My Style: Chantal Chadwick
Photo: Emmy Park — Courtesy of Chantal Chadwick
The three essential things a woman should know about style are...
It is personal, it is progressive, and it should always strive to be timeless.
Please describe your style in three words.
Vibrant, structural, nostalgic.
What is the biggest mistake one can make when getting dressed?
It’s a tie between forgetting your bottoms and going out with two different shoes on. Unfortunately, I have done both.
Do you believe in role models?
I believe in having a clear vision of who you want to be in the future and striving towards that in the present.
What are your favourite fabrics?
Leather, raw silk, crushed velvet.
Are there any style combinations that you object to?
I am consistently impressed with what people manage to pull off, especially here in New York.
Which city has the best-dressed women?
Paris!
What are the rules, if any, in the way you dress?
Comfort first, except the shoes. For those you should suffer.
Would you say that you are conservative or bold?
I tend to go for bold colours and shapes styled in a conservative manner.
Celebrities and style...
Leave me speechless.
Name one garment/accessory that you can never have enough of?
My leather jacket! Completes every outfit.
A woman should always look like...
She isn’t taking herself too seriously.
Who taught you what you know about style?
All of the amazing women I have had the luck to encounter in my travels and in my career.
How do you select your clothing every morning?
I am consistently running late and give myself around thirty seconds to get dressed, so it is a complete luck of the draw.
What is your biggest regret?
As far as fashion, I’m not sure that I have any. Ask me in ten years.
Do you have any shopping rituals?
I am blessed with owning my own store, but on the rare occasion that I find myself shopping, I tend to have a very specific vision of what I am looking to purchase and can be extremely picky and quite frankly impossible to satisfy. This is probably why I own my own store.
We will never see you wearing...
Toe shoes.
Which new designers do you follow and why?
Sobotka, because the designer is first and foremost an artist and takes huge risks in her collections, yet she produces the most breathtaking garments that are also wearable. Titania Inglis because she is a killer seamstress and uses sustainably sourced fabrics.
Who is the most stylish person you have ever seen?
My business partner (the co-founder of End of Century) Lara Hodulick. Even on one of her so-called “off days”, she is guaranteed to put me to shame.
What is the first thing you notice on a woman?
The way she carries herself. I gravitate towards people who are open and emanate a certain warmth in their interactions.
What are the most treasured items in your wardrobe?
A pair of Dries Van Noten heels that I got in Berlin, my boyfriend’s sweaters, and my Imago-A Prism Tote.
The one image that defined your approach to style...
Delphine Seyrig in Last Year at Marienbad.
Which fashion house never fails to impress you?
Acne.
Is comfort an enemy of style?
It shouldn’t be!
Who would you like to see next in My Style?
Megan Marie Dodge, the designer of Sobotka.
The best words of advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to take risks, trust your intuition.
