Conversations with Women Who Win: Danielle Naer Shares Exciting Journey as a Leading NYC Fashion Editor
By Shaleen Sheth
"The most important thing is to find someone who is willing to take a chance on you. That's kind of how my career in fashion started." Based in New York City, today's woman dreamer, Danielle Naer has had quite the dream career in the fashion and media industry. She is currently the Deputy Fashion Editor of The Editorialist. Her work has featured on Vogue.com, Who What Wear, Refinery29, The Zoe Report, and more. A multi-faceted woman, she is also passionate about giving back and empowering others. In this exclusive interview with Women Who Win, Danielle shares how she built her career, starting at Conde Nast and the lessons she learned a long the way. As we head into Spring, she shares her favorite fashion trends for Spring and Summer 2023 and more. We are excited to share her story and her inspiring advice to women professionals! Enjoy!
The Podcast Version
The Editorial Version
Tell us your story. You've certainly had that dream career in the fashion industry currently at the editorialist what inspired you to pursue this career in fashion?
That's a great question. Interestingly, I kind of circuitously wound up working in fashion, I always had a strong passion to write. When I graduated, it was about figuring out where I would plant that seed and eventually want to grow a full fledged career. Conde Nast was always a dream company for me. I aspired to work at the World Trade Center office and have that glossy experience. I was so fortunate to get my first job there, working at Vogue on the sales team. From there, I just bugged a bunch of editors and asked them to take a chance on me. And that's kind of how my career in fashion started,
I had very little fashion knowledge. I always cared a lot about clothing and found it to be an incredible way of self expression. So when I finally had the opportunity to write about it and do it in a way that felt real to me, it was the best merger of all these different things I cared a lot about.
I think working in fashion can feel alienating to people. I think the industry can be a little exclusionary. And so my favorite part of having this kind of a career is being able to give people the opportunity to see that fashion is really just a way of feeling good. There's nothing more or less about it. To me, I think a lot gets lost in translation, and it can feel really isolating, or commercial and capitalistic.
I think the biggest thing we should all remember is that whatever you put on your body is supposed to make you feel amazing; my job is really just showing people that and giving them the tools they need to have that experience with clothing. I've been in fashion journalism world for quite a long time. And now I'm with the Editorialist, which is so great. I was just promoted to Deputy Editor. We are trying to give people that kind of luxury lifestyle and that aspirational experience, wherever they are in the world or whatever their salaries are, we want it to be something aspirational and exciting for everyone
2. I love what you said about having people take a chance on you. I feel like in an industry like fashion and media, those are such hard industries to break into. So I think it's so important to meet people that are willing to take that chance on you and pay that forward once you're in. What is your advice to young women interested in fashion?
It's absolutely the way it works. I found that there were so many wonderful people who understood what I went through. And right, there's barriers to entry. I think within fashion and media worlds, a lot of it is connected to the schools you went to. I went to Rutgers, I didn't go to a fancy private or Ivy League, which is totally okay. I think it goes to show that it doesn't matter what your background is, it's really important to know the value you bring and to carry your head held high and be proud of where you came from. That impresses people, I think when they see that confidence in your background and your upbringing and the context of where you're coming from, it resonates with them. It's really important that I uplift other creatives and people who are just getting their start, because it can feel lonely when you first get in there and you are trying to get that foot in the door.
3. At Women Who Win, we like to share stories of women that are chasing those dreams, and also the lessons that they learned along the way. Did you face any challenges or obstacles in your personal or professional journey? And how did you overcome them?
Definitely, I think that there's always this push and pull when you're in a fast paced work environment. Fashion is famously cut throat and honestly just competitive in general. It's important to have integrity whenever you're at work or in a situation whether you're leading a team, or if you're trying to make a decision about something you're writing about. You have to stay true to who you are and really stick with your guns on things. It's pretty easy, I think, in this luxury ecosystem to forget what matters. To me, I always try to have a strong center of gravity and to be vocal about things that matter to me. Also, I try not to lose myself, like when you are in a quick environment and everything is “go go go” all the time, it can be easy to forget to prioritize yourself and your well being. So taking that time out, to be present with yourself and make sure that you're taking care of you is crucial and vital to everything else that you'll accomplish. If you're doing that, then you'll be far more successful. But without that, without that self talk, it's almost impossible. That's the biggest thing I tried to cultivate, and have prioritized in this year of my life specifically.
4. As we are a nonprofit media organization, we really believe that it's important for every young professional to really take the time to give back to their community. We saw that you're very passionate about that. What inspires you to give back and uplift people in your community?
