_Fashion help. Contestants get fashion help from the show’s production staff. Confined to their respective close door practices, the contestants are given few choices on what to wear, what to look like and how to wear their fashion. There are at least two stylists on board. So when Simon Cowell bickers on a hopeful’s fashion sense, he or she is not much to be blamed for it.
Last season they did a behind the scenes thing on one of the elimination nights and they showed the contestants going shopping and actuallly picking out clothes. I believe the stylists come with them. There also was a picture on TMZ.COM with Mandisa out shopping with one of the stylists.