Keeping "JONAS" Styling - On and Off Camera

It takes a cast and crew of hundreds to bring a new TV show to life – the actors, the camera crew, the director, the ... stylists? That might not be the first behind-the-scenes job we think of, but it's an important one – especially when the show in question is called "JONAS." 

Having just debuted Saturday, May 2, on Disney Channel, "JONAS" is a fun version of life in the music biz. Music sensations the Jonas brothers – Joe, Nick, and Kevin – play ordinary teenagers that is, when they aren't onstage as rock superstars! Although their characters are fictitious, it's a storyline with obvious parallels to the real lives of the Jonas brothers themselves, and that includes a dose of rock-star style, provided on the show by the character Stella Malone (played by Chelsea Staub) and behind the scenes by their real-life stylist, Michelle Tomaszewski. 

We talked to both Chelsea and Michelle to see what to expect from the show ... and the fashions. Michelle explains that "On the show, everything you see Chelsea holding for the boys' characters, I gave input on choosing those clothes." She's been perfecting the Jonas' look for two-and-a-half years now, with plenty of feedback from the guys themselves. "It's a group effort, we work together. They come up with ideas, and I'm here to make their dreams come true. It's important as a stylist that you and your client come up with ideas together, because that makes it special and unique – it's about their personality, and they wear the clothes, the clothes don't wear them!" 

Getting that "special and unique" look, she explains, involves mixing designer and vintage clothes, plus some pieces that are created especially for the guys. Then everything is tailored to give it the perfect fit – literally made for the Jonas brothers. 

So, when we see Stella styling the guys on-screen, are we getting a look at the real thing? Michelle says we are – in part, "You see part of the process, but styling is such a long process, between preproduction, postproduction, and shooting, it's just nonstop – it's long hours and coming up with ideas and new designers. It's a show in itself!" In fact, Michelle had to provide about nine changes of clothing per episode for each brother – that's 27 complete outfits – so needles were flying backstage. 

Chelsea says she looked to the real stylists on the set for guidance – both in her role and her own offstage look. "Michelle is incredible! She's always had the coolest ideas and the coolest clothes. I love Michelle, and I would go to her for my personal fashion tips. There were several events where we were all getting ready on set to head to different red carpets, and I'd run upstairs and ask 'Do you like this? What earrings go with this?' I also have my own wardrobe stylist on the show, and that's who I asked the most 'stylist questions.'" 

She laughs, "I sew on the show – I constantly have a needle and thread and measuring tape – so I was constantly asking the stylist and my mom 'How do I measure this?' or 'What's an inseam?' How do I look like I know what I'm doing? I'm a creative person, but I'm not a patient person, so sewing is probably not for me." 

Although she may never be a seamstress like Stella, Chelsea thinks she and her character do have some things in common. "Stella's the only girl who's not affected by their fame – she doesn't care how many girls love them, they still have to remember her birthday! She gives them girl advice and they really trust her. And when I first met the Jonas brothers, two years ago, when we first filmed the pilot, it was before they really took off. So I got to meet them before the craziness and get to know them as normal teenage guys that I wasn't shy around." 

One of Stella's greatest contributions as a friend is helping the brothers "keep it real" by reminding them not to get too starstruck – but, Chelsea says, that's one job no one needs to do in real life. "I don't think I bring them back down to Earth, because they're already there!" she says. "They're some of the hardest-working teenagers I've ever met, and they already have two feet on the ground." 

Chelsea and Michelle agree that the Jonas brothers are amazing colleagues. "They're great people to work with," Michelle tells us, and Chelsea adds, "They are the most amazing guys on the planet. I didn't mind getting up at five in the morning when I get to hang out with them." 

So when you grab the popcorn and sit down to watch "JONAS," keep an eye on the fashions – and the fun. From Stella's tape-measure technique to the perfect cut of Joe's school blazer, a lot of offscreen effort went in to making "JONAS" look effortlessly awesome. "JONAS" airs every Saturday at 8PM/7c on Disney Channel.