Pod Meets World – “Danielle with…Daniela Gschwendtner”

Podcast: Pod Meets World (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode: Danielle with…Daniela Gschwendtner

Date: November 28, 2025

Host: Danielle Fishel

Guest: Daniella Schwentner (Emmy-nominated “Dancing with the Stars” costume designer)

Episode Overview

In this special “Danielle with…” edition, Danielle Fishel journeys behind the glittering scenes of Dancing with the Stars with Emmy-nominated costume designer Daniella Schwentner. The conversation dives into the whirlwind realities of producing hundreds of groundbreaking and glamorous looks each season, revealing the artistry, logistics, and high-stakes teamwork behind the show’s signature style. Personal stories, insider details, and career reflection provide a vivid portrait of how dance, fashion, and live TV intersect week after week.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Grind and Glory of Costuming DWTS

[06:09 - 07:55]

• Volume & Deadlines: With the 20th anniversary and Christmas special colliding, Daniella’s team faces massive workloads: “We are right now…14 custom make from scratch. But then a lot of things that just need to be restructured…over 200 costumes, you know, easily for just one week.” ([07:13])
• Team Effort: Costume creation is both technical and collaborative. While Daniella is “the big idea person,” an expert team brings designs to life. “You have to do something over and over to be really good at it…there’s so many different hands on deck. All hands, a lot of hands. And every hand is needed.” ([09:36])

Daniella’s Path to Costuming

[08:00 - 13:57]

• Grew up watching her grandmother, a seamstress (“my ideas were a little bigger than what I could sew myself” – [08:09]). Shifted from stylist to learning garment construction, eventually joining Dancing with the Stars with “no dance experience whatsoever.”
• Her first TV design job was taking over on “Charmed.” She admits her journey to DWTS involved tough choices—sometimes going “backwards” professionally to keep learning: “Everybody was telling me I was committing career suicide...But I learned something. And, you know, learning something is always better than sitting at home waiting for a phone call.” ([12:20-13:57])

Rhinestones & The Anatomy of a Costume

[14:40 - 15:47]

• “Every single one is placed and…by hand.” ([14:54]) The team has honed the process (“glue syringes…you get very good and fast at it”).
• Transforming sketches into danceable, show-stopping outfits involves multiple stages: design, fabric shopping, fittings, and the labor-intensive rhinestoning process.

A Weekly Costume Cycle: Logistics & Creativity

[16:06 - 18:25]

• The week begins with input from producers about story, lighting, and theme, leading to collaborative design with celebrities and pros.
• Multiple weeks overlap: Daniella reveals, “There’s never a time where you’re not thinking about multiple costumes for every single celebrity.” ([17:35])
• The entire female cast (celebrities and pros) requires bespoke attention: “Yes, for every girl dancer and every female celebrity. That’s true.” ([18:02]) Multiple parallel shows—Christmas special, weekly live shows—layer complexity.

Budget Realities

[19:29 - 20:32]

• While network budgets exist, producers recognize the costumes’ role in the show’s magic: “Our producers are very good that way. They understand that we really do need to make it look beautiful…a big part of the beauty is how it moves…how it looks on you guys…” ([19:46])

Collaborative Problem-Solving & Flexibility

[21:00 - 22:45]

• Danielle recounts a wardrobe call gone sideways—proving the designer ultimately knows best. “Never, never doubt you. You, You’ve been doing this a very long time. You know what you’re doing.” ([22:12])
• Daniella underscores flexibility: “If somebody really loves something, I will always give it a try until, yeah, we can see maybe that it doesn’t work. Then we fix it.” ([22:31])

Theme Weeks – Creativity and Constraints

[27:16 - 32:26]

• Theme weeks are “good sometimes because they give us all a roadmap…but…sometimes I don’t love that when I have to copy…another designer’s design.” ([27:25])
• Favorites include creative freedom, as with the upcoming Prince week: “It’s fun because it’s taking a very creative personality and…trying to, you know, put a spin on it for Dancing the Stars…we don’t land in just one color theme…” ([29:16])
• Halloween week remains a tradition—serving as both a creative challenge and a chance to build on past designs.

