Mel Ottenberg is a renowned stylist who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. He began his career collaborating with photographer Stephen Klein. Ottenberg is known for reinventing the looks of celebrities like Cate Blanchett and Chloe Sevigny. He has had a long career styling pop star Rihanna, serving as her stylist for appearances, videos, album covers, and her world tours since 2011. Ottenberg's innovative and daring styles for Rihanna have helped shape her image and propel her to fashion icon status. Their collaborative and trusting relationship has been instrumental to Rihanna's success and evolution as a trendsetter over the past decade.

1. MELL OTTENBERG
Fundamentals of styling

2. The Path to Success
• Mel Ottenberg is a stylist as talented as he is discreet. A graduate of the
famous Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), he moved to New York just
after his studies and began working for a few designers. His career began
after meeting and collaborating with the renowned photographer, Stephen
Klein.
• “We met at a barbecue”, He recalls, “and suddenly, he booked me for the
covers of Italian Vogue and l’Uomo Vogue.”

3. The Stylists Style
• In an interview with Daria Radlinski when asked about his style in high
school he says “At 15 my big look was huge, red Cross Colors jeans with a
Junior Gautier black mock turtleneck and steel toe Docs. With a Caesar. “

4. • He often references the memories of all
the kids that he saw in 9th grade, while I
was sneaking out or candy flipping at a
rave, and the editorials from early 90’s
Details, The Face, I-D, Interview and
Vogue
• The pinnacle of cool, Ottenberg creates
looks that are perpetually ahead of the
curve, while maintaining an approach of
effortlessness. Though he prefers
energetic, exotic looks for his clients,
Ottenberg opts for simple, classic pieces
accented with worn-in scruff.
• His first job ever was not fashion related.
It was a telephone operator at the family
business, which was a bakery in
Washington.

5. • He got into styling when he met Matthias
Vriens, and was asked to style a story for The
Face. I used mostly my own clothes because I
didn’t know how to pull or anything. I really
liked the pictures and the collaborative vibe,
and so I pursued styling as a career.
• One of his Most memorable moments from a
shoot was a naked Pam Anderson gyrating in a
giant glass
• When asked was his collaborations Mel says “I
collaborate a lot with designer Adam Selman
on Rihanna’s stage clothes, and he’s my
boyfriend too, so we have a great time working
together. We did a three-way collaboration
with Tom Binns on a hand painted, Swarovski-
covered bikini for Rihanna this year. That was
one of my favorite collaborations ever

6. His Work
• Mel is known for reinventing the looks of some of the world’s most provocative style
tastemakers, such as Cate Blanchett, Chloe Sevigny and James Franco.
• As a leading stylist, MEL OTTENBERG has left his indelible mark on not only fashion,
but pop culture. Ottenberg mixes art school flair with a witty, sexy sensibility – all
done with an approach that is equal parts quirky and slightly skewed, yet
sophisticated.
• His editorial work has appeared in and on the covers of Harper’s Bazaar, V, Details, I-D,
Purple, Dazed & Confused, the New York Times Style Magazine, GQ Style, and many
other publications.

7. • Ottenberg’s narrative approach to clothing
has been featured in ads for Nike and Dior’s
“Midnight Poison” fragrance (directed by
Wong Kar-wai).
• Ottenberg was the costume designer for the
films The Heart Is Deceitful and Angel.
• A facet to Ottenberg’s success is his natural
proclivity for forging long-term working
relationships, be it with photographers like
his frequent collaborator Terry Richardson
or styling the conceptual runway shows and
presentations for men's wear designer
Adam Kimmel.

8. A Life Long Bond
• Ottenberg is currently working with pop superstar
Rihanna, serving as the stylist for all of her appearances,
videos (including the international smash “We Found
Love”), and record covers, as well as serving as costume
designer for her recent world tour.
• “For me, the thing that makes Rihanna so interesting is
this mix of fearlessness and great energy,” says Mel
Ottenberg. “I love that she is completely unafraid of
fashion.”
• In the three years since the talented stylist has worked
with the superstar, her trendsetting prowess has only
grown from strength to strength—whether it be a custom
Givenchy Couture look designed for the stage or a casual
off-duty ensemble by an under-the-radar designer,
Rihanna makes marching to the beat of her own fashion
drummer look easy.
• His forwarding-thinking sensibilities make for an electric
foil to the singer’s daring personal style.

