Photograph Credit score: Danielle Levi, Courtesy of Danielle Levi
As Kim Kardashian’s stylist, Danielle Levi is aware of the significance of crafting a private picture and creating buzz with each look.
For somebody like Kardashian whose affect on trend and popular culture is aware of no bounds as a trendsetter, it’s ironic that Levi’s origin story stems from her feeling like an outsider whereas rising up in Los Angeles.
“I grew up in Jerusalem, so I wasn’t bodily surrounded by trend,” Levi shares of her background. “Once I moved to America as a teen, highschool was a tradition shock. I used to be sporting modest saggy linen garments and everybody was wearing Abercrombie — I didn’t slot in in any respect. I felt like an outcast and simply needed to attach with the opposite children and really feel like I belonged, so I began to check trend, learn magazines, and watch extra music movies. Ultimately, this grew to become my profession.”
Style grew to become Levi’s outlet and a world that she immersed herself in. It additionally grew to become a type of self-expression, from which she created her identification.
“I believed that if I dressed completely different and expressed my persona, folks could be concerned about connecting with me. To this present day I costume and magnificence others with intention — how I’m feeling and what kind of consideration we wish to appeal to.”
In terms of Kardashian’s fashion, Levi crafts each look with meticulous care together with Kardashian, and to say they appeal to consideration is an understatement.
The reality is, trend and private fashion is one thing everybody can domesticate and it’s an artwork kind that may depart an impression on these in your orbit.
“Type is a primary impression, it’s the way you’ll be judged earlier than you even converse — by no means underestimate the worth of this,” Levi asserts. “It ought to attain the max stage of expressing who you might be and the place you wish to be.”
A part of expressing your genuine self comes with not following the normal guidelines of engagement on social media and never posting content material like everybody else, one thing Levi enforces on her personal IG feed (@superrrdani), in addition to in her strategy to styling.
After highschool, Levi needed to pursue the liberty that styling provided her, as a profession. “I needed to discover a approach to enable different folks to attach in a means that I needed to so badly, as a result of I struggled with that. Once I fashion, and I might be myself and put seems to be collectively and create vibes that different ladies are influenced by, which they’ll really feel cool in and categorical themselves in, I really feel proud.”
She headed to Italy to check design at Accademia Italiana, which helped form the trail she took in trend by inspiring her to pursue styling versus design.
(This system there was extra technical quite than the “fantasy and the artwork,” which is the aspect of trend Levi prefers.)
“Learning trend design in Italy taught me what I didn’t wish to do. I used to be into artwork however we had been taught enterprise, advertising, patternmaking — it was all courses that stored me from feeling like a inventive. I acquired into styling so I may really feel extra free.”
After school, she began working as a stylist intern, mainly to each celeb stylist in LA. (Aiding everybody from Jennifer Lopez’s to Chris Brown’s stylist.) Ultimately Levi acquired to Rihanna’s stylist and Interview Journal’s Editor-in-Chief Mel Ottenberg, who took her in as his LA assistant for 2 years.
(That is becoming as Levi all the time cherished music and was fascinated by music movies. “That’s the place my love began. I couldn’t perceive how folks regarded so contemporary on the display, however in actuality nobody dressed like that. The reality is, I wasn’t into actuality — I needed to be a part of the dream.”)
And create the dream is precisely what Levi is at the moment doing, at this time.
In terms of trend, Levi will get her inspiration from mixing completely different worlds versus seeking to one supply.
“I like to combine completely different worlds collectively so nobody can copy our recipe. Artwork, structure, anime — all the pieces.”
(These completely different worlds might be seen with one scroll on her Instagram feed.)
Levi’s recommendation for the girl who desires to reinvent her trend fashion? “Be you to the fullest. Discover what you’re keen on, what makes you completely different and amplify that.”
As for taking over a brand new look or adopting a signature fashion?
Levi shares: “Step one is to contemplate your favourite issues in life, as in colours, vibes, designers, characters — and to buy from that place. This manner you personal items which can be authentically you, so that you don’t get misplaced within the sauce wanting like everybody else. As quickly as you have got key items which can be completely different and symbolize you, you possibly can add in fundamentals which can be good in your physique kind, and play.”
For somebody whose predominant shopper is among the world’s most adopted folks on this planet on Instagram, there’s a paradox in Levi’s notion of social media.
She really stored her Instagram account non-public for a very long time.
“I did not wish to learn feedback from different folks. At first, I disabled feedback. So I had an Instagram account, however no person may message me or write something beneath my pictures as a result of I am not doing this for validation or to listen to folks’s opinions about my pics — I am doing it as a result of I wish to do it. And since I prefer it. That freedom was actually enjoyable.”
One scroll via Levi’s Instagram grid showcases her evolution from her genuine self and never enjoying by the foundations, to her enjoying it “safer.”
Dani Levi’s Instagram feed, @superrrrdani, Photograph Credit score: Courtesy of Danielle Levi
“My Instagram feed displays what the within of my thoughts seems to be like. In the event you scroll right down to the start, it’s me at my most self, after which as you scroll up I archived most of my pictures and it will get increasingly ‘business’ and fewer ‘on the market’, as a result of everybody on this trend recreation round me tells I have to be extra mainstream if I wish to succeed and have a social following to get nice offers and purchasers. I nonetheless have folks making an attempt to place me in a field on a regular basis and telling me what to do with my Instagram. It’s a battle — this stability of staying true to your self and conforming considerably to what the lots need.”
(Kardashian is definitely the one particular person in her life who has inspired her to not take heed to anybody and to remain true to her genuine self.)
As for Levi’s keys to pursuing your dream profession?
“Solely take recommendation from people who find themselves the place you wish to be,” Levi shares. “I additionally really feel like folks’s objectives are often materials issues, like getting that home, their favourite automobile, or standing. However I’ve seen folks attain these ranges and nonetheless really feel unfulfilled, so I’d say focus in your aim of being at peace as an alternative. The primary steps to this are your small habits like the way you spend your mornings, the way you discuss to your self, who you comply with on Instagram, what you learn, what you watch, who you share your power with, and who has entry to you. Additionally, there’s a lot jealousy if you’re arising, so an enormous a part of attending to the highest is to by no means do the envy or insecurity stuff — all the time be the hustler, properly wisher, the go-getter. Minding the place your power goes and doing all of your finest to be the best, as a result of all abundance begins first within the thoughts.”
Between Levi’s expertise and imaginative and prescient, it’s clear that her runway of alternative has no limits.
