Red carpet commentary is a blood sport on social media. It goes way beyond witty critique; it’s ruthless. Fashion influencers fire potshots with velocity — like Hanan Besovic’s takedown of Timothée Chalamet’s Givenchy trousers at the Critics Choice Awards last week (“Sis, the pants are just too long”). It’s been more than 10 years since Rihanna wore the yellow Guo Pei “omelet” gown to the Met Gala, but who can forget?
You can’t stop a weird dress from looking weird, and quiet luxury doesn’t attract the eyeballs that an oddity does, but you can at least make something fit. Which is why the London tailor Nafisa Tosh has become the fairy godmother of the red carpet. A recent example: Bella Ramsey’s look from Prada that appeared at the same event as Mr. Chalamet’s voluminous pinstripes, a tailored ensemble of red shirt, black pants and dramatic black crystal fringing. Like many red carpet celebrities dressed in Prada, Chanel and other labels, it was Ms. Tosh who tailored the look.
Luxury brands have all the resources imaginable, but the human body is unpredictable, and when the red carpet rolls out, time is of the essence. The designer designs, the atelier makes, the stylist selects, but the tailor is the glue that holds it all together for the moment.
“I have become the go-to for Mrs. Prada and Raf Simons for special events,” Ms. Tosh said. “They trust me.”
She continued: “In the case of the cage dress that Cynthia Erivo wore for the London premiere of ‘Wicked: For Good’ in November, Prada was able to send something that wasn’t fully finished so I could adapt the corset and add extra layers of crinoline and paneling, along with a repair kit with extra beading, threads, zips and boning.”
Ms. Erivo was styled by Jason Bolden, whom Ms. Tosh first worked with on the fit of a Chanel dress for Yara Shahidi in Paris in 2018. “I had an hour and a half to tailor the outfit,” Ms. Tosh said.
Ramsey’s recent Prada look was styled by Fabio Immediato, who Ms. Tosh has worked with for years. “Nafisa is the ideal tailor because of her deep understanding of fabric structure and fit,” Mr. Immediato wrote in an email. “Her ability to tailor wide-leg trousers that drape flawlessly or to redesign vintage garments into modern silhouettes show her range and refinement.”
Ms. Tosh, 56, comes from a fashion family. Her father was a tailor who arrived in London from India in 1960. “Of course, at the time, he wasn’t allowed to work above stairs on Savile Row, only in the basement,” she said. A quarter of the way into the next century, it’s still unusual for a South Asian artisan to be visible in European luxury fashion, particularly a female one. Which is why Rahemur Rahman, a senior lecturer at Central Saint Martins, has employed Ms. Tosh as a visiting mentor for his students.
“She is South Asian, so we understood each other’s backgrounds and what’s driving us,” he said. “A lot of our students look at Prada in a book but don’t understand how it works on the body. She understands that fashion is made for the body. You have to get that body to move around and do stuff. Your own identity is secondary to that.”
Ms. Tosh studied fashion but had already had an apprenticeship of sorts. “I was fascinated by what my father was doing,” she said. “Seeing someone build up canvases to change a body shape looked like magic.”
She did stints in the studios of Elizabeth Emanuel (best known for creating, with her husband at the time, one of the most indelible fashion moments of the 20th century: Princess Diana’s wedding dress) and Jasper Conran. She became an integral part of Alexander McQueen’s studio for several seasons, starting with his 2006 “Widows of Culloden” collection, working on the dress Kate Moss wore in the finale, which appeared to float in a hologram inspired by a Victorian optical illusion.
“The pattern was so complex,” Ms. Tosh recalled. “We had to cut out 80 pieces of fabric that were dunked in dye, dried with hair dryers and stitched together layer upon layer, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.” The result became fashion history. “I still can’t listen to the music from ‘Schindler’s List,’” she said. “That’s what played for the finale, and we were all crying, looking at the dress floating in the air.”
There are specific actors who insist on Ms. Tosh’s involvement in projects. Gwendoline Christie, who stands just over 6-foot-3, relies mostly on her romantic partner, the designer Giles Deacon, to create one-off pieces for her. But occasionally it’s an affair involving another designer, like the blue satin Miu Miu gown Ms. Christie wore for the Season 2 premiere of “Wednesday” last year.
“She is statuesque and loves to rock a heel,” Ms. Tosh said. “Actors are very aware of how they look onscreen, so I included an inner corset belt in that dress to make her feel and look great.”
Ms. Christie works with the creative director Jerry Stafford on all things wardrobe related. As does Tilda Swinton. Recent looks Ms. Tosh has worked on for her include a two-piece leather Chanel suit for the opening of a new Wes Anderson exhibition at the Design Museum in London and a turquoise dress from the label Standing Ground by Michael Stewart Dunne for the introduction of Ms. Swinton’s Gentle Monster campaign.
“That dress was one of my favorite pieces from a past collection,” Mr. Dunne said. “It was waiting for the right moment and person. Nafisa did a lot of alterations — it was essentially taken to pieces and put back together again in under two days.”
When working with a house like Chanel on V.I.P. events, there are predictably strict guidelines and house codes. Tailors can nip and tuck, but cutting away fabric is forbidden. Ms. Tosh is now trusted with a pair of shears in a way few others are.
“I was fitting Ayo Edebiri in Chanel for a London Film Festival event, and even though she was wearing a stack heel, she is petite,” Ms. Tosh said. “I needed to cut over three inches from the hem, so had to call Chanel HQ in Paris, and they gave me permission.”
Time is the biggest luxury when it comes to red carpet tailoring, but occasionally it can be savored. Ms. Tosh has worked with Pedro Pascal and was given ample time with him, and racks of Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann, in advance of the promotional tour for the recent “Fantastic Four” movie. “Pedro is in his element when it comes to clothes,” Ms. Tosh said. “I usually have 20 minutes to work with someone on a fitting. Pedro gave us six or seven hours, and he traveled with everything he chose and tailored.”
Glam squads are a kind of extended family in show business. The abilities to second-guess and get along are crucial, which is why Ms. Tosh is at the top of her game.
“You feel so safe with Nafisa, because she has such reverence for the work,” Mr. Dunne said. “You get it back in perfect condition.”
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