Awards Season Special Part 1: Red carpet secrets by super-stylist Anita Patrickson

Actress and Victoria's Secret model Chanel Iman dressed by stylist Anita Patrickson at amfAR's 22nd Gala, Cannes 2015. Photo by AGF s.r.l./REX/Shutterstock. Don't you just love Awards Season? From the Golden Globes through to the Critics' Choice, Grammys, Brits and finally the Oscars at the end of February, it's undoubtedly one of Team LBD's favourite times. All those show-stopping red carpet dresses certainly help brighten the fashion spirits at an otherwise pretty grey time of year. Just how do the red carpet regulars always looks so immaculate? Well, there is only one group that truly knows: the stylists! This elite Hollywood set are responsible for pretty much every look you ever see on the red carpet, and it is their talent that ensures their celebrity clients are remembered for all the right reasons. So, as part of our Awards Season Special, we're speaking to three of Hollywood's most celebrated red-carpet stylists to find out how you can emulate award-winning style at your own special event. This week we caught up with LA super-stylist Anita Patrickson. Anita Patrickson Anita is a regular on E!'s Live From the Red Carpet at the Oscars and America's Next Top Model, as well as hosting the Samsung Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet Live Show. She's styled the covers and editorial pages of Elle, Instyle, Vanity Fair, Esquire and Glamour, and runs the popular blog Ask-Anita.com. Her star-studded client list includes Emma Watson, Rachel Bilson, Chanel Iman and Julianne Hough. Here Anita reveals to Team LBD her super-practical top ten tips for cinching red carpet cool: 1. Don't feel the need to embrace every trend. If it's not for you... sit it out! 2. Dress for your shape before anything else. Wearing clothes that flatter your body should be your number one priority. 3. Always balance a look. If it's a super-tight, fitted dress, make sure that you are not showing too much skin, to keep it sexy but still chic. If it's loose on top, balance it by keeping your lower half a little more sleek and body-con and vice versa. Emma Watson at the Golden Globes, Beverley Hills, 2014. Image courtesy of Vogue. 4. Wear heels that you can actually walk in. There is nothing elegant about a woman who is teetering around in agony. 5. Make sure you have the correct underwear. Underwear is as important as outerwear and can make or break your outfit so ensure you have it planned for each outfit ahead of time. There is nothing worse than having to completely rethink a look because you don't own a nude strapless bra! 6. Spend that little bit extra on having your outfit tailored for you. The little tweaks here and there are the difference between a great look and something that is a real show- stopper! 7. The hemline on a dress is key. If it is floor length, be sure to have it skim the ground when you stand straight and if it is a midi length, it should cut you right where the calf starts to curve into your ankle. 8. Your jewellery should all tell the same story, i.e. pair dainty pieces together or match chunky with chunky. Less is usually more! 9. If you are attending a wedding or somewhere that you might be having your photo taken, always take a photo of yourself in each option and make a choice from looking at it on the screen. Some dresses look fabulous in person, but don't photograph well at all. 10. Make yourself a well-stocked 'styling kit' that you keep at home. This is my list of essentials. Then you have everything on hand that you might need to be red-carpet ready! On Monday this week we speak to costume designer to the stars Maeve Reilly and get her top stylist tips (read the feature here), and also see what celebrity stylist Ali Levine reveals for her red carpet ready hacks here. Shop the Little Black Dress Red Carpet Collection.