Roame With: Dione Davis, Styling Director, Tibi

INTRODUCTION + CAREER

My name is Dione Davis. I’m 32 and I’m the Visual Styling Director of Tibi. Even though fashion has always been something that I love, it was never something I desired to have a career in. My passion since age 3 was to become a professional ballet dancer. After 2 years apprenticing at a company, I got injured. Luckily my parents made me finish college while I was studying ballet despite my protests, so I moved to NYC to live with my sister and figure out what I wanted to do. 

I started working in retail as soon as I arrived in New York because in my eyes, nothing good can come from having too much free time.  I had no clue what I wanted to do, but I needed to do something. I got my first retail job in college because Katrina just hit in Alabama and I was bored. The first assisting job I landed came from a case of mistaken identity. This woman reached out  to assist her for a magazine shoot, but she got my contact info from another stylist to pull clothing from a showroom I worked at and mixed it up with an assistant contact. Her mistake was the start of my career. I started collaborating with young photographers so we could help each other build our portfolios. Eventually, I got tired of spending all of my money on shooting and not really getting anywhere, so I focused on moving up at the retail job I was currently at. This was pre Instagram, so it was really hard to get your foot in the door and the industry was so closed off at that time.  Tibi had a job opening for an assistant manager, so I took it and kept assisting any chance I got so I could continue learning. After a while I switched from Assistant manager to Visual Manager because I was really good at merchandising the store and creating new concepts to keep the store refreshed. Someone at the corporate office got word that I was assisting, and it eventually turned into a job for me working in house at Tibi. I have been doing that since 2015 and I have been working for the brand since 2013. I got my dream job that I didn’t even know existed. I think my biggest struggle was that I had to fill the gaps in knowledge. Not having a traditional background in fashion gave me a lot of hang ups over the years and crippling imposter syndrome. It took me a long time to accept myself even when others already had. 

-What does a typical day in your work life look like? Whether you work from home or have to go into an office. Take me on your journey.

I split my time between working in our corporate office in the financial district and traveling around the US giving product trainings when it’s not time for a new season to roll out. Luckily there’s never a typical day because its exciting work that’s ever changing. 

-How do you stay organized? Are you more of a checklist kind of girl or do you solely rely on your memory?

 I’m definitely a checklist person. Oddly enough, I’m not a checklist person in my daily life, but at work I’m militant about crossing items off. I need to have something I can quantify to feel productive. I also have a schedule during the day of activities I work on. I’m more creative in the evening, so I reserve mornings for more administrative work. 

-Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies? If so, please share :)

I do stand up comedy, I can lick my elbow, and I won a hula hooping contest when I was 8. 

MORNING ROUTINE, SKINCARE & MAKEUP

-Do you have a morning routine? If so, please share, if not, then what would your ideal morning routine be?

Wake up after 5 different alarms. Cleanse, tone, moisturize, and write a bit. 

-How do you maintain your beauty? Do you have a regimen? How strictly do you follow it? What products do you use and/or swear by? Do facials, good genes, diet or all three play a part in it? Good genes only take you so far. How you treat your body is very important. I don’t eat dairy aside from occasional cheese at a dinner party, I try not to eat red meat more than once every two weeks, but I definitely wouldn’t consider myself a healthy person.  Be that as it may, I am militant about my hydration and my skincare routine because I am often working against it. I try to drink a liter of water in the morning before I do anything else and I never drink liquor. My skincare regimen is pretty aggressive. I do the basics, but I supplement with microdermabrasion every two months and I mask and exfoliate regularly. Items I swear by: Bioderma Micellar Water, SVR Vitamin C Mask, Eve Lom Rescue Mask, Embryolisse Moisturizer, Dr. Jart+ Bubbling Sheet Mask. 

-How often do you wear makeup or do you prefer to do without? What is your go to brand? Any favorite makeup artists? And why? I don’t leave the house without makeup on. My mom taught me that even if I’m dressed down and going to the grocery store I should still have on lipstick. Personally I hate lipstick, but I will put on foundation and my brows unless I’m going swimming. Then I just wear a hat and sunglasses with a ton of sun screen. I really like Georgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation, Benefit Precision Brow Pencil, Glossier Boy Brow, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge, and Glossier Haloscope. 

My favorite makeup artist is Pat McGrath because she’s the epitome of black excellence. The glamour she encompasses really speaks to my sensibility even though I’m not daring enough to wear it. 

HAIR

-What hair products are you into right now and do you rotate your hair products with the seasons? Murray’s Edge Wax, Carol’s DAughter Black Vanilla, OGX Hydrating + Tea Tree Mint Shampoo, and Shea Moisture. I really need a deep conditioner and my hair gets very dry because I have 4c hair. I don’t rotate. Should I be rotating? I will be looking into this.

-What is your go to hairstyle? Do you have a look you want to try but haven’t? I generally wear my hair in protective styles since I went natural 4 years ago. I haven’t put chemicals on it in years. I basically just adopted the hairstyle my mom wore. She’s a ponytail gal and wears her hair slicked back most days. I really want to do cornrows because they would look really chic in the summer, but I just hate getting my hair braided. I’m a baby about scalp tension. 

FRAGRANCE +BODY

-Everyone has a signature scent. What’s yours? If you want to keep it a secret, then tell us what base, mid or top notes you’re generally attracted to. I have been wearing DS + Durga White Peacock Lily- It sounds a lot more feminine than what people would think, but it compliments my body chemistry well. I also like Bal DAfrique from Byredo.

-What is your self-care approach? Self care doesn’t need to be a frivolous thing. My approach to self care is being nice to myself, trying to drown out any negative self talk, declining invitations, hypnotherapy, lots of massages, and making time for my friends.  Also, talking to my mom on the phone is my most effective self care. 

TRAVEL + CUISINE

-Where was the last place you traveled to and what destinations are on your bucket list? If you can dine anywhere in the world where would it be? Last place I traveled to was Alabama to visit my parents. I really want to go to China since I’ve never been. If I could eat anywhere in the world, I’d choose the South of France which I is a place I’ve been many times, but I turn into Guy Fieri and eat around the clock. I really love seafood. I could eat pounds of shrimp and still ask for more. I actually have eaten so many shrimp that I got iodine poisoning as a child. 

-What is your favorite restaurant and why. What is your go to dish? Le Nom M’echappe in Paris. It’s close to our showroom in Sentier, so I go there for dinner at least once during fashion week. The truffle risotto is heaven. I make everyone I know go there when they are in Paris. Also, the natural wines are fantastic and its a very chill crowd. 

-If you could describe yourself as a cocktail, then what would you be? I really don’t drink cocktails, but I think something like a French 75. I appear very intense, but I’m actually quite bubbly. 

ADVICE

-What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. It’s a Henry Ford quote that my mom says to me constantly. 

-What is something you wish someone told you sooner? Try not to take everything personally. No one thinks about you as much as you do.