Celebrity stylist Estee Stanley

Celeb stylist Estee Stanley. Photo courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

Can't figure out where to start your action-packed Fashion's Night Out this evening?

Celebrity stylist Estee Stanley, who works with the likes of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Jessica Biel, and Penélope Cruz, suggests the Tiffany & Co. flagship on Fifth Avenue from 6-11 p.m., where deejay Mark Ronson will be spinning and Stanley will be styling Oscar de la Renta-clad models in the company's new Yellow Diamonds Collection.

As the Tiffany folks were running around setting up for the event, StyleList had a quick chat with Stanley to talk diamonds, red carpet victories, and everyday style.

StyleList: How did your partnership with Tiffany come about, and what will the event be like?
Estee Stanley:
They were seeking out a stylist, and it was a really great match. I've been obsessed with Tiffany since I was a little girl, of course -- who isn't? They are showing their Yellow Diamonds Collection, which is spectacular. Some are really fancy and others, like the little keys [below], are more fun and young. All the models are wearing Oscar de la Renta and I'm jeweling them up.

SL: What's your styling advice when it comes to diamonds?
ES:
The more the merrier! [Laughs] If you have them, why not wear them? You can mix diamonds with other pieces of jewelry. With the Oscar de la Renta dresses, I chose a day dress, a cocktail dress, and a gown so people would see that diamonds aren't just for evening or fancy occasions.

SL: Do you have a signature style?
ES:
I try to be classic and not trendy because I don't want someone to look back and say, "What did you do to me?" Oscar de la Renta is a designer I work with a lot because he gives you a variety of elegant clothes you can wear during the day, on the weekend, or at night. I also use Giambattisa Valli and Erdem, which is really young and has great prints. And I love The Row. Their stuff is just everyday luxurious.

SL: Speaking of the Olsens [the designers behind The Row], how has their style evolved?
ES:
I started working with them when they were 16 or 17, so they were really, really young. Now I work on and off with them, mostly Ashley. They'd probably kill me, but I want to say they were dressed as twins when they showed up at the first shoot. Maybe not twins, but very similar. I definitely think their style has emerged.

Tiffany & Co key necklace

For Tiffnay, yellow diamonds are key. Photo courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

SL: You do mostly red carpet styling. What are your proudest moments?
ES:
One of my best was Penélope Cruz at the [2008] Oscars in nude Versace. There's Ashley Olsen in that little blue Erdem dress I put her in for the Globes last year. The red Giambattista Valli dress I just put Jessica Biel in [at the July "A-Team" premiere] -- I thought was really beautiful and simple and sexy. For her, it's all about the body. Her body is ridiculous and whatever you put on her, it doesn't matter.

SL: What's your style rule for red carpet dressing?
ES:
Search for something no one's seen before or something with an unexpected twist. Like the Oscar de la Renta dress Lea Michele just wore to the Emmys -- you've probably seen something like that before, but I feel like someone older would usually wear that dress. Since she's so young, it made it a different story.

SL: What's your style tip for dressing for every day?
ES:
It's about versatile pieces and key pieces. Don't buy crazy, trendy things you're only going to wear once. Buy things you will consistently wear, invest in better pieces, and throw things in your bag like heels that can take it to evening.

SL: Do you watch "The Rachel Zoe Project"? Would you ever do anything like that yourself?
ES:
I don't watch it. For me, if there was some good in it, like if I was making over old women in a convalescent home and it made their day, yes, I would do a show.

In other news, Audrey Hepburn's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" dress has been named the best film outfit.