Among Jason Bolden’s hit list of clients are Amy Sherald, Amanda Gorman, Yara Shahidi and Alicia Keys.
While walking down the street with Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, or Michael B. Jordan, a new, increasingly common occurrence is that their stylist, Jason Bolden, might be recognized first. “People are like, ‘Oh my god! Can I have a photo?’” says Bolden, laughing on a call from Los Angeles. “I’m like, what is going on? They’re the celebrity.” Shock at his own fame notwithstanding, Bolden is a star of his own making, emblematic of a new era of stylists who are stepping out from behind the dress to command bold-face billing.
Where social media, reality television and backstage documentaries have incited a craving for intimacy with our idols, process content (think: Get Ready With Me videos) has become as exciting as the final product. In other words, behind the scenes has become the scene. And Bolden has seized the moment. His multi-hyphenate creative brand, JSN Studio offering personal styling, interior design and a line of sunglasses, is the center of a Netflix reality show, Styling Hollywood (both critically acclaimed and devoured by the masses). His follower counts on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter soar to dizzying heights. Earlier this year, People vied for and won exclusive rights to print the first photos of his infant son, Arrow Fox (a boy audiences have followed the fretful planning for since Bolden’s husband and JSN Studio co-owner Adair Curtis first broached the subject of growing their family on air in 2019).
The appeal is easy. Bolden is an arresting hero—warm, charming, quick witted, handsome, and as preternaturally smooth skinned as the celebrity clients he offers proximity to. But it’s his empathetic nature as a partner, business owner, and friend that sets him a cut above the rest.
Effortlessly grasping the zeitgeist, Bolden is able to see a dress on a runway and project it not only onto a client, but into a history-making, world-shifting moment. See Serena Williams in high-octane Versace and sneakers as the co-chair of the 2019 Met Gala; Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman on the cover of Time magazine enveloped in her favorite color, canary yellow; the trademark greys that were procured for painter Amy Sherald, in the form of a fringed crop top and skirt for the unprecedented unveiling of her grisaille portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery.
“It’s more than a beautiful dress,” says Bolden, describing his process. “It’s about listening. What happens a lot is that stylists push an idea of what we want for someone, but we miss their words and feelings. Everybody wants to be heard and be seen.”
On any size screen, you can watch Bolden’s friends and clients unfold like paper napkins in his presence and bloom when in his clothes. In one episode of Styling Hollywood, Henson paces nervously around her hotel room before a red carpet, then honies when she steps into a fantastically embroidered Giambattista Valli floral mini dress with a full train. “She loves to play with a skirt,” Bolden asides to himself in an earlier episode. In another, Sabrina Carpenter’s steely gaze softens to childlike wonder when he translates her request for “Girl Boss” into a sharp-shouldered Tom Ford pinstripe suit, no shirt necessary.
Of course, it helps that Bolden’s clients are people worth listening to. They are cultural trailblazers including groundbreaking actresses (Zazie Beets, Yara Shahidi), musicians (Alicia Keys), artists (Sherald), athletes (Williams) writers (Gorman), and directors (Janet Mock, Mindy Kaling), all of whom continue to command more seats at more tables. “I’m interested in men and women who are shifting the planet,” he says of his roster. “I love being in the space where I can be a part of a transition and help create a new narrative.” One he’s personally pushing is “Black Girl Magic,” something of a catch phrase he utters when one of his powerful clients happily shines in the spotlight, her megawattage growing with every camera lens trained on her and every Best Dressed list she tops.
Cynthia Erivo at the 2020 Oscars, styled by Bolden.
“Cynthia [Erivo] keeps popping up for me,” Bolden says when asked for an example. He recalls the 2020 Oscars, when she was first nominated, not once, but twice for Harriet in the categories of best leading actress and best song. She dreamed of attending in Versace. Bolden clinched the deal, delivering a white ball gown finished with a swirling star-studded bodice that had the effect of a fairy godmother-crafted transformation caught in motion. Donatella Versace saw personally to a fitting. “When Cynthia saw her, she began to weep,” says Bolden, “That’s what keeps me here. I get to be a part of supporting someone’s dream coming true.”
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