The likes of Los Angeles stylist Rachel Zoe, who works with Lohan, Richie and Barton, are responsible for ensuring their charges always look fabulous for the paparazzi. These stylists don't just dress their clients on the red carpet - they make sure they are picture-perfect leaving LA nightclubs at 4am, picking up large decaf soy chai lattes the next morning or shopping with friends later (in a change of outfit, of course) after a no-carb lunch.

"It's not just about award nights and premieres any more," says Sydney stylist Penny Hunt, who has worked with celebrities such as Heath Ledger. "There is so much pressure on celebrities to look good all of the time. Photographers follow them everywhere."

Younger stars such as Lohan court the paparazzi in an effort to elevate themselves above the throng of could-be next-big-things. Raised on a diet of gossip magazines themselves, this new generation of starlets understands the publicity power of looking good.

"In LA there are paparazzi parked outside every main Starbucks," says former Follow magazine editor and stylist Mark Vassallo, who spent seven years in the US working with celebrities. "The stars go there to be photographed. They'll turn up in a pair of Juicy Couture sweatpants so it looks like they're dressing down but they've got the Helmut Lang top and Gucci bag to go with them."

Posing for the paparazzi (willingly or not) is such an important part of the modern celebrity's job that it's little wonder some have employed professionals to help them make the most of every photo opportunity. "Some stars have their own natural style but a lot of them need the expertise and designer contacts a stylist can give them," Hunt adds.

The celebrity stylist is not a new phenomenon. Australian style icons Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and Cate Blanchett wouldn't be seen dead on the red carpet without the assistance of their stylists, who find them exquisite gowns for public events. But that's usually where their duties end.

"Established stars dress up for the red carpet but during the day they look ordinary," explains Kate Halfpenny, senior editor at Who Weekly. "That's why the Lindsays of the world get their photos in the magazines four times a week and Julia [Roberts] only makes it in once. Lindsay will change her outfit five times a night so the paparazzi get a handful of different photos from the one event."

Rachel Zoe is the hottest of the current crop of star stylists thanks to her successful transformations of Lohan and Richie. Under Zoe's hand, Lohan has morphed from an unremarkable teen with a penchant for ripped jeans and tartan skirts to a celebrated fashion icon and covergirl du jour who owns a wardrobe bursting with Gucci, Versace and Chanel.

Now that she looks the part in slinky jersey dresses with plunging necklines and flowing tresses, the 20-year-old star of teen movies such as Mean Girls and Herbie Fully Loaded has made the smooth transition into the adult Hollywood A-list. In her latest role she stars alongside Meryl Streep in A Prairie Home Companion, the new Robert Altman film.

Before Zoe came into her life, Richie was known for little more than being Paris Hilton's frumpy best friend-turned-ex-best-friend. Says Halfpenny: "When Nicole first met Rachel she was wearing velour tracksuits and pink ugh boots. Now she's an elegant clotheshorse, which has spring-boarded her career. She's an author now, a singer and she is in demand to kick on her TV career after she finishes The Simple Life."

Zoe's own career has undergone a similar transformation. "Five years ago she was just grabbing bags of clothes from shops around LA," Halfpenny says. "Now she's living the life of a star, she's photographed on the red carpet, she earns $US6000 ($7800) a day and the look she pioneered - the floor-length clingy dresses, oversized accessories, the skinny figure - is everywhere."

Zoe isn't the only star stylist making a name for herself. Duo Estee Stanley and Cristina Ehrlich are bringing classic Hollywood glamour - their signature - to stars such as Demi Moore and Penelope Cruz and have helped teens Mandy Moore and the Olsen twins manage their public transitions into adulthood.

The music world is being glammed up by star stylist Andrea Lieberman, who was responsible for the plunging, green Versace frock Jennifer Lopez wore to the Grammys in 2000. Lieberman's ethnic-inspired, rock-star boho look has also helped shaped Gwen Stefani's image.

"The power of these stylists lies in their connection to the celebrities," Vassallo says. "Designers understand the massive publicity and branding value of working with celebrities. And they know it's the stylists they have to get past first."

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