It's been something that's been pretty important to me for most of my life. There's no right or wrong way to give back. I had kind of toyed with what kind of organization I'd want to work with for a while. I recently began volunteering for Safe Horizon, which is New York's leading domestic violence shelter. They support victims from all different walks of life. It's a wonderful organization, and they do a great job of helping these families and women transition out of their homes and get back on their feet and get jobs again.
I am really passionate as I using the fashion connections and knowledge I have to help women who are having to leave home and make really hard choices for themselves and their children by giving something less to worry about, by providing a good high quality clothing element that will stick with them throughout this hard time and make them feel good because so much of it is confidence related. I’ve been working on a project for this. We have a gala coming up that I've been helping with the auction. It's just been the most special thing. I think that what I set out to do originally was to give back once I had that chance, and looking now at my career, I'm able to do it in such a more profound way because I've given that time to think and see what was going to be right for me and what I could give. I'm really proud of it. And I can't wait to see how it blossoms.
5. That is a great initiative, and I like how you are addressing the concept of access to fashion. That intersection of fashion and making sure that that's a very accessible industry is challenging. There is a huge need here, and this is a wonderful initiative. How did you find that need?
There is this interesting environment where fashion editors have to test clothing in order to write about them. Whether it is a cashmere sweater or winter wear coats, we get a lot of access to clothing that is just gifted. All of us live in studio apartments and there's no possible conceivable way to actually keep all of that clothing. All of us editors are constantly donating things, and it'll be very rewarding to have everyone giving to this shared initiative. I've spoken with many editors, and everyone's super excited already. So we'll see where it goes.
6. That brings to the next question. I’m sure many young professionals are wondering - What does a day in your life look like?
Great question. So usually, I'm fully remote, which is one of the many luxuries of working at Editorialist. It is a lot of juggling appointments, whether its fashion meetings with fashion houses like Hermes or another luxury brand, or maybe it's your Zara's who will bring editors in to come and see the new collections. For those, I get to go in person and get my hands on product all day long. That's usually what I try and do in the mornings.
In the afternoon, I sit down with my writing or my edits and churn through tons of content, I have to do a lot of strategy for our many verticals now. That's been fun, a good challenge beyond the fashion realm. I get to extend into lifestyle and beauty a bit for the first time in a while. I do that usually in the afternoon.
I usually make time every day to do a little bit of journaling just for me and just to do that self check in. I tend to light a candle and have coffee or tea. A lot of times this happens in the morning before I even look at my computer or anything. I find that it really helps me to set intentions for the day. It's become such a habit now that it's a reflex. I feel like I always wanted to get into journaling, but it always just felt inconvenient or weird to put these thoughts on the page. Now it's just second nature, and I highly recommend it. I think it's helped me a lot.
I cook for myself in the evening, but usually in the evening there are always fashion events and parties. It's just hard to decide, do I stay in and take the “me time”? Or do I venture out and do that social circuit?
7. We have to ask you as you are a fashion editor, what are the top 2023 trends that you're most excited about, especially as we get into summer and spring?
I feel really jazzed about the rosette trend. You're probably seeing it a lot on social media. It's these kinds of flowers that women are wearing. Men and women are wearing them on scarves or on lapels of coats, or you're seeing it attached to a belt. It's kind of inspired by Carrie Bradshaw like how she styled in Sex in the City. Yves Saint Laurent did them in a really beautiful way in the past few collections. It’s catching on right now. So if you haven't seen it yet, you're about to. You can buy a little flower brooch and just wear it multiple different ways to change up with a little black dress or something really simple.
We're also seeing a lot of yellow hues this spring, and a lot of fiery reds which are always really fun for this time of year as it usually centers on pastels.
For outerwear, we've seen a lot of interesting jackets and coats. There's a lot of bombers right now, particularly a lot of these oversized leather bomber jackets with contrast collars which are really chic and fun. And then denim maxi skirts, but you might have seen a lot of too on Instagram. It's a cool alternative to your usual jeans [though they can be a bit challenging to get in and out of a cab with] They look incredible. I love a really long skirt. I think it makes me feel really tall and like a very New York girl. I think this season, we're finally seeing a shift back towards more wearable trends.
8. To wrap it up, we have to ask you a very fun question. What is that must have item in your closet right now that no one can borrow, an item that is all yours and is in your carry-on bag?
That's a great one. I think I'd have to say my YSL pumps. They’re super high. It's definitely the highest heel I've ever worn. They are black leather and they have this little gold chain detailing on the front. They are my favorite night out shoes.
Also, more practically, my Chanel ballet flats or something I wear literally every single day. It's the most universal shoe that you could ever invest in. So comfortable. So well made. And my friends always asked to borrow them. And usually I let them. I will say I'm pretty good.