9. “Stripes by Adam Selman
and Balenciaga boots,
Chanel jewels and a major
hair moment on the Talk
That Talk album shoot.
Photo by Ellen Von
Unwerth.”(top left)
“In Baku,
Azerbaijan.
Adam
Selman design
ed the print
and it was
murder
onstage. Boots
from Opening
Ceremony.
Photo
by Melissa
Forde.”(top
center)
“Stella
made the
perfect
look, and
we
Rihanna-
fied it with
the details:
the hair,
makeup,
shoes, and
jewels.”(to
p right)
”color and sexy
and sheer, but not
too sheer—
beautiful and
strong and
dangerous and
really, really
glamorous all at
the same time.”
(bottom left)
“The custom porno print on
this coat is killer. The
illustrations would need to be
censored if you saw them up
close. Riccardo is a dream to
work with and helped make
the Diamonds World Tour a
big Rihanna fashion moment.”
(bottom center)

10. • Behind every well-dressed celebrity lies a trail of stylists,
but the relationship between Rihanna and Mel Ottenberg
is one for the history books.
• Rihanna and Mel Ottenberg first teamed up back in 2011
on her “Loud” tour where he created her stage costumes.
• The “We Found Love” video came next and was Rihanna’s
springboard into the fashion spotlight.
• The 38-year-old stylist is credited with shaping Rihanna’s
look since then .

11. • His work has paid off. Just last week the 26-year-old beauty walked away with
this year’s CFDA Fashion Icon Award.
• Rihanna’s sheer, shimmering Swarovski-coated gown was the talk of the night.
It shined a light on an award show typically only on the radar of industry
insiders. For stylists like Ottenberg, this is what the career path is all about,
creating a moment that can last a lifetime.

12. • Though Mel does admit sometimes he has to coax her into a look. Like the Tom
Ford snakeskin dress she wore to the Met Ball , it took him a minute to
convince her that it was the one.
• In terms of Ottenberg actually dressing Rihanna for big events, he usually only
gets about three minutes to do so, but they’re now so aware of the look they
want–”a scrappy, disheveled type of vibe” that it works out most every time.
“My whole thing was she’s so beautiful, she’s so over the top, she doesn’t need
so much stuff,” he said. “We can strip it down.”

13. • Despite his stature Mel admits
he still likes to go thrifting for her
costumes and loves to find what
the new beat is.
• One of the results of his love for
thrifting are the pearl Chanel
sunglasses she wore, and that
became a huge moment and
launched a million pearl
sunglasses.
• But coincidently long before he
found them, he had them on a
mood board, and had always
hoped to find them.

14. • Mel Ottenberg is something of a game-changer. He is, after all, the one
responsible for millions of teens around the world suddenly (and fervently)
gluing fake pearls onto their sunglasses and Mickey Mouse ears onto their
headbands. Although his work is so public, he has mostly remained behind-
the-scenes.

15. It’s the link between the hair, makeup, the
dress, the photographer, the model and the
smallest of elements involved… that makes
all the magic happen.
As Ottenberg rightly says
“Style is the glue that brings all the elements
together”.

16. Credits
• http://voguebinge.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/stylist-profile-mel-ottenberg/
• http://diydib.blogspot.in/2013/03/knotted-fringe-tee.html
• http://kvil.cbslocal.com/2014/06/03/style-files-rihannas-dress-at-cfda-awards-leaves-little-to-the-
imagination/
• http://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/party-pictures/adam-selman-mel-ottenberg-celebrity-
and-fashion-party-photos-030413#slide-4
• http://www.vogue.com/866144/rihanna-best-looks-of-all-time-mel-ottenberg/
• http://lifeandtimes.com/rihannas-stylist-mel-ottenberg-breaks-down-his-favorite-ri-looks/2
• http://melottenberg.tumblr.com/
• http://www.style.com/stylefile/2011/01/behind-the-scenesters-mel-ottenberg/
• http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/fashion/rihanna-style-stylist-mel-ottenberg.html
• http://models.com/people/mel-ottenberg/year/editorial
• http://styleblazer.com/286643/mel-ottenberg/
• http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2013/09/best-dressed-celebrity-stylists_slideshow_item9_10
• http://www.openingceremony.us/entry.asp?pid=4892
• http://www.elle.com/news/fashion-style/mel-ottenberg-rihanna-interview
• http://www.bravotv.com/people/mel-ottenberg/bio
• http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2014/06/11/mel-ottenberg-risd-rihanna-and-that-
jaw-droppingly-sheer-dress/mvmV4adMMfhafpCz2R6VjM/story.html
• http://www.openingceremony.us/entry.asp?pid=4892
• http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/404946/Mel-Ottenberg
• http://www.promostyl.com/blog/en/derriere-les-cameras-un-artiste-mel-ottenberg/
• http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/news/rihannas-stylist-dishes-on-her-diamonds-tour-
wardrobe-and-getting-naked
• www.cloudzilla.to/cam/wpop.php

17. By
Aaliya Gujral
(Section-A ,FSID Level-1)
Thank you