'Meet Your Tall Sisters' Danielle DiFerdinando

Every now and again you come across individuals that leave a lasting impression. Danielle DiFerdinando is one of those people.

Listed in Forbes’ 30 under 30, acclaimed for her handbag designs for Bergdorf’s, Saks and Neiman Marcus. Not to mention her own line Danielle Nicole, that has attracted a growing following of celebrities and fashion trendsetters. Her story is incredibly impressive.

Danielle had always wished there was a “long-limbed” section at her favorite stores.

“I have always had a great fondness for shopping and studying the latest trends when I was younger. So spending time at the mall and the great department stores in Maryland with my mom was so much fun! We would go from one store to another trying to find that perfect jean for me. I can tell you we shopped for hours because what I loved in most cases was just too short and felt uncomfortable. Many stores did not carry my size in length, which became very frustrating and disappointing. When I did find a jean, the price tag was $240-$280 per pair. “

Girl, we understand your struggle!

Lets learn a more about our fellow tall sister!

What is your full name?

Danielle DiFerdinando

What is your current occupation?

Founder and Creative Director of Danielle Nicole

How tall are you?

5’11’’

Has your height influenced your career?

Growing up, I was taught to embrace my height, to stand tall and confident. I continue the same mentality today in business and my career. Confidence leads to success!

Please give us a glimpse of the design process, how do you arrive at some of the pieces that are sold today?

I start each season with a color story. We work one year in advance. I pull inspiration from my travels, magazines, and runway trends creating the season’s mood board and concepts. From there, I meet with my design team and we review the concepts picking out material, hardware, and shapes for each group. We send tech packs to our factories and they make the samples. We go through two to three rounds of sampling before the final market sample is created. Each collection approx. takes 3-6 months to develop.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Everything from music, culture, art, photography, and street style fashion. I love to travel often for work and pleasure. I love learning about new cultures, meeting new people, going to new restaurants, and trying out new and fun activities. My favorite places to go for fashion inspiration are Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. Exciting cities give me inspiration to create new and innovative designs for the DN girl.

What has been your favorite design to date and why?

Our signature Alexa Tote. This style is timeless and classic with lots of functionality! This is a perfect sized bag when you want to carry the essentials, yet also want something with stylish. Alessandra Ambrosio and Vanessa Hudgens have been seen sporting the Alexa!

What can we expect to see in the future from Danielle Nicole?

I just launched a jewelry collaboration with Capwell + Co! I am so excited for this launch – as I plan to expand the Danielle Nicole brand into a full-fledged lifestyle brand. My personal style is unmistakably reflected in the Danielle Nicole jewelry collection, which incorporates pieces that are modern, easily layer-able and ones that act as classic wardrobe staples. Gorgeous architectural, graphic, and youthful pieces that make a statement. Other features of the collection include, standout semi precious stones: Howlite, Lapis, and Rose Quartz. As well as architectural elements like round pendants and linear bars … the perfect compliment for a layering effect and ultimately a capsule collection for all ages. The collection retails under $100. Available at HSN.com, NastyGal.com, ModCloth.com and select Macy’s.

Is there anything else you would like to share with your Tall sisters?

I am so honored to be the guest editor for the July and August issue of Alloy apparel’s catalog. I have hand selected my top 10 Must Have’s for summer 2015, classic and comfortable piece’s that every girl should have in her closet! Hope all the Tall Sisters enjoy! XO

Make sure to check out more on Danielle’s adventure as ‘Guest Editor’ in ALLOY Apparel’s July and August catalog; she has some great tips for us tall girls! See some of her favorite Alloy pieces here.

A selection of Danielle’s favorite Alloy Tall looks below!

The Diana Neckless Dress