#KibouStyles with Stylist Melissa Chataigne

Melissa Chataigne’s Style Resolutions

Your clothes and accessories should make you feel good and give you confidence that you look good and you're prepared for what's in front of you. Whether you're newly pregnant, you're regaining your sense of style now that you're back at the office, or you had a baby and your body has changed, there is a way to think about fashion and style that can help build your confidence and sense of beauty and style in the skin you're in. 

As a champion of dressing with confidence, Melissa Chataigne joins us today to share her Style Resolutions, which seem like a Fashion Best Practice handbook if you ask us.

Melissa, please tell us more about these style “rules!”

“Wear clothes that make you feel confident and follow your tenants of style.”

Tenants of style are your personal style. It’s how you communicate who you are through your physical appearance. It’s like a cheat sheet to discovering your personal style. It starts with selecting 3-5 “power words” that are always present in your outfit so you feel like your most authentic self. Remember it’s not about the clothes you wear, but how you style them that conveys who you are. Take inspiration from your lifestyle, goals, style icons and more to determine your own tenants. When I get dressed I want to feel confident, unique, powerful and elevated. So no matter what I wear, I keep those tenants in mind. You try!

“Add timeless pieces to wardrobe over trends–80/20 rule.”

A timeless wardrobe is focused on pieces that never go out of style. If your words are classic, conservative and ladylike you may want to invest in a trench coat, loafers and a white button down. If you’re more modern minimalist, you may lean towards a white tee, gray wide-leg trousers and a cropped leather jacket. For the 20% focus on mixing in trends for the season. I find a lot of my trends from my closet as the 90s are back! LOL

Tell us about the Chataigne dress and how this supports a timeless, sustainable wardrobe (congrats on this beautiful piece, by the way!)  

The Chataigne Dress is a  versatile, reversible, sustainable and wrinkle free limited-edition dress collaboration with ready-to-wear brand, Twobirds New York. I have alway wanted to create a dress to be worn for multiple occasions and push the notion of embracing being an outfit repeater. It’s also size inclusive (sizes 0-24) to help all women show up powerfully and be seen in the world. Stay tuned for new colors dropping this spring!

“Support brands that support  you. If you’re not represented on the feed, don’t shop.”

Tell us more about some brands that you love who nail in with representation. How can brands like ours do better?

I believe every brand curates their feed and marketing for their ideal customer. As a stylist and consumer, if I don’t see my size and color inclusivity on their feed or at events then I won’t be supporting. Brands that do a great job of being inclusive are Siriano, Net-A-Porter, Mother Denim, Simone Roacha, Ganni, Saks, Fe Noel.

To be more inclusive, feature parents and children of all shapes, sizes and colors using your bag harmoniously.

“Donate items not worn in over a year.” 

Any good tips for how to actually execute this?

Yes, I believe every quarter requires a closet purge to assess if each item still aligns with your current tenets of style. If there’s a piece you haven’t worn in a while, try to incorporate it into your daily outfits within the next month. After this if you still haven’t worn it then it’s time to toss it sustainably. I love a closet swap, gifting to a friend or selling on a secondhand website.

“Shop consignment first for luxury items.” 

Any tips for your favorite places (local or virtual) that consign high quality items?

Well, the best option is to first research local consignment shops in your area to save on your carbon footprint. For my favorite shopping places subscribe to my newsletter, Elevated Living, where I share the best tips with my community. I also love Poshmark, here’s the link to my shop: 

“If it’s not a full body YES then it’s a NO.”

 I love this and try to abide by it when I try things on, but I’d love to hear more.

With everything in life you have to follow your gut. When you’re trying on a piece, look in the mirror and ask yourself is this how you want present yourself to the world? Does this feel good on my body? Does this align with my tenets of style or do I look awesome? If you’re in doubt, then cut it out!

“Normalize repeating outfits for special occasions.”

Just YES to this with total enthusiasm. 

Get the Chataigne Dress and your problems are solved! 🙂

How did you come to be a stylist? 

I juggled assisting celebrity stylists while I had a full time corporate healthcare career. Eventually I left to pursue my dream full-time. I realized I was tired of being an image-maker for A-list celebrities who were still insecure, so I pivoted to helping real men and women elevate their confidence through style. And that’s when Melissa Chataigne Style was born.

How did you develop your own style philosophy and sense of style?

I started to focus on the inner work and my self-confidence to express how I wanted to feel in my clothes because the psychology of how you dress is powerful. You can change your outfit and change your mood. I created Tenants of Style to align how I want to feel and how I want to be seen in this world with my outer appearance.

This May you’re leading an “Elevate You” Trip to Paris. Tell us more, more, more!

This is an intimate luxury retreat to release limiting beliefs about your body, boost your confidence, curate your personal style and immerse yourself in the City of Lights. You’ll be shopping at exclusive boutiques and consignment shops with a world renown fashion stylist (moi) to help you curate a unique and personally meaningful closet.

Finally, we have to ask: Why Kibou? How does it fit in with your own tenants of style?

I live in a bustling city, downtown Los Angeles, and I like the versatility of the belt bag when I’m hands free shopping and hiking. It also accents my waist which makes me feel confident.

What do you always bring along in your Kibou?

My Gucci card wallet, Summer Fridays lipgloss, hand sanitizer, mace, my keys and my iphone