names, she told PEOPLE she “found a lot of great things. They’re already in FedEx space right now on the way to my studio.”

WireImage; Getty; Getty

But her trip to New York was also another chance for her to showcase her Rachel Zoe Collection (above), presented to editors and admirers in runway form this year (last season, she opted for a presentation). “It was incredible, we had so much fun,” she told PEOPLE. “I can’t believe it’s come and gone already.”

When she wasn’t busy preparing for her own show — “It was a lot bigger, certainly a bit scarier [than spring],” she admitted — she did enjoy catching Rodarte, Marc Jacobs and Derek Lam. “There were some really pretty shows,” she mused.

So what can we expect to see Zoe wearing — and putting on her clients — come fall? “I loved the layers and layers and layers of chunky knits, incredible boots and bags,” she said. And as always, she loved the experience, too. “I love coming to Fashion Week. If I didn’t come every season, I would really feel like I was missing something that’s been a part of my life since the start of my career.”

–Kate Hogan

IT’S ALL OVER! LOOK BACK ON NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

Nicki Minaj has always wanted to be a M.A.C Viva Glam girl. So when she got the chance to work with Ricky Martin on the brand’s latest campaign, needless to say she was floored.

“I wanted to hug everyone that worked at M.A.C for giving me this opportunity,” she says in the clip above.

The R&B star and her sexy Latin counterpart, announced as the faces of M.A.C’s HIV/AIDS awareness campaign last year, shot their ads with photographer David LaChapelle last July. The clip above explores their shoot — and spotlights the cause.

“We want to think about things that really matter, and obviously HIV/ADS is one of those,” says Martin. “If you look at all the people who’ve been part of this project, all the celebrities, it’s very powerful.”

The pair, who are promoting a pink lipstick and M.A.C’s lip conditioner, had a great time working together, too. “It’s been amazing,” Martin says. Adds Minaj, “He’s a dream. He’s so humble, so genuine, so sweet.”

SHOP OUR EDITORS’ BEAUTY PICKS

Gerardo Somoza/Startraks; Inset: Courtesy Cole Haan

She has a big match coming up — an exhibition at New York’s Madison Square Garden in March — but Maria Sharapova is also focused on fashion these days. The tennis star sat front row at several big runway shows this week (Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta and Marc Jacobs, to name a few), and is continually hard at work on her Cole Haan accessories collection.

“I always imagined myself being involved in design, but I never thought [others would show] such good interest in [my work],” she tells PEOPLE. “I haven’t even been in the business for that long.”

Sharapova began designing footwear and handbags for the brand in 2008; brightly colored pumps, sandals and flats (like the Air Bacara Ballet, above) pepper her current collection.

“Flats were the first shoe I wanted to design,” she shares. Given that she stands at 6-ft., 2-in., that definitely makes sense. “My style is pretty laid back, but I do occasionally like to put on a heel.”

To that end, the bride-to-be finds lots of inspiration in her world travels — “It’s about the patterns, the way women carry their handbags, their essential go-to shoes,” she shares — and even delicate dancers.

“I have always been drawn to the details of the ballet,” she says, “from the lace on their shoes to the elegance and ease with which they dance. That was everything this ballerina [flat] represents to me.”

So which shoe is she sweet on these days? Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s not a heel. Says the star, “I spent a whole month in Australia with warm weather, so I’ve been wearing my silver glitter ballerinas.” Tell us: Have you shopped Sharapova’s Cole Haan collection?

SHOP STARS’ SHOES — FOR LESS THAN $100

Courtesy Lionsgate

We’re still trying to wrap our heads around The Hunger Games‘s Capitol Couture site — Who writes it? Why does it seem so mysterious? — but a recent posting caught our eyes. Rodarte designed a “charming chapeau” (above) that “could indeed be gracing a head of a Capitol socialite at this year’s Opening Ceremonies.”

The tulle-and-knit hat is made of mohair, alpaca and “other various wools” — all (fictionally) courtesy of District 11, the nation of Panem’s agricultural center. The sweater the model sports looks fairly similar to the Rodarte creation Natalie Portman recently wore to the label’s fall fashion show, too.

Rodarte — founded by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy in the early 2000s — is a celebrity favorite, adored by the likes of Rooney Mara, Elle Fanning, Kate Bosworth and more. The designers have dabbled in movies before; they were responsible for creating Portman’s dramatic black tutu in Black Swan. Tell us: Who would you want to see wearing this Rodarte hat in The Hunger Games?

SEE MORE ON-SET STYLE IN ‘LIGHTS! CAMERA! FASHION!’

Lisa Rose/QVC

We love her Winter Kate collection and House of Harlow 1960 accessories, but we’re most excited for Nicole Richie‘s affordable new endeavor, an eponymous line for QVC. The boho-inspired Nicole Richie Collection by QVC will debut on the home shopping channel Friday Feb. 24 at 9 p.m. ET, two days before the Oscars.

The first pieces from the line include printed maxi dresses, “cascade” jackets (both below) and textured leather hobo bags, priced from $75-$257. Blouses, dresses, skirts and additional handbags are expected to follow in the months ahead.

