December’s – ‘The Party Issue’ – Download Now
The Gift Guide – Download Now
Danielle Timperley has carved a name as a super stylist to the A-list – Izabel Goulart, Misse Beqiri, Olivia Culpo, Abbey Clancy and many more. We ask her how we should be dressing for party season and tap into the power of the perfect outfit.
What does the first 30 mins of your day look like?
I usually try and wake early and will do a run or do a work out first thing so that it’s out the way and I have the rest of the morning and day to myself to get the work done, after which I then sit and check my emails. I’m currently working on something with a friend which will be announced the beginning of 2021, so I work on that a lot too. If there’s a project or event coming up for my clients, I will be used prepping and calling in looks for fittings and creating moodboards for them. Of course, the less exciting part is waiting in for couriers and deliveries which is quite often.
Tell us about your career so far and how did you get into fashion?
I feel really lucky to be in the place I am right now with my career. My business has grown a lot over the years, although I’m still not exactly where I want to be and have goals which I’m working towards. As I studied fashion for 2 years at college and then did a degree in fashion promotion with styling and marketing, I took a break half-way through to go live in London and had the opportunity to complete a work placement with Jimmy choo in their PR department. I loved it but it made me realise that styling was the avenue I wanted to venture in. I started to intern for more magazines such as InStyle and then started working at a fashion boutique in Liverpool called Cricket, which sells luxury brands. This is probably when I knew I wanted to work more with luxury brands myself, and move into styling full-time. My boss Justine, was really accommodating and used to let me attend the shoots for the store. I moved to LA when I was 24 to work for celebrity stylist – Nicole Chavez, who taught me a lot and threw me in the deep end. She had really incredible clients such as Kristen Bell, Rachel Bilson, Catherine Zeta Jones and Jessica Simpson, eventually gaining so many skills by shadowing her. My first ever client was Misse Beqiri, as she was going on a TV programme and I started by helping her with a few looks. We hit it off straight away which led to us working together all the time to being 6 years now, as she’s gone from a client to being one of my closest friends. When I took the plunge to style full-time by myself, I started gaining more clients and it just kind of grew from there. Olivia Culpo was my first ever US-based client to work with after she spotted me on Instagram and from then I started to work with Nadine Leopold who was my first Victoria Secret model, and then Izabel Goulart. Although some of them don’t live in UK, we make it work and I get to travel to visit them which is fun.
Who are some of your go-to designers for styling?
I’m not big on patterns or anything overtly girly. I love Michael La Sordo, Dion Lee, Jacquemus, Peter Do, Mugler, David Koma, Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello, The Attico, Wardrobe.NYC, The Row and Christopher Esber.
Do you have any looks that you’ve created to date?
I have quite a few personal favourites which include the Red Alessandra Rich look on Emma Louise Connolly for the royal wedding, the Alexander Terekhov mini dress and matching blazer we did on Josephine Skriver in Cannes and the looks we did on Izabel Goulart. We sat in her hotel fitting-room and decided on a cooler take rather than making it glam as we styled It with socks and trainers instead of heels and as soon as she left the hotel she was chased down the street being photographed. I don’t think we expected to see that image as many times as we did. I also did one on Caroline Receveur for Forbes Magazine where we were inspired by this picture of Rosie Huntington that we wanted to recreate in a look by The Row. I had lots of Bvlgari jewels for her and at the last minute before the shot, we stacked every single bracelet on the one wrist to just be extra but it worked. Our Paris street styles are always fun and we recently did a look on Izabel Goulart, in a Saint Laurent jacket worn as a dress and we added biker boots to it, for more of an edge.
What’s your styling philosophy and how do you choose what works best for each client?
I find styling my clients in a sleek but cool and edgy look works best. I love the 90s supermodel era, it’s probably my favourite generation in terms of fashion because it’s quite effortless. If I have an amazing piece that I want to place, I wouldn’t style it on just anyone, it would have to go with each of my client’s specific personalities. I love creating the street style looks with them, it’s always more of a refreshing way of playing about with pieces and showing off their personality through fashion. My street style looks always tend to get a lot more of a reaction than the red carpet ones.
If you could style anyone who would it be and why?
Jodie Comer, she’s so talented and seems really open to having fun with her looks.
What’s the best business advice you’ve received and how has it helped you grow your business?
Don’t focus on what everyone else is doing and just focus on what’s ahead and work toward your own goals. Hone your distinctive point of view – stay true to your aesthetic point of view as an artist and always prioritize quality over quantity! Don’t worry about followers, as quality is everything and try and keep to the same standards in your work throughout. In addition, also try and maintain and build relationships with photographers, designers and PRs as these people and relationships are what’s going to help you in your career in future. Finally, … be patient! It can take years to get that big break and some not so long – everyone’s journey is different.
What Instagram accounts do you follow for inspiration?
There are so many. My friend who’s a New York-based stylist, Kristina Askerova – I love her page, Misse Beqiri, who’s both a friend and a client has an inspiring page for style and décor inspiration along with Valentina Muntoni and Amina Muaddi. Additionally, Dream casa for interiors, heroine, Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini.
Which key pieces should every woman have in her wardrobe?
A great suit, a well-tailored sharp blazer and a good pair of denim jeans – preferably with no rips. I also love leggings from WardrobeNYC and The Row. A plain classic white tee by Celine is one of my personal favourites and a good leather jacket looks good with anything and everything.
What pieces are worth the investment for party season?
I love knitwear. The Attico has some incredible pieces and they look great styled back to a mini or leather pants that can be worn with a heel and dressed down with a pair of jeans. Saint Laurent do amazing tailored pieces. A pair of Amina Muaddi heels are a great party piece investment and Alessandra Rich for accessories.
We all have busy lives, how do you advise your clients to go from desk to dinner?
Swap the flats for heels or a heeled ankle boot. Add a bold red lip, and keep it simple with your basics. All you need is a basic pair of black skinny’s or leggings with a white crisp white shirt or blazer – these can always be dressed up with accessories later on to transition into night time.
We love your aesthetic. How do you go about planning a seasonable wardrobe?
I’ve just worked on a seasonable wardrobe with a personal client of mine. We focus more now on buying core pieces and timeless wardrobe staples. A Max Mara is camel coat, Bottega Veneta for autumn/winter pieces and boots for example. I usually go through my client’s wardrobe and do a full detox so we can replace things with keys pieces and I’ll show them how to carry through looks from day-to-night. As I’ve got older, I’m also more focused on sustainability and investing in expensive pieces that will last forever.
This issue is “The Party Issue” how will you be celebrating this year?
I was planning on being away on holiday but we just have to make the most of these uncertain times so I’ll still be toasting the New Year with my nearest and dearest and family.
December’s – ‘The Party Issue’ – Download Now
The Gift Guide – Download Now
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