It’s all about the Bass (and his groom) for fashion designer

Oday Shakar has his own ideas about dressing for success.

The 32-year-old fashion designer, who has lived in Laguna Beach for the past seven years with his partner, has turned heads with his elaborate designs worn by stars like Dianna Agron and Camila Alves on the red carpet.

“I focus on the woman’s personality and then look at their body shape, to their skin tone to their hair style,” he said over a latte at Zinc Cafe. “I try to work with a woman’s figure and accentuate it. I don’t downplay. I like to exaggerate the hourglass shape in a feminine way.”

It’s a vision that caught the attention of former ‘NSYNC member Lance Bass for his Dec. 20 wedding to artist Michael Turchin.

Shakar, who said he knows Bass through mutual friends, said the opportunity to design dresses for the ceremony came up when the couple wanted a wedding party with supermodels as the flower girls. Bass and Turchin wanted to avoid hurting people’s feelings by choosing bridesmaids and groomsmen, so they decided to pass on the traditional flower girls and have women wear wedding dress-inspired gowns designed by Shakar.

His attention to dressmaking details was televised as part of an E! special in “Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding,” which aired Feb. 5.

“I was so excited to be given this opportunity,” Shakar said.

It was a dream of illustrating silhouettes encrusted with embellishments that began in his childhood.

When growing up in the Middle East, Shakar would spend hours sketching elaborate dresses. His aunt, a graduate of a design school in London, discovered his drawings and encouraged him to think about a career in fashion design.

At age 13, Shakar said his love for design solidified when he attended an Elie Saab couture show in Beirut. As the models strutted down the runway in embellished gowns, Shakar said it was at that moment he realized he wanted to be a designer.

“I knew then that was what I was going to do,” he said.

When he came to the United States, he enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles at age 18. During his first semester, Shakar found the Von Dutch store on Melrose Avenue and asked if it had a designer.

It didn’t.

When he wasn’t in class, he was a full-time employee as Von Dutch’s assistant designer, working with pop singers who came into the studio for customized designs. He later went on to work as the head designer for Dragonfly Clothing’s men’s line.

But Shakar recognized he wasn’t passionate about menswear and decided to return to womenswear. He worked with singer Christina Milian and created outfits for her music videos and performances, including her hit, “Dip it Low.” He reignited his passion for designing gowns by spending time sketching evening dresses.

He created three pieces and showcased them at a sponsored charity runway show at Los Angeles Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Beverly Hills, marking the then 21-year-old one of the youngest couturiers in California.

Shakar went on to work as a sales associate at Roberto Cavalli, where he sought to gain a better understanding of the woman’s body for better gown construction. His network of customers would become his biggest supporters.

In 2009, he launched his brand, Oday Shakar, with a collection of evening gowns for private clientele.

Cathy Lawler is one of those clients. She first met Shakar when he was working retail sales and then reconnected with him at a nonprofit fundraiser.

“He is just a genuine sweetheart,” she said. “I fell in love with his designs. They’re beyond gorgeous.”

Lawler said she owns five gowns and three cocktail dresses with the Oday Shakar label.

“He is a dream to work with and my go-to person for any gala I have to attend,” she said. “He is a truly gifted person, and I’m honored to say I’m wearing his design.”

Shakar’s couture gowns began to appear on actresses and singers.

He did not know Sandra Bullock would wear one of his designs at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.

“That became one of my most famous moments,” Shakar said, having seen the dress splashed in fashion magazines and tabloids. Since then, his creations have been worn by Teri Hatcher, Natalie Cole, Kelly Clarkson and Sofia Vergara, among many others.

For Bass and Turchin’s wedding, Shakar sought to create looks that exuded elegance and glamour.

“It was a fun process,” Shakar said with a laugh. “Lance is a bit over the top.”

Shakar remembered Bass initially asking if flowers could fall from the gowns as the women walked down the aisle. The designer calmly told the excited groom he had something else in mind.

He created three white contemporary-style bridal dresses out of two types of fabric and silhouettes. It took him to six to eight weeks to finish the designs.

“It was crazy, but I knew I could make it happen,” he said.

Shakar said he was excited to see the models wear the finished product at the ceremony.

“The gowns were floating,” he said. “You could hear everyone gasp.”

The celebration, he said, triggered tears as he and guests cried when Bass and Turchin delivered speeches to each other.

His next venture is creating a bridal collection of bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses that will launch in June. His main goal, he said, is to make women feel beautiful.

“I want a woman to step into my dress and feel empowered and feel like a goddess,” Shakur said. “I want to create something totally timeless so that 30 years from now, that dress will still be in style.”