“Styling is essentially story telling,” says NYC-based stylist Dione Davis. Following a long career in classical ballet, Davis moved into editorial and then brand-styling, and we are pleased to bring her unique eye to styling the look of the season: bold bright colors in unexpected silhouettes. Read more about her approach to color, styling and personal growth as a creative.
“When styling for real life, you have to think about practical things,” admits Davis, who loves the freedom of pure imagination on editorial shoots. “Most of my favorite real life looks can allow a person to dream the way that editorial does, but it is still executed with a pragmatic lens.” For Davis, that can mean variations on a color, like multiple shades of green set off by modern and sculptural jewelry, or the embrace of more-is-more color.
“I'll experiment with bright tights when I get tired of all-over neutrals. Personally, if I am going to do bold colors, I'm going to commit fully and wear even more colors,” explains Davis. “Reds need more red or a bit of brown. Pinks need brown, and shades of red with tiny splashes of black for a graphic contrast.”
Of course, what you wear also depends on where you are. Davis lives in Brooklyn (read her City Guide), but the way she dresses changes whether she is at home or traveling. “In the city, I basically dress for my mood,” she says. “When I'm traveling I think of myself as a fly on the wall, not an elephant in the room. My genuine curiosity with a culture is not about immersing myself in it, but observing it and being invited in.”
While Davis looks to white to be her winter pop of color for days spent in the city, she can’t wait to welcome the warm weather that is made for brights like these. “I really want to wear slouchy linen pants over a swimsuit and have wet hair all day without the risk of pneumonia.”
Photographed by Shana Jade Trajanoska
