Fall, it seems, has turned into awards season for those behind-the-scenes in television and movies, as InStyle, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and WWD have all inaugurated events this year. Allure was the latest to do so, partnering with Max Mara on Saturday night at its Rodeo Drive store to honor the hair, makeup and wardrobe teams behind Shonda Rhimes’ hit shows. Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Ellen Pompeo, Darby Stanchfield, Liza Weil, Scott Foley and Bellamy Young were among the stars of “Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How to Get Away With Murder” who turned out.
Upon Rhimes’ arrival, Washington danced and chanted, “Shonda, Shonda.”
“Oh, there goes my hairstylist,” said “Grey’s Anatomy” actress Camilla Luddington. “We’re talking about you,” she said, pointing to Melanie Smith.
“Scandal” actress Katie Lowes perhaps picked the wrong time to debut a new hair look.
“I walked in and Shonda was like, ‘What the hell? What did you do?’” she said of her faux bob. “I was like, ‘No, no, no, I didn’t cut it. I didn’t cut it.’ It’s just tucked up underneath. When you want to go through a major look change you’ve got to talk to Shonda about it for your character.”
“I often ask Lyn [Paolo] for her advice,” Young said of the “Scandal” costume designer. “I’m very New York-minded and very ‘black is black.’ But I so enjoyed having all the bright power colors with Mellie on the show that I’ve started buying that stuff.”
Toward the end of the evening, Jeff Perry of “Scandal” tapped a glass of water and lime with a pen to settle the crowd. “Us actors, we hog the attention and I just want to say this idea, wherever it started, is brilliant and we need to have one every four months. God bless you guys. Hair, wardrobe and makeup, thank you.”