On Sunday, Hollywood’s biggest stars will step onto the red carpet for the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards, ushering in awards season with show-stopping fashion front and center. Behind the scenes, stylists like Jason Bolden make it happen.
For over a decade, Bolden, WWD’s Style Award Winner for Red Carpet Stylist of the Year, has been a leading name in his field, dressing high-profile clients like Michael B. Jordan, Cynthia Erivo, Steph and Ayesha Curry, Nicole Kidman, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union and many more. Known for blending personality with a smart, fashion-forward edge, Bolden’s work makes these celebrities some of the best-dressed in the business.
Michael B. Jordan at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards in custom Louis Vuitton.
JC Olivera
A St. Louis native who transitioned from retail into a stylist, entrepreneur and co-owner of JSN Studio — Bolden and his husband, interior designer Adair Curtis’ fashion and interior design project-focused company — Bolden isn’t interested in trying to create viral moments but rather staying “grounded in the art of my job and the person in my job when it comes to the clients.”
“Every single person that I work with I’ve had for an extremely long time or if they’re new, it feels like we’ve been with each other so long, because I’m not trying to outdo anyone,” Bolden told WWD of his longtime working relationships as well as recently working with the likes of Nicholas Hoult, Tyriq Wither, Ryan and Zinzi Coogler, Keith Powers and more.
Cynthia Erivo at the “Wicked For Good” U.S. premiere in custom Balenciaga by Pierpaolo Piccoli.
Getty Images for Universal Pictures
As the industry continues to shift, Bolden sees the importance of moving with the times and observing changes while also staying true to his vision and ethos.
“From when I started to now, I’ve always been the exact same way when I look at work and I look at the business,” he said. Bolden isn’t interested in following the trends, but rather in the world we are in now, doing “what you want to do and what makes you happy.”
Nicole Kidman in a Chanel look by Matthieu Blazy at the Chanel spring 2026 show.
Courtesy of Chanel
He said dressing “smart” describes the through-line of his work. “I always want every single person that I work with — yes, it’s cool; yes, it’s fresh; yes, it’s modern; yes, it’s sexy, and wow — but I always want there to be a story. I think behind that, you have to have some type of substance. I just want everyone to feel and look smart. I want that to transcend over everything else.”
A few highlights of Bolden’s last year have directly reflected this ethos, such as working with Jordan both on- and off the red carpet for his Golden Globes-nominated “Sinners” press tour to consciously and considerately lean into their references of the “Harry Belafontes and Sidney Poitiers,” while “taking it up a notch” with Nicole Kidman, as seen through her effortless white button-down shirt and luxe yet casual cashmere jeans for Matthieu Blazy’s debut Chanel show in October. Or elevating Hoult’s style throughout his “Superman” press tour with sharp tailoring.
Nicholas Hoult attends the “Superman” Fan Event in Bottega Veneta.
Getty Images for Warner Bros
“Whoever knew that the villain would be the fashion love interest that everyone went nuts over? He became the good guy in so many ways,” Bolden quipped.
When it comes to playing with clients’ on-screen characters, Bolden’s work veers away from the ongoing method dressing trend and rather embraces their acting personas as a starting point, as seen through his stellar work with Erivo throughout her “Wicked” press tours. “We found what Cynthia-red-carpet-Elphaba meant. It was this amazing introduction to not only Cynthia’s range, but my range as a stylist and a creative,” he said of her head-turning, fabulous custom Balenciaga by Pierpaolo Piccioli, Prada, Jean Paul Gaultier, Schiaparelli and more looks.
Early on, Bolden learned that a stylist’s close relationship with clients continues to be of the utmost importance to not only their partnership, but with brands and within the greater Hollywood machine.
Tyriq Withers at the 2025 LACMA Art + Film Gala in Amiri.
Roger Kisby/WWD
“There is a lot of work that comes into this. You become all things for some [clients] and you’re in such intimate spaces with them. So those brand relationships are very important. I’ve been super, super lucky that I’ve had such great relationships with people, and learning relationships with people just to get to know them,” he said, explaining that he’s now at a point where his talent relationships have turned into friendships, which allow Bolden to have honest conversations, even critiques, with brands about his clients. It’s also a testament to his longevity and process, which includes presenting edited options and holding tightly curated fittings.
Speaking to his preparations for Sunday’s Golden Globes, Bolden said his clients give him the freedom to create and present them with options he believes in.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade at The Carlyle Hotel before the 2025 Met Gala in Prada.
Lanna Apisukh
“For most of my guys, I was pretty solid before the holiday. The stories of my girls — we could literally fit the night before,” Bolden said, noting his typical awards show day usually starts by spending time with his husband and son before jumping into work. “There’s no stress or anxiety. We get the dress, we try it on and it’s like, ‘OK, this is what we’re doing.’ I just want to have a good time. The funny thing about what my fittings are like, is we laugh more than we try clothes on.”
Bolden added he’s looking forward to relaxing on Monday before jumping back into his busy year ahead. That includes not only his ongoing work in fashion and running JSN Studio, but also leaning into his latest “side passion” of owning the hot Los Angeles-based cocktail bar Damn, I Love Paris with his husband in anticipation of the joint’s one-year anniversary in February.