I'm Cate Adair, fashion expert and the Emmy Award nominated costume designer of Desperate Housewives fame. As a film and television
costume designer, I’m challenged daily to find the right outfit for the right
situation. My job is to dress characters
in ways that reveal who they are to the audience and where they are in the
story, all the while making sure the clothing fits their bodies and flatters
their figures. If you think about it,
what I do in Hollywood directly translates to how we should approach dressing
for the ever-changing circumstances of our daily lives. (Not just those
occasional “major” dress-up moments.) I need to consider a character’s personality,
physical assets, and the situation they’re in. And where these
three converge, the outfit — perfect for the character and perfect for the
scene — is found. It’s that simple. Well, guess what? The same is true for you.In my years dressing Hollywood stars and stay-at-home moms, I’ve seen it all. I’ve learned that our clothes don’t so much cover us up as reveal who we are. Just as the right clothes bring a character to life on the big screen, they can also help real women in the real world look right for all the parts they play in their lives — without losing themselves in the process.
So, welcome to my world! Join me and I’ll show you how to dress for the production of a lifetime — your own unfolding story.
Cate completed formal training in Fashion and Costume Design in her native Britain and has gone on to design feature films, television, ballet, and theatre. Her credits include Desperate Housewives for which she has received four Emmy Award nominations and three Costume Design Guild Award nominations, Dreamworks’ Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Oprah Winfrey’s critically acclaimed Before Women Had Wings. She also has designed for the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Washington Ballet, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, and the National Player’s Touring Company.
MEDIA APPEARANCES AND AWARDS
Awards
Television
2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Emmy Awards nominee Good Morning America
2004, 2005, and 2006 Costume Design Guild Awards nominee Access Hollywood
US Magazine’s TV Costume Designer of the Year Entertainment Tonight
Hollywood Life Magazine’s 2006 Style Award for The Insider
Television’s Most Stylish Show The Rachel Ray Show
Co-Presenter with Bob Mackie at the first annual LA The Wendy Williams Show
Fashion Awards in 2005 This Morning in the UK
2005 Honoree of Giorgio Armani Fashion Police with Robert Verdi
2007 Honoree of the Platinum Guild of America The TV Guide Network’s Fashion Team
Pantone’s 2007 Design & Color Luminaries
Women’s Wear Daily 2007 Most Influential Stylists
2008 Accessories Council honoree and Excellence Award
Magazines
Newspapers
People Magazine
Variety
US Weekly
Hollywood Reporter
Vogue
LA Times
Women's Wear Daily
Chicago Tribune
Graz
New York Post
Marcee Kleinman, Webmaster
Awards
Television
