Nashville Moment: Tiffany Gifford

Meet stylist to the stars, Tiffany Gifford.

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If you’ve ever feened for Miranda Lambert’s high-fashion fringe, swooned over Brett Eldridge’s polished-yet-laid-back style, or wished you could pull off the effortlessly cool girl-next-door looks rocked by Maddie & Tae, you can thank (or blame) one woman: Tiffany Gifford.

The Nashville-based stylist has dressed some of Music City’s biggest names (hello, Shania!) for some of their biggest nights. Now she’s bringing her services to the masses via an online service that allows regular folks to dress like a star. Gifford—fresh off styling Lambert’s latest video—chatted with us about her road to success, following her dreams to Nashville, and why Music City truly is a fashion town. 

Tiffany Gifford

Age: 40

Age: 40

From Texas to New York

The Katy, TX native may not have always been surrounded by fashion, but she had an eye for it.

“I’d always had an interest in fashion, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d make a living at it,” she says. “But I had this weird knack for being able to identify designers when there was no reason I should have known that stuff. I was reserved to shopping at places like Walmart because they had layaway.”

But the knack kept knocking, and after getting her undergraduate degree in elementary education, Gifford realized it was time to follow her gut and leave Texas. She enrolled at the prestigious Parson’s School of Design and moved to New York.

“And it was the greatest thing I ever did for myself.”

Styling the Stars

Gifford had initially dreamed of editorial styling, and that goal led her to opportunities with magazines like Glamour and at Conde Nast Traveler. Gifford also began styling celebrities on the side, assisting for a big-name stylist and dressing the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Mary J. Blige.

“It was an intro at the highest level to styling—specifically music styling—and I knew this was what I wanted to do. And I’ve always been a huge lover of music of all genres and it was just like, ‘oh gosh, this just might be the right thing for me.’” she says. “But I knew going into it—it’s hard to make a fruitful career out of styling. So much of it is serendipity. You can be really talented but if you don’t have the hustle part of it, it’s a really hard go—and it’s being in the right place right time.”

Music City Moves

At the wedding of a friend and former editor, Gifford was in the right place at the right time when she had a chance meeting with Shania Twain’s then-business manager and introduced herself. Soon she was in Nashville meeting with creative teams from all the major labels.

“I met with Sony and they alluded to Miranda. I was dying to work with her. I just thought she was so beautiful and deserved to look amazing.”

Instead, she was given the opportunity to style for Lambert’s then-boyfriend Blake Shelton. Hoping the gig would lead to an opportunity with her dream client, Gifford began to do her research. A call to a fashion house connected her to Lambert’s manager.

“Again, it was a serendipitous moment,” she recalls.

She made contact and offered to fly herself to Las Vegas to assist with styling Lambert for the 2010 ACM Awards. But Lambert’s team countered the offer.

“They flew me out to Vegas and she ditched the dress she brought and wore four options I had for her, and it ended up being such a massive night for her. It was the first time she sang ‘House That Built Me; It was the first time she won Top Female Vocalist.” At the after-party Miranda and her lawyer pulled Gifford aside and hired her to style Lambert again. “I just started bawling. I was spinning my wheels and hoping the stylist thing was going to take off, and this felt like God saying, ‘keep on this path. Don’t give up.’ And I’ve worked with Miranda ever since. Two years later I made the move to Nashville, and the rest is history.”

Glam For All

Gifford is bringing her talents to the people via a platform called Glamhive. The site works to connect non-celebs with celebrity stylists. From a full makeover to a closet detox to “on-call” services, Gifford was excited to partner with the business and share her skills with the masses.

“It’s like Uber for stylists,” she says. “It’s virtual styling, and I love that people can book us all over the world.” She recently spoke at Glamhive’s first conference this fall. “I was excited to speak on the things I’m passionate about—size inclusivity, dressing for your body type, and making people feel like the best versions of themselves, which is ultimately my goal. I love making people feel like they love themselves a little bit more.”