“[This collection] gives me an opportunity to design for a much broader range of women,” Richie tells WWD. “I wanted you to be able to walk into your closet with your eyes closed and pick something special.”

Richie’s QVC debut is part of the network’s “Buzz on the Red Carpet” event, airing live from the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The designer will be joined by QVC stars like Heidi Klum, the Kardashians, Kris Jenner and Joan Rivers, all of whom will be offering tips and tricks on making red carpet trends work in everyday life. Tell us: Will you shop Richie’s QVC line?  

Lisa Rose/QVC

MEET THE COOLEST STAR DESIGNERS

Albert Ferreira/Startraks

While visiting New York City this week, Selena Gomez gave 10 of her biggest fans a treat: the chance to help her put the finishing touches on her upcoming perfume.

“I was nervous,” she told PEOPLE Monday. “I relate a lot to my fans. Whenever I do concerts, shows, meet and greets, I see these people. They’re my age, or younger or a little older, and we’re all going through the same thing.”

Luckily, she had nothing to be nervous about; Gomez hit it off with her admirers, and added the final notes to her fragrance (due out this May). “They picked out something I’m really excited about and really proud of,” she revealed.

Gomez said she was very hands-on throughout the process, picking the initial notes, designing the bottle (shaped like a gown with balloons on top) and advising on the campaign (which features her floating in water). “It’s been a long process,” she admitted. “But it’s been really fun.”

The scent features hints of raspberry, chocolate and vanilla, so “it’s really strong and also very feminine,” Gomez said. “I’m in a place right now where I love intoxicating feelings … you just can’t get enough of it, you want more.”

When she needed advice, Gomez did call on two famous friends for help: Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, who both released scents last year. “It’s nice to say, ‘I’m so confused, what should I do?’” she said. “They’ve helped me, told me what they did. I did it a little differently than them, but it was good. I can’t wait for people to smell it.”

–Kate Hogan

SHOP STARS’ SIGNATURE SCENTS

Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty

The models on the Calvin Klein runway at New York Fashion Week Thursday seemed to resemble a girl we’ve seen before … like a Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

“[Star Rooney] Mara is very much an inspiration for the collection,” Calvin Klein creative director Francisco Costa told PEOPLE before the show. “The whole spirit … that skin. Very fresh.” According to fashion stylist Mary Alice Stephenson, the Calvin Klein hair team actually went so far as to cut and dye some of the models’ hair to look like Mara’s Dragon Tattoo character, Lisbeth Salander.

Mara, in a black cutout sheath, sat front row at Thursday’s show, where she was joined by fellow rising star Emma Stone (in head-to-toe red). “It’s genius that they’re both here,” Costa said, before singing Stone’s praises. “And Mara’s talent is so incredible. She’s very today — she has this freshness, this edge. Very feminine, but urban.”

That edge is what drew him to her — so much that he hopes to dress her for the Oscars. “I’d be thrilled,” he said. “I pretty much see her in a Calvin Klein dress with a little bit of structure at the Academy Awards. Definitely one from this season, but reworked.” (Stephenson pinpointed a black sequined dress that “would look severe and dramatic,” she said. “She looks incredible in black. She would stand out.”)

Gerardo Somoza/Startraks;Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty;Gerardo Somoza/Startraks

Though much of the focus was on Mara, Stone had a fabulous fashion moment of her own; while waiting backstage before the show, she was greeted by Vogue editrix Anna Wintour, who planted kisses on both of her cheeks.

Needless to say, the star power had the crowd buzzing — and some of the models even got excited, too. “I’m a little bit star struck,” admitted model Lara Stone, who caught Dragon Tattoo for the first time last week. “I’m obsessed with [Mara]. You just can’t keep your eyes off her.”

–Jeffrey Slonim

CATCH MORE STARS SITTING FRONT ROW AT FASHION WEEK

David X. Prutting/Sipa

Though Michael Kors‘s fall fashion show earned raves from most critics, there’s one person who was particularly impressed: his mother, Joan Hamburger.

“I loved this collection,” she told PEOPLE after the show. “I sat all day yesterday watching it. I couldn’t wait to see it on the runway.”

Rachel Zoe agreed. “It was so gorgeous,” she raved. “There was lace and sequins and furs and chunky knits and ponchos. It was absolutely beautiful.”

Inspired by “rugged elegance” — “I’m the best après skier, not the best during skier,” Kors joked to reporters — the collection was a hit with front-row stars like Jessica Alba (joined by Paula Patton and Amber Heard, above). “What didn’t I love?” she said. “I loved the leather — that little bit of leather, little bit of naughty, with the really soft stuff. It was great.”

Kent Miller/Splash News Online (3)

According to Hamburger, Kors’s design aspirations started “when he was five. He said he was going to be a designer, and said he’d have his first collection before he was 21,” she recalled. “He’s good. He works hard at it.”

He’s good to his clients, too. “I love his clothing, but what I really love is his heart,” Patton shared. “He’s one of the kindest men, so humble, and has treated me so well from the beginning of my career.”

–With reporting by Jeffrey Slonim

GET THE FINAL WRAP-UP FROM FASHION WEEK HERE