Welcome to our podcast, Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr. Think of it as your direct line to the designers, stylists, beauty experts, editors, and tastemakers who are shaping the fashion-and-beauty world. Subscribe to Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Celebrity stylist Dani Michelle has always known she wanted to work in fashion. She loved writing and thought she’d work at a fashion magazine writing about the brands and designers she loved. While interning, Michelle was plucked from the fashion closet to assist one of the magazine’s stylists at a photo shoot. The rest? Well, it’s history.
“That kind of shifted my vision from wanting to write about it to actually having a more tangible experience with it,” Michelle said. “At that point, it was when I was like, I want to be a stylist. That’s when I kind of set that in motion.”
For the latest episode of Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr, Michelle sits down with Who What Wear’s editor in chief, Kat Collings, to discuss how she went from working as an unpaid intern to styling the likes of Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, how she landed her new role as creative director of Joe’s Jeans, and more.
For excerpts from their conversation, scroll below.
I’d love to hear a bit about how you first got interested in fashion and how that led to styling.
I was an intern. I paid my dues. It was probably an unpaid internship, actually.
I wanted to work in fashion. I really wasn’t interested in design. That wasn’t my focus. It was appreciating fashion, recognizing fashion, writing about fashion.
I really wanted to just look at fashion as a form of art, and I wanted to write about it. I loved writing.
I thought what better thing to work at a magazine, and I would write about fashion—that’d be my future.
When I was interning there, I was first one there, last one there. Always ready to go. On it. I think they recognized that.
One of the stylists came in one day. I remember we were kind of sitting in the closet. They were like, “Her. She’s coming with me.” I didn’t know where I was going. She brought me with her to set. They were having one of their own editorial shoots.
I was assisting her. In that moment, I saw live photo shoot happening. I saw her making these decisions and dressing the model.
I’m like, “This is a career to put the clothes on the people, to dress people, to create with the clothes, to use the clothes as art?”
That kind of shifted my vision from wanting to write about it to actually having a more tangible experience with it.
At that point, it was when I was like, I want to be a stylist. That’s when I kind of set that in motion.
I’m curious with spring having recently started—and summer will be coming soon enough—any brands or pieces or silhouettes that you have been drawn to this season?
Going back to those punk days, belts were everything.
Belts I feel like are coming back. They’ve been back for a while, but the fact that belts are so present, I’m so excited by that. I also love that they create such a shape, right?
For me, and I know other people, you always want to create that illusion—that hourglass figure—so a belt is something that really can just snatch in.
During fashion week, I was wearing a lot of blazers and jackets with belts on top.
Not only was I comfortable and I didn’t feel exposed, I didn’t feel like I was in skin-tight clothes, but I also felt like I had a shape again.
I think belts are an incredible finishing touch and a great shaping trick.
Khaite
The Benny Belt in Black Leather With Silver Studs
I love kitten heels. I went through a phase where all of my shoes were kitten heels, and then I think we went into this whole ballet-flat era, and I feel like the kitten heel is kind of coming back again. I hope it comes a little stronger, but I’m optimistic that it’s coming.
Big sunglasses are coming back, which is super fun because we’ve been in this small phase forever.
I think big bags are coming. I mean, they’ve been here for a while, but I think that’s fun.
Listen: It’s always a cycle, so never throw anything out that you really cherish.
Gucci
Square-Frame Double G Sunglasses
You’ve also been announced as creative director of Joe’s Jeans, and I’m sure this isn’t the first time you were approached for a role like this given how in demand your taste and your style perspective is. I’m curious why Joe’s Jeans felt like the right fit for you?
I have to do something that I’m really inspired by and excited by, and on my short list—my five-year plan—being a creative director and curating a vision is something that I always really wanted to do for a brand.
On that short list was a denim company. If you said to me like, “Be Dani for Halloween,” it’s going to be jeans and either a cardigan or a blazer. That’s me, you know? Jeans are so true to me. Jeans are just perfect.
When the Joe’s opportunity came up, it felt right to me. It felt like it was a brand that was ready to evolve and create something new, and my vision is to really create core pieces and simplify it. Get those perfect pieces.
My perfect T-shirt and tank top and button-down and jacket and trench and leather, along with the perfect jean.
We have a big announcement coming soon of how the brand is evolving, and I’m excited and grateful to be part of it.
Joe’s Jeans
The Daria Tank
Joe’s Jeans
The Zia Button Top
Are there any specific Joe’s Jeans items you’re coveting at the moment or that would be great for spring?
The new jean that we’ve really worked on the fit for is the Margot. It’s the best jean.
It’s funny because in the office, there are four of us that take this meeting. Everyone’s a different size, and everyone’s a different height.
We all put this jean on, and it looks good on everyone, which is very important to me.
This is not just a model puts it on. This is real women, real bodies, different heights: 5’2″, 5’6″, 5’9″. You’ve got to be able to throw on the jean and [have] it fit right.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Next, check out our interview with Mandy Lee, aka @oldloserinbrooklyn.
