*photo by Desir*é*e Jones @elleinadsenoj at Broadway Antiques Market*

—interview by Bianca Betancourt @bybiancabee

There’s a good chance that the outfit your favorite influencer is wearing—their velour jumpsuit, tiny sunglasses or millennium inspired handbag—was initially picked out by Hannah Black.

The stylist and creative director and designer of The Isis Nicole Magazine, is Chicago’s hidden gem and secret forecaster for the fashion trends that eventually end up on everyone’s favorite fashion girls in Chicago, New York, LA and more.

Her fashion instinct is inspired by her love of early millennium pop culture as well her artistic circle of family and friends that have surrounded her growing up—it’s what makes her stylistic eye authentic and never based on the ultimate killer of all trends—hype. Every outfit selected or editorial produced by Black tells a genuine story—usually reflecting back to a moment in time that inspired her adolescence, remade in an authentic, modern and timeless way.

Below we spoke with Hannah about her inspirations, her introduction to magazines and followed her around some of her favorite neighborhood spots in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago.

You’re a self proclaimed magazine lover—what is one of your earliest memories regarding magazines and when did you decide that you wanted your career to align with that love?

HB: My dad was a lead writer and photographer for Better Homes and Gardens in the late ‘90s and early 2000’s, and I have a vivid memory going to the Meredith office with him at age 6 or 7 and falling in love. I got to look through images from a recent trip to Europe using slides, a loop, and a light box, and select my favorite images: from photos of beautiful private gardens, to pics of Ricky Martin performing at Tulip Time, and shots of Grace Kelly’s daughter Caroline, Princess of Hanover, in Monaco greeting a crowd. We always had piles of print materials around the house: the daily papers my dad would pour over at 6 a.m. and later use for laying flower beds, and music magazines by the pound like Blender, Q, Clash, and Paste that I would flip through for editorials before donating them to the local library, where I also volunteered as a teen. I just lead a very magazine-centric life. As soon as I saw Teen Vogue on newsstands I fell in love with high fashion and made it my mission to learn every name in the fine print. I grew up in a very small, rural town, and we didn’t get non-dial up internet till I left for college, so magazines were my entry point for all my initial interests. I might not have the ability to go pick out a Von Dutch trucker hat in person, but I could weigh in on who wore one best in the pages of US Weekly.

*photo by Desir*é*e Jones @elleinadsenoj at Lickity Split Frozen Custard*

Your design and styling aesthetic has consistently been reminiscent of the best parts of 2000s fashion and culture. Why did you decide to make that specific time period your niche for your style?

I was such a sponge to media in that era! Pop and R&B was all over the radio in every part of the country. Music videos were appointment television. The imagery associated with MTV and VH1 in that era was super fun, exciting, and pop-oriented. To me, Britney Spears and Missy Elliott videos are high art. Disney Channel original movies are more memorable to me than any Oscar bait. America’s Next Top Model was the blueprint. Magazines are my art history books. I’m just a student of that era. I filter through my mental rolodex of imagery, and that’s where my mind goes. When I first started styling I received pushback from people that didn’t understand why I was so nostalgia-oriented, but I just put all my creative energy into designing and creative directing stories for The Isis Nicole Magazine and let that go. Now tons of brands are capitalizing off that era, and I love it! More Juicy Couture for me. The early 2000’s created a formidable idea of what beauty means in my mind: juicy textures, vibrant colors, anything that sparkles. Obviously not every shoot calls for Xtina chaps and hot pants, but I try to play with color, texture, and silhouette in ways that reference who I am and what I’m inspired by while still keeping in mind the context of the artist or client. I’ve grown a lot as a stylist over the last four years, and hope to build my career by continuing to support up and coming designers from all over. Thankfully a lot of those designers grew up in the same era and see fashion through a similar lens.

*photo by Desir*é*e Jones @elleinadsenoj at Alchemy Arts Occult Supply*

What do you think is something that most people underestimate or don’t know about what goes into styling/producing an independent magazine?

How much rejection and judgement goes into creating art of any kind. Especially collaborative work, which the magazine, producing and creative directing visuals, and being on set for wardrobe all are. You get told no so many times, and even when you get a “yes” things can unravel at the speed of light at any minute. Balancing the business and best interests of the magazine, while leveling up as a stylist, and maintaining healthy relationships of all kinds is a trip. I’ve learned so much about myself, confronted so many of my own demons, and learned to focus on being my best: the kind of person my younger self could look up to in this industry.

What artists/creatives/designers are inspiring you currently? Where do you look or what do you seek to stay inspired?

I’m inspired by artists who stand in their truth and champion their vision regardless of “industry standards.” Right now my favorite publications are: Editorial Mag, Dizzy Mag, Neu Neu Mag, Sukeban Mag, Novembre, and Office. My kind, creative friends inspire me every day! Photographer Elizabeth de la Piedre, my Editor-in-Cheif Isis Nicole, my right hand, photographer Hannah Siegfried, and painter/all around talented babe Caroline Jacobson. I’m have endless admiration for designers like Phlemuns, No Sesso, and Mimi Wade, and vintage suppliers like The Break and The Corner Store. I'm also inspired by team relationships like stylist Kyle Luu and her super creative Glam Collective sisters, model Fiffany and DJ Dese, stylist Tess Herbert and photographer June Canedo, and Chicago’s own amazing art babes Alex & Aleia.

Why do you choose to stay in Chicago, and not New York or LA?

I have such a great support system here of friends, family, and employers. I love the seasons (even and kind of especially the fall and winter), the wide, leafy streets in my neighborhood, the beach, the architecture, the midwest itself. I was born in California but raised in Iowa, and while I fantasize about returning to Cali living (and I might someday), I’m a midwestern girl at heart. I fell in love here, my people are here, my family isn’t far, and while creating a career in fashion outside of a fashion capital is hard, I’m hard headed. I want to know I built my career my way, on my terms.

Keep up with Hannah by following her on Instagram + Twitter at @pinkvariegated and the IN Mag, here.

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ONE IN A MILLION: Stylist + Creative Director Hannah Black

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