The "Bold" Interview Move Michelle Obama's Stylist Swears By

Before Meredith Koop was Michelle Obama's stylist, she thought she was going to be a backup dancer. Or maybe a psychologist. The three jobs couldn't be more different, but the path between them feels familiar: trying on identities until something finally fits. For Koop, what ultimately fit were fittings with the First Lady of the United States.

On the new episode of "Nice Talk", Koop chats with editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike about her career in fashion, starting with the "bold" move she made to get a job at a boutique.

Koop moved to Chicago after college and lived with her uncle while looking for work.

"I saw this ad in this local paper, and it was for a sales associate at a high-end boutique," she recalls. "I was like, 'Oh, I could do that. This has always been an area of interest for me.' So, I went in and had this interview. I was so mystified by the store and how beautiful it was seeing all these clothes in real life ... I'd never been in this level of a store to see Alexander McQueen in real life. I just wanted to work there. I really didn't even know everything that it would entail. "

Koop interviewed with the owner, Ikram Goldman, and was initially turned down because of her lack of experience.

"I was like, 'Oh, no, no. You don't understand. I want to work here. Like, I will do whatever it takes. Put me on a trial. Just allow me this opportunity.' And I think I look back at some of these moments where I was like, 'Why was I so bold?'"

She attributes some of that fearlessness to her age. "I really was willing to do whatever." Koop explains. "I don't know that that's the healthiest perspective for someone to have, but at that time, and at that age, 21, with the internal resources that I had, I was like, 'I will do whatever to be here.'"

Koop worked at the boutique for a while before heading to graduate school for psychology, and continued to juggle retail work in Chicago. Then, she got a call from Goldman, who was now styling Obama during her early days in the White House. Goldman brought Koop on as a "liaison of sorts", but eventually, she became Obama's stylist herself.

"I recall being upstairs with her talking, and she was just like, 'Why don't you style me?' And I was like, 'Oh,'" Koop says. "It was like: 'Would you like a sandwich?'"

That was in 2010. Koop went on to style Obama for six more years at the White House, and remains behind her outfits today. The pair recently collaborated on the book The Look, which explores Obama's style.

"This was something that she really wanted to do for a long time," Koop says of The Look. "I think the obvious move was to write the memoir coming out of the White House, and then she had the follow up with The Light We Carry. And then it was like, okay, this is the next project. This is part of the legacy ... This is something that gives people a look into the history of this First Lady that will be around for many years to come."

For more from Koop—including the "tricks" she used when styling Obama as First Lady and what music they listen to during fittings—check out this week’s installment of Nice Talk. The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.