To create his looks, Stone has worked with various prosthetics and special effects experts, including Neill Gorton, the prosthetics designer known for his work on films like “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), “Children of Men” (2006) and “Doctor Who” (2005), and dental technician Dominic Mombrun of “Morbius” (2022), “The Substance” (2024) and “The Count of Monte-Cristo” (2024). When it comes to getting dressed for the final reveal at Paris Fashion Week, Stone noted: “There’s always an army of at least 10 people helping me.”
Ensuring the accuracy of each persona he adopts is essential — especially for “characters that are so beloved by millions of people,” Stone explained. “People are so protective of some of these characters. When you reference individuals who are either no longer with us, or touched us on a deeper level, it is personal — so people can be very critical.” Case in point: the criticism around the costuming of enduring style icon Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in “American Love Story.”
Asked whether he had a preference for emulating older adults, Stone explained that signs of aging, such as fine lines, were easier to recreate than youthful skin. “I’m a six-foot-tall muscly man, so as much as I would love to be Kylie Jenner, there are physical limitations,” he said. Sometimes there are requests for looks that Stone will decline, because there “has to be a personal element to why I’m connected to that character,” he said. “If I’m spending three months studying them, detail by detail, I need to be stimulated to some degree.”
In the case of Addams, Stone viewed her as “this morbidly beautiful and maybe not-very-optimistic character, and I thought I could lean into that.”
A curtain call?
This couture season marks Balenciaga’s last runway under Demna, whose exit was announced in March. When there is a new designer at a luxury house, it’s not uncommon for there to be changes in the brand’s designs as well as across its retail and marketing touchpoints. While Stone has been invited to attend events and work with other fashion labels, it is Balenciaga that he has the deepest and longest-standing relationship with.
“I’m often asked, ‘What happens after Balenciaga?’, and I think of a Linda Evangalista quote where she said, ‘The goal is to get out of fashion as quickly as you get into it,’” said Stone, laughing. “I have such a beautiful bulk of work behind me; this would be a natural time to pause and catch my breath.”
Despite the perceived glamour of working in fashion, beneath the surface there is plenty of effort and compromise, Stone explained. “I love fashion shows, but they’re not the most relaxing of environments. We’re talking 4am starts, six hours before the show begins.” Wearing heavy makeup and prosthetic looks isn’t particularly enjoyable either, he added. “It’s hot, it’s sweaty, it’s not designed to be experienced and lived in, outside of a movie set. I love it once I can sit back and watch the visuals we’ve created. But in the moment, when there are so many moving parts, it’s very stressful.”
For now, fans can take comfort that this won’t be the last they’ll see — or hear — of Stone. Over the past three years, the creative production company Division has been trailing Stone as they film a documentary on the performance artist. The release date has not yet been set.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever fully understand why people take such interest in what I do,” Stone mused. “Perhaps it’s because, as humans, we have days where we want to feel more visible, and other days where we want to feel invisible or unrecognizable. I think that’s something we can all relate to, to some degree.”
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