With countless accolades and an A-list client list that includes Lupita Nyong’o and Meryl Streep, who better than celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger to share her knowledge with the next generation?
Erlanger lends her expertise to the TJ Maxx Styled by Runway incubator program, mentoring five up-and-coming stylists and securing them access to Runway at TJ Maxx, the retailer’s exclusive outlets that offer discount designer brands. This helps these aspiring users to add high-end designer fashion to increase their portfolios and funds to build their stylish wardrobe.
“It’s a great joy to be able to give back in this capacity,” Erlanger tells PEOPLE. “Having the opportunity to partner with TJ Maxx and share my experiences with the next generation of stylists feels full circle because I’ve always been a Maxxinist.”
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 driven and creative stylists I’ve had the privilege of mentoring.”
Celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger takes us to Ralph Lauren’s 50th anniversary fashion show
“They have such a diverse range of ideas and perspectives, and each brings something so special and different!” she adds. “The way they think about fashion is so unique to each of them and I really appreciate that. They each build their own business in a really authentic way, whether it’s personal styling, personal shopping, editorial work, television, custom design work and more.”
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And Erlanger remembers his early days building his own portfolio with the help of 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’ve always had an eye for fashion, but I didn’t always have the budget to buy the designer fashion I wanted. Thanks to TJ Maxx, I was able to access that look at a price I could afford.”
Meryl Streep at Cannes 2024, styled by Micaela Erlanger.
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Now that she’s earned mentor status as a stylist, she’s still sharply focused on what defines her skill set, especially 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 always try to make sure I’m speaking to their specific audience, goals and needs, and then interpret their goal so I can elevate it and refine it with my own special touch.”
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Erlanger has earned praise for launching several new stars into style icon status. Her first celebrity client was Downton AbbeyMichelle Dockery, who asked Erlanger to style her for awards season.
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Lupita Nyong’o styled by Micaela Erlanger, 2014.
Paul Bersebach/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty
“We made every best-dressed list,” recalls the stylist. “It was so exciting and I even remember picking up PEOPLE and seeing pictures of her where I was credited as the stylist behind her look, and how much that meant to me.”
Because of Dockery, Erlanger met Nyong’o. “My star grew with hers and with Michelle’s,” says stylist Fr A Quiet Place: Day One actress. “I was credited with transforming the red carpet and fashion on the red carpet, and in the eyes of the fashion community I was labeled as a tastemaker and changemaker.”
Through it all, Erlanger never stopped learning or seeking mentorship—a principle that led her to the Styled by Runway mentoring program.
“That mentorship and relationship that I had is something that I value and think was transformative and instrumental in shaping me to be the stylist that I am today,” she says. “I believe in the power of mentoring and speaking from experience, I know it goes a long way.”
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Source: HIS Education