Wollongong stylist-to-the-stars Donny Galella will be a busy man this Wednesday at one of Australia's most prestigious red carpet events.
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The celebrity stylist has spent weeks preparing to style and fit 20 women for Wednesday night's Dally M Awards.
He is not only dressing the wives of NRL captains and players but many women who play NRLW.
Galella has spent two months working with more than 20 different brands to style the women with dresses, jewellery, shoes and accessories. And will have a team of 20 people helping him execute his vision.
Among those being styled by Galella is Wollongong's Kristin Scott who is the partner of Mitchell Pearce. She is wearing a custom-made dress from Melbourne designer Cassandra Renee.
"It was made within five days. When Kristin tried it on it fit like a glove. It is her first Dally M so I really wanted her to stand out and for people to say "WOW who is this girl". I am hoping Kristin will steal the spotlight".
Galella thinks she is in with a chance of being named best dressed in the other big competition on the night.
Asked if he was nervous he said he was too busy to worry about nerves.
"This is going to be my fourth Dally M Awards. They seem to get bigger every year. It is going to be kind of crazy dressing 20 people this year. It is going to be an absolutely massive day," he said.
"Planning for this began back in August. I am very excited to see how it all comes together on Wednesday.
"As soon as I have them all ready I will be transported to the red carpet and I will be on there to keep an eye on all of them as they walk the red carpet just to make sure they look good.
"A lot of the women will be wearing long gowns and long trains so I will be there to help them navigate their way without tripping over. I will be there to make sure they all look picture perfect".
Galella will have a styling suite set up with all the clothes and accessories ready to go at 8am. Hair and makeup will begin at 11 before the gowns start going on at 4pm ready for the red carpet walk at 6pm.
"By about 8 or 9pm I will be ready to pass out," he said.
But he will be awake again by 11pm when the lists of best dressed and worst dressed start appearing online.
Galella said he spends considerable time getting to know each person he styles.
"The key thing is I need to get inside each person's head," he said.
"As soon as I get their name I give them a very detailed style survey.
"I want to know everything about them. Their age, their size, their shape, what part of their body are they most comfortable with and if there are any parts they are not comfortable with.
"I want to make sure what I put them in they are going to feel comfortable, love it and feel good. And you will see that on the red carpet. So I need that in-depth analysis of who they are and what they love.
"Whatever they wear I want them to feel comfortable in because that is they key".
Galella said once he has all the information he needs he starts looking for options.
"I have at least six to eight gown options when I meet them for a fitting and they try them all on," he said.
"The last few weeks have been busy with sourcing gowns, fittings, alterations, planning the right accessories, shoes, what hair style they are going to have and what makeup they are going to wear.
"There are many elements so it is like a military precision project bringing it all together".
Despite the pressure that comes from performing such an important role for such a prestigious event Galella said he loves what he does.
"I can't believe I get to do what I do every day and get paid for it. I look forward to going to work each day," he said.
"Coming up to Sydney and taking a punt has worked out really well for me and it is a good feeling to represent Wollongong the town I love".
Galella said he would love to come to Wollongong Central and do some styling sessions for anyone interested.
He was born and raised in West Wollongong and lived there until he moved to Sydney to pursue what was initially a fashion career.
Despite all his success and busy lifestyle he still comes back every few weeks to see his family.
"My parents Giuseppe and Antonia Galella still live at West Wollongong," he said.
"I went to St Therese Primary and then Edmund Rice College. I was lucky enough to be within walking distance of both my schools growing up which was nice".
Galella travelled to and from Sydney while he trained and made the move as soon as he was ready to start his career.
"I have been styling in Sydney 12 or 13 years now," he said.
"I started off with a fashion lable that led me to the styling work.
"Every day is different. I do everything from styling celebrities for red carpet or television to taking every day Aussies shopping for a new wardrobe to make them feel more confident".
Galella said his aim for everyone he styles is to make them look and feel great.
"Fundamentally what I believe is when you feel good you look good and feel more confident," he said.
"And I love taking every day Aussies shopping at the local Westfield to help them build a new wardrobe or find things that suit them and their body shape. I help people find the right clothes to suit all their needs".
Galella said he has a number of Wollongong clients he takes shopping.
Television also keeps him busy.
For I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here he styled Julia Morris and Dr Chris Brown before they went into the jungle.
"They also had another show called Sunday Night Take Away which I styled," he said.
"Over the years I have worked on shows like Beauty and the Geek and Makeover Street".
Galella said his fashion and styling career began when he had a friend who was going to a race meeting 14 years ago but couldn't afford a hat.
She gave him so money and he went and made a hat that helped go on to win Fashions In The Field.
That resulted in many people asking him to make them hats and he started a lable that was soon stocked in Myer.
But Galella quickly realised he loved working holistically and styling people from head to toe.
"That is where the styling began which led to celebrity work and then television work," he said.
"I also do some regular appearances on The Morning Show on Channel 7 where I go in and talk fashion".
Galella describes the development of his career as an organic process that is still evolving. And he is looking forward to what's next.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
