Kacey Musgraves’ Stylist Owns That Tom Ford Gucci Red Velvet Suit

“The thing about dressing other people is that you can live vicariously through them,” says stylist Erica Cloud, whose impressive client roster includes Kacey Musgraves, Awkwafina, Laura Dern, Eugene and Dan Levy, and more. Take for instance, the voluminous gold Simone Rocha set Awkwafina wore to the recent Hollywood premiere of The Little Mermaid. “It's so architectural and artistic,” she explains. “I absolutely loved it, but I don’t have somewhere to wear it.” Good thing her clients do. Cloud’s behind-the-scenes lifestyle entails a different kind of wardrobe. “If you see me daily, I'm probably in a pair of black jeans, boots, and a vintage sweatshirt,” she laughs.

“I want each person to tell their own story,” she explains of her approach to styling, “not to necessarily have my stamp on it.” Her mark of a job well done is that her involvement disappears—at least on the surface. “My job is to hopefully elevate their personal style,” she says of her clients. In the case of the Musgraves, Cloud has worked with the beloved country singer to translate the energy behind “Golden Hour” into a wardrobe of ensembles—think modernized versions of rich ‘70s aesthetic tropes and, of course, “all of these golden hour colors,” she jokes. “What people don't realize is that when they see an image or they hear a song and it makes them think of something, it's because it's been curated that way. It should be subconscious,” she says. “Hopefully.” As a stylist, Cloud knows the power of fashion better than most.

In antithesis to the jewels and sequins she deals in, the things that make the stylist’s own heart flutter are a great quality sweater or a perfectly-cut vintage Levi. “And then don't even get me started on my jacket collection,” she laughs. “I have two full closets of jackets.” When we visited said closets, Cloud donned her favorite pair of black Mother cropped flare jeans, her wear-everywhere zipper boots by The Row, and a 15-year-old men’s J.Crew sweater. The creative exalts Holly Golightly’s iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s LBD above most modern design, yet is admittedly drawn to the men’s section by its lack of “bells and whistles.” Cloud explains, “We don't always need a pucker sleeve or a dart somewhere, just a clean line.” Of the boots, she jokes that she would wear them with anything—"anything ever, including a bathing suit. Just kidding, but it's my favorite, favorite shoe.” When Cloud needs to add a bit of flair to her pseudo uniform—sometimes it’s blue jeans instead of black—she opts for a Western boot. “I just feel like that's where the kink comes—in a good way.”

“It's funny because I wouldn't say I had anything else early Western in my closet,” she continues. “I have an old YSL suede trench coat—I don't wear them together though.” If the statement isn’t coming from her footwear, Cloud’s outerwear is likely doing the talking. “Oh my God, that's my favorite,” she muses when I bring up the leopard print Saint Laurent coat stealing my attention from her closet. Yet another piece of menswear, this one she snagged at the outlet store in Italy. You can layer it, push the sleeves up, and wear it on its own. She continues to list the ubiquitous sartorial possibilities. That plus the funky footwear, jeans, and a t-shirt no longer seem so simple. “And I need red lipstick,” Cloud adds. “That's the one other accessory that makes me feel like, ‘Okay, I'm put together.’”

Other notable finds include Loewe’s now iconic hand-print shirt and a studded Dries Van Noten turtleneck. Cloud pauses to tell me about the wonders of the archival room within the LA Dries Van Noten store. “It feels like you're treasure hunting.” There, she’s made many purchases, including a pair of red lace print opera-length nylon gloves. Her most notable treasure hunt find is one you may have seen before—the iconic Tom Ford for Gucci red velvet suit Gwyneth Paltrow has now worn twice. Once at the 1996 VMAs, and another time at last year’s Gucci “Love Parade” fashion show in 2021. At the latter venue, Cloud showed up in the same look. She quickly donned a friend’s coat—would you want to twin with GP?

Cloud’s greatest mark of success is that her own aesthetic inclinations disappear from the ensembles of her clients. She doesn’t want you to know that she was there. But every now and then there’s a slight overlap. Amidst her rather minimal closet, something metallic, rainbow, and pleated catches my eye. It’s the same Rosie Assoulin dress she put Kacey Musgraves in for the “High Horse” music video. “I just had to own it after that,” she muses. “That's the complete opposite of a little black dress,” she muses. “You just feel like a magical unicorn when you wear it.”