7 Fashion Facts That Make Hailey Baldwin and Joan Smalls Sisters From Another Mister

Updated on 11/22/2016 at 11:30 AM

Before you sit down with Hailey Baldwin and Joan Smalls on the same couch, you don't put them in the same category. Joan is a seasoned supermodel who's been walking the Victoria's Secret runway show since 2010, and she ranked No. 8 on Forbes magazine's highest-paid model list three years ago. Meanwhile, Hailey is just getting her start, solidifying relationships with big-name brands like Guess and Dolce & Gabbana. But spend five minutes with the duo, and you'll see they treat one another as if they were on the same level.

That's what's so great about the industry now: it's becoming more inclusive. Ads and magazine covers feature a wide range of women who differ in age, body type, height, and experience. I talked to Hailey and Joan about that progress before they stepped out to promote their new Karl Lagerfeld Paris campaign at Lord & Taylor. Our conversation was positive and even eye-opening when you consider how many similarities the girls share. More than anything, it excited us for what's to come for both Hailey and Joan. Read on to start tracking their careers if you haven't yet, and get some ideas for holiday gifting too.

They've Got Career-Defining Moments

Joan: "I feel like I've had different moments with different people that meant different things. Like shooting with Steven Meisel, he's like the godfather of photography. If you shoot with him, everybody respects that you've made it because it's him. And you learn so much as well, because he is a legend. But we were just talking about it — the Victoria's Secret show, doing that also."

Hailey: "I think for me, I'm very much in the place where I'm building and starting to do things that I think are really cool. My Guess campaigns are very iconic things and it's an old-school type of brand. I think walking the Dolce & Gabbana show for me was something that was always a dream of mine that I finally got to do, which is really cool."

The Most Interesting Thing About Shooting With Karl Lagerfeld Is . . .

Hailey: "He's honestly really fast. I don't know if you would expect that. He sits down, he takes the photo, and he's like, 'OK, let's check.' He's so confident in what he does and in his work that he goes, 'Photo, photo, photo, OK let me check it.' He's so skilled that he's so quick."

There's Room in the Industry For Newcomers and Vets

Hailey: "At the end of the day I'm sitting here with Joan, who has a lot on me. Being able to shoot with somebody like that kind of makes you realize, I need to shoot with these people who have been doing this for so much longer before me and kind of have so much over me. I've been watching what Joan's been doing for years, even before I started modeling, so even that was really cool for me."

Hoop Earrings Are Definitely Not a "Trend"

Joan: "I've always been wearing them. It's not a new trend, it's part of my culture and my style. Growing up in Puerto Rico, everybody wears hoop earrings and gold earrings. It's normal to me, so when people are like, 'It's so fashion' or 'You're trendy,' I'm like, 'OK, if you say so.' Hoop earrings are hoop earrings. I don't think it's a throwback. No matter what size, what color, what shape, or now they make them cooler and thinner, it's a classic."

Hailey and Joan Have the Same Sense of Street Style

Hailey: "Me and Joan I would say, I think in comparison to a lot of people, are a little bit more on the tomboy side. I like that because I don't like to be too done up. And then you have your moments when you are super glam, done up, and really pretty. I enjoy a little bit of that tough streetwear."

Joan: "I like a sexy streetwear. Tone everything down, be super casual, and then have your makeup done, or put some pieces on with some sweats. You know, just give a little bit of twist and make it fun and interesting."

Joan's Got the Perfect Holiday Gift For Hailey . . .

Hailey: "My family is so cute and they try to give things that are more funny that have a story behind them. For my birthday last year, my dad had been in Canada and he came home just in time for my birthday and he brought me a Tim Horton's mug and a little snow globe. But the story behind it is funny because I drink out of this mug like every day. It's my favorite coffee mug now. And it's interestingly the one gift I actually use the most, weirdly."

Joan: "[This year I'm getting you a new mug] that says, 'I love Puerto Rico.' And you better use it on weekends, and the other one can be on the weekdays, we'll share. What's a good gift [for girlfriends]? I feel like you have to put a little bit of thought into it because each person has different interests, and you want to make it special."

They Stalk All Their Fans on Social Media

Hailey: "I think Twitter makes more sense to try to reply back to people. I think Instagram, a lot of the time, I shut the comments off. I mean sometimes I forget and then sometimes you want to just like keep traction on certain photos so you don't care to turn them off. I stopped reading comments on Instagram. People out there are so mean and bitter and not nice, so it doesn't matter. But the people that are really nice, I [respond to them] on Twitter, or I Snapchat certain things that I want people to see or read . . . I like Hailey update accounts or sometimes street style accounts, because they're so dedicated to the aesthetic of their feed, they edit their photos in really cool ways, and I like their editing, so I'll snatch the photo."

Joan: "I randomly like people's pictures if I see that they wrote something nice. I'll go to the picture, and if it's a teenager, I'm like, 'I'll like this picture, and that picture too.' And I'm like, 'Hmm, I wonder what they did today . . . ' Just randomly, just so that they see that they're noticed."