Celebrity Stylist Micaela Erlanger on Why She Mentors Others and Her Early-Career Styling Hack

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:KT Merry

KT Merry

With countless accolades and a roster of A-list clients that includesLupita Nyong’oandMeryl Streep, who better than celebrity stylistMicaela Erlangerto share her knowledge with the next generation?

“It’s such a joy to be able to give back in this capacity,” Erlanger tells PEOPLE. “Having the opportunity to team up with TJ Maxx and share my experiences with the next generation of stylists feels so full circle because I’ve always been a Maxxinista.”

Erlanger describes the five women in the program — Kinsey Ranee, Breja’e Washington, Shae Johnson, Afi Maita and Patricia Klein — as “some of the most motivated and creative stylists I’ve had the privilege to mentor.”

“They have such a diverse range of ideas and perspectives, and each brings something so special and different to the table!” she adds. “The way they think about fashion is so unique to each of them and I really appreciate that. They are each building their own respective business in a really authentic way, whether it’s personal styling, personal shopping, editorial work, television, more custom design work and more.”

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And Erlanger remembers her early days building her own portfolio with help from the brand.

“Some of my earliest memories involve going to my local TJ Maxx to hunt down the latest trends and fashion finds,” she recalls. “I always had an eye for fashion, but didn’t always have the budget that allowed me to purchase the kind of designer fashion that I aspired to have. It was thanks to TJ Maxx that I was able to access that look at a value that was accessible to me.”

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Now that she’s reached mentor status as a stylist, she still has a sharp focus on what defines her own skill set, particularly on the red carpet.

“I think what sets my work apart is that it’s really about my clients and what they need,” she says. “I try to always ensure I’m speaking to their particular audiences, objectives and needs, and then interpreting their goal so I can elevate and refine it with my special touch.”

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Erlanger has earned accolades for launching several new stars into style icon status. Her first celebrity client wasDownton Abbey’sMichelle Dockery, who asked Erlanger to style her for awards season.

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“We made every best dressed list,” the stylist remembers. “It was so exciting, and I even remember picking up PEOPLE and seeing her pictures where I was credited as the stylist behind her looks, and how much that meant to me.”

It was because of Dockery that Erlanger met Nyong’o. “My star was rising alongside hers, and alongside Michelle’s,” the stylist says of theA Quiet Place: Day Oneactress. “I was being credited for transforming the red carpet, and fashion on the red carpet, and being labeled a tastemaker and changemaker in the eyes of the fashion community.”

“That mentor and relationship that I had is something I cherish, and I think was transformative and pivotal in shaping me to be the stylist that I am today,” she says. “I believe in the power of mentorship and speaking from experience, I know that goes a really long way.”

source: people.com