How Rihanna’s Choreographer Found Her Fashion Groove

For choreographer Tanisha Scott, fashion is all about movement. “The first thing is just being comfortable,” she shares over the phone from Los Angeles. “I’ll never wear a pencil skirt or extra-fitted jeans when I’m working. I have to be able to move!” Scott has contributed to more than a few iconic dance moments in popular culture. Currently putting the finishing touches on pop starlet Madison Beer’s European tour, she’s also brought her smooth moves to Drake’s oft-imitated “Hotline Bling” video, the bold shimmy of Rihanna’s “Wild Thoughts” Grammy performance, and even created one of Beyoncé’s best dance breaks in her “Baby Boy” music video.

Whether she’s collaborating with music’s best dancers or teaching novices how to find their groove, as she did in Gap’s star-studded Logo Remix campaign, Scott sticks to one rule: Dress for the situation. “What I wear depends on who I’m working with. If I’m with dancers, then it’s sweats or leggings [because] they’re so focused on the movements and it’s all about that. When I’m with actors, it’s different; I’ll go for something casual,” Scott explains. “The way you dress is the first thing that people see, and I don’t ever want to come into a room with someone who is not a dancer wearing a leotard, or socks pulled up to the knees! That automatically makes people think, ‘Whoa, she’s a dancer and I’m not.’ I’d rather eliminate that separation.”

The idea of style without boundaries carries over into Scott’s closet. Her eclectic wardrobe is filled with chic pieces from Louis Vuitton, tailored Adidas tracksuits, and vibrant prints—just about anything goes, as long as it’s not constricting or overly fussy. Whether she finds things by ducking into a Brooklyn boutique or hitting up the sale rack at Bloomingdale’s postseason, every look is considered for maximum impact—something her fashion-forward collaborators appreciate. Below, Scott shares her style secrets, from skipping what’s on the mannequin to bouncing ideas off Rihanna.

A quick Google search leads to plenty of inspiration.
“I find myself online a lot. I’m always looking at either awards shows or people every day. Anyone that I think is inspiring, I’ll just Google them and look at pictures. I love [finding inspiration in] everyday gear, not so much stores, because I find [that] in stores, the mannequins are put together so properly, but I like to mix and match a lot. I find when people are wearing outfits, it shows part of their personality. It could be an actor, director, dancer—anybody or anything that I’m in to.”

Find pieces that work in all weather.
“I always bring a jacket. I love bubble [shapes], and I love oversize stuff. I have a Norma Kamali jacket, this fatigue one, and it’s really long. I actually got it because I saw Rihanna wearing it on the street once in a picture, and I was like, ‘That is so fly.’ I bring that everywhere because it’s versatile. If I’m going to L.A., where I know the weather will be a little cooler in the nighttime, or if I’m in New York and it’s freezing, and then I have to go somewhere sunny, I’ll always bring that jacket because I can still wear it at the airport, and I won’t sweat my butt off. Even in the heat, it’s so light and easy to pack.”

Buy a signature piece in multiple colors.
“Right now, my staple shoes are these combat boots. I’m always in combat boots, actually. When I dance, I tend to dance in combat boots. That’s my go-to. I got these amazing ones from Louis Vuitton. I got, actually, three pairs. Yeah, I’m a bit OCD. If I like something, I’ll get it in two, three different colors. Those shoes are perfect because I’m short, and I like to feel like I’m tall. They’re super-comfortable, I can wear them all day—and if a girl needs a heel, you need one that you can wear all day, especially in New York City.”

When in doubt, trust Rihanna.
“Rihanna influences me a lot, and I know I do with her as well. I used to always just wear baseball caps, and then she started wearing baseball caps in rehearsal because she saw how I moved differently when I put a hat really low. I’ve had other artists say, ‘Oh, that’s so cool how you put that together. I’m going to try it.’ Or I’ll even dress them myself sometimes. I dress Rihanna a lot when I’m around and doing performances with her. She loves the tomboy cutesy look, and that’s a lot of how I dress, like oversize baggy pants with crop tops, or an oversize, baggy sweater and small little shorts, sneakers.

“It’s definitely a give-and-take because I have to. Also, I absorb who the artist is and become them in a way that I’m like, ‘Okay, well, I can’t tell somebody how to move if I don’t really know how their body actually works, and their vibe kind of, and what story they’re trying to tell.’ ”

Embrace the sale rack, ignore the mannequins.
“[With shopping,] I’m both extremes, so you’ll see me in Bloomingdale’s in the sales area or in a tiny boutique no one’s heard of. I like to go toward the last pieces, or even the damaged things, because I know they’re either out of season, so they’re a little cheaper, and more importantly, nobody’s wearing it right now. I don’t like to go too trendy because I don’t want to walk on the street or go to an event and see somebody in the same outfit.

“If it’s on a mannequin, I might love it, but I’m not going to do it. I used to go to Betsey Johnson’s store a lot when she had it. In Brooklyn, there are a lot of really fly boutiques. You find those amazing pieces that you wear once, and you can’t wear them again. That’s usually where I find the pieces that I’ll wear to major events.”

Your tailor is your best friend.
“Another dope thing is I wear a lot of men’s clothing, but I have an amazing tailor who will tailor it to fit my body. I do that quite often, actually more than quite often—I do that all the time! Every week, I’m like, ‘Oh, shucks, I bought this Adidas tracksuit, but I got it from the men’s department.’ A men’s small fits different than a woman’s small, so I’m going to get this, and I go straight to my tailor because I’m like, ‘Can you taper the ankles? Can you take this top off at the side of the top, and cinch it in for me so it fits better?’ I actually get a lot of compliments on my tracksuits. I’m always in an Adidas tracksuit when I’m traveling on a flight, and I’ll put on a heel. I’ll put on an Adidas tracksuit and my LV combat boots, and I’m good!

“It’s so important to have an amazing tailor who knows your body and your shape, and will be seamless with whatever it is that they do so that the outfit looks precise. Not everybody is the same size. I don’t believe in the one-size situation. It’s going to fit everybody a little differently, but it may not fit you in a way that’s flattering. So you get to your tailor, and he’ll do all those adjustments so that you feel good.”

Keep your beauty look classic.
“My staple is a red lip. No matter what, a red lip will save a life. It makes any and every outfit. You put on a tracksuit, a sweatsuit, you look one way. You put that on with a red lip, you can go anywhere. It’s just different. It’s like your black card when you put on a red lip. The aura that you exude is so much different, and I find the red lip is a color that works good on every single woman, any shade. You’ll find a good, sexy, red lip. It’s just a bold, confident thing to do without having to be like, ‘Hey, everybody, look, I’m here.’ ”