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HOL LOT OF HELP
Secret stylist behind Holly Willoughby’s £1million Marks & Spencer deal and is paid £150k to help pick outfits
SHE is the style icon with the £1million M&S contract, but today The Sun on Sunday can reveal the stylist behind Holly Willoughby’s signature looks.
The popular presenter this week unveiled the fifth range of her best-selling collection for Marks & Spencer, clothes which have been widely praised for reviving the store’s sass.
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Yet while Holly is front and centre in the high street retailer’s marketing, stylist Angie Smith plays a major part in getting the clothes into the shops.
Holly, 38, employs Angie to “consult” on her collections, and the pair have collaborated behind the scenes on all five of her ranges — known as edits — with Angie paid around £150,000 a year.
Her fee is picked up by M&S, which pays her as a “consultant stylist” on shoots.
This Morning host Holly also requests well-connected Angie, 38, on her other shoots for brands including Garnier and Diet Coke.
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Again, her fee is picked up by the brands.
Holly has become so reliant on her friend of three years, she even flew her to Australia while she was there presenting on I’m A Celeb last year.
After being unveiled as the face of M&S in September 2018, former model Holly spoke of her excitement at launching her latest Holly Loves range.
She said: “I have grown up with and have always loved M&S, so when they asked me to be a brand ambassador, of course I said yes.
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“I have really enjoyed picking my must-haves for autumn. For me, confidence and great fit are key when it comes to style.
“I really hope I can inspire people to be brave and have a little bit more fun with their wardrobe.”
The TV host, who started on CBBC, has been widely praised for revitalising Marks & Spencer’s fortunes — her collections have all sold out within minutes.
In interviews given to promote the latest range — and in the store’s official press release — Holly spoke excitedly about her picks.
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Launching the eagerly anticipated collection on Thursday, she posted two photos of herself in outfits from the new collection, writing: “My Holly Loves edit with @marksandspencer has finally arrived, full of gorgeous pieces I know you’ll love wearing this summer #hollyloves x.”
While M&S was tagged in the ads, Angie was not.
The press release for this week’s launch insists married mum-of-three Holly “has curated all her favourites”, adding she has personally “plucked out linen items for those breezy summer days”.
Re-posting one of the images on her own Instagram, Angie — who has also worked as a stylist for the Spice Girls, Christine Lampard and Rochelle Humes — hinted at her input.
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She gushed: “All day every day this beam of pure sunshine — Willoughby you rock”.
While shoppers may believe Holly single-handedly put together all 15 pieces in the new selection, those close to Holly insist she has never “covered up” Angie’s involvement.
Last night, a source said: “Holly was picked to be the wholesome, girl-next-door face of M&S, a hands-on ambassador who would represent the people buying her clothes. She’s been a huge hit with shoppers and everyone involved at M&S.
“But it is very much a team effort. Angie has been her rock.
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“Ahead of each edit, M&S tell Holly what sort of look they’re after, and she goes to work — using Angie as a second opinion.
“While Holly obviously isn’t flogging around factories, sourcing materials and designing outfits, she is passionate about her edits and always has the final say.
“Holly and Angie are incredibly close, and behind the scenes Holly has made no secret about Angie’s involvement.”
A friend added: “Holly has openly credited Angie for transforming her style and making her fashion choices more bold and exciting.
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“They’ve become great friends and are a formidable fashion team.
“They follow one another on Instagram and regularly support each other both publicly and privately.”
Holly, who has nearly six million followers on Instagram, has become a true style icon over the past two years.
She posts near-daily updates of her outfits alongside the hashtag #hwstyle — and is then inundated by praise from fans.
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Meanwhile, the clothes she tags on social media invariably sell out within hours.
Unsurprisingly, designers are all now clamouring to dress her for her red carpet appearances at awards shows.
Since her inaugural collection for M&S, more than one million pieces have been sold in the UK.
And her most recent 15-piece range is already flying off shelves. Her jumpsuit — which Holly describes as “one of her favourite pieces” and which will set shoppers back £69 — has received particular fanfare.
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As has a printed cotton dress costing £49.50.
The khaki jumpsuit, which Holly modelled on her Instagram as well as on the official M&S account, was pre-released on Wednesday — and became the store’s highest performing social media post in the past six months.
M&S is expected to have to re-stock the item by midweek, such is its popularity.
Her previous ranges also sold out in record time, making Holly, who is worth around £11million, the retailer’s most successful collaborator in the past ten years.
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Earlier this month M&S fashion boss Jill McDonald — who praised Holly’s “approach to fashion” at the time of her appointment — was sacked for failing to stock enough of Holly’s clothes after shorts, jeans and T-shirts ran out in shops nationwide.
Since working with Holly, stylist Angie has transformed her wardrobe, making her one of the country’s biggest fashion icons. That is why she was flown to Australia with the star last year to help pick her outfits for I’m A Celeb.
The pair were introduced three years ago through TV presenter Davina McCall.
In an interview, Holly said she did not know “how she would find the time to go and pick different clothes” if she was left to her own devices.
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She added: “I never wore trousers before I met Angie. I was always, always in a pencil skirt.
“Now I wear trousers all the time.
“I would wear jeans myself at home but I would never in a million years think about wearing them on telly.”
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