Sustainability and the Costume Afterlife

[32:26 - 33:26]

• Most costumes are kept in a large storage: “It would be a shame. These costumes are so time consuming, so expensive to make. It would be horrible to just get rid of them.” ([32:38])
• They’re repurposed for tours, future episodes, or combined into new looks: “At least reuse a fully stone bodice and put a different skirt on it…” ([33:26])

Dream Themes & Most Unbelievable Moments

[33:26 - 35:13]

• Daniella proposes a “fashion designer-inspired” theme: “Maybe like Chanel…and Armani…that would be very fun…” ([33:36])
• Favorite costumes: Sadie Robertson’s 25,000-rhinestone gown, the first flamenco paso, or standout one-of-a-kind creations: “Every time we did something new…that stands out in my mind…” ([35:13])

The Len Goodman Tribute & 20th Anniversary Special

[41:01 - 44:50]

• The Len Goodman tribute: “It looked grand and beautiful, but because we were able to use existing things and dress them up…It was almost better than starting from scratch…” ([41:14])
• The 20th anniversary episode meant balancing logistics, scale, and timing: “More bodies to dress…it becomes…a logistical problem…when there’s so much going on that everybody’s so busy…when do we get people so we can put things on their bodies so we can keep moving? That, I think, is the highest challenge…” ([44:48])

Working with Pros and Celebrities

[44:50 - 46:33]

• Some pros, like Derek, Mark, and Val “are very involved.” Daniella always consults with the pro when creating a celebrity’s costume—to ensure the skirt style and design matches the choreography.
• Trust is built, but it’s a dialogue: “If I give you a soft, flowy skirt and you want edgy…then it’s not gonna work. I need to talk to the pro boys normally, all of them, to some degree…” ([45:13])

Why DWTS Endures Across Generations

[46:56 - 48:26]

• The appeal: “It is a little bit of a fantasy world. And most people do like, like dance and music together…this is a true reality show…if you’re not good at dancing, or if you don’t put in the time…the audience can tell. There’s so much people have to learn…to be good at the show and good at dance and look good and have a good performance. So I think people like to see that because it is real.” ([46:56])
• Danielle adds: “It’s impossible not to get sucked into the real story of everyone who’s on the show. And obviously you are such an enormous part of that, of showcasing us in all the most beautiful, fantastic light.” ([48:26])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the sheer scale of the job:
  “I think now we’re looking at over 200 costumes, you know, easily, for just one week…”
  – Daniella Schwentner ([07:13])

• On taking a career risk:
  “Everybody was telling me I was committing career suicide because you don’t go backwards in Hollywood…But I learned something. And…learning something is always better than sitting at home waiting for a phone call.”
  – Daniella Schwentner ([13:57])

• On rhinestone details:
  “Every single one is placed and…by hand.”
  – Daniella Schwentner ([14:54])

• On the importance of collaboration:
  “I try to have a dialogue with everybody before…I never like to do a costume for Celebrity Woman, for example, without checking with the pro boy what’s right for their dance.”
  – Daniella Schwentner ([45:13])

• On the timeless appeal of DWTS:
  “It is a little bit of a fantasy world…this is a true reality show…if you’re not good at dancing, or if you don’t put in the time…the audience can tell…so I think people like to see that because it is real. That’s not something you can just show up for.”
  – Daniella Schwentner ([46:56])

• Danielle on trusting expertise:
  “Never, never doubt you. You’ve been doing this a very long time. You know what you’re doing.”
  – Danielle Fishel ([22:12])

Important Timestamps

• Daniella’s role and scope of work: [06:09] – [07:20]
• Early inspirations and entering the industry: [08:00] – [11:12]
• Making the leap to DWTS (and “career suicide”): [12:20] – [13:57]
• The rhinestone process: [14:40] – [15:47]
• How a creative week unfolds: [16:06] – [18:25]
• Budget realities and production value: [19:29] – [20:32]
• Collaboration and problem-solving (halter dress anecdote): [21:00] – [22:45]
• Theme weeks—challenges and creativity: [27:16] – [32:26]
• Costume afterlife and sustainability: [32:26] – [33:26]
• Dream theme and landmark costumes: [33:26] – [35:13]
• Len Goodman tribute and 20th anniversary logistics: [41:01] – [44:50]
• Working with pros; design process: [44:50] – [46:33]
• DWTS’s enduring appeal: [46:56] – [48:26]

Tone & Language

The episode balances upbeat behind-the-scenes banter with thoughtful reflection. Daniella’s responses blend candor (“sometimes I don’t love [themes] when I have to copy…another designer’s design”), technical insight, and a clear affection for her craft. Danielle is warm, enthusiastic, and effusive in praise, occasionally self-deprecating about her own costuming faux pas.

Conclusion

This episode offers a sparkling look inside the costuming “machine” at Dancing with the Stars—from beading, budgeting, and brainstorming to the trust-fueled relationships that create TV magic. Both aspiring designers and fans of the show will find inspiration in Daniella Schwentner’s journey, philosophy, and unshakeable sense of artistry in the most high-pressure, high-glam environment on TV.