How I Shop: Chrishell Stause

We all buy clothes, but no two people shop the same. It can be a social experience, and a deeply personal one; at times, it can be impulsive and entertaining, at others, purpose-driven, a chore. Where do you shop? When do you shop? How do you decide what you need, how much to spend and what’s “you”? These are some of the questions we’re putting to prominent figures in our column “How I Shop.”

You know you’re really getting the scoop when the person you’re interviewing about their shopping habits announces that they’re standing in front of their wardrobe, investigating your questions in real time. That’s how I learn that the last thing Chrishell Stause bought was a pair of Agolde jeans from Intermix.

“They’re literally hanging there when I walked in, because I haven’t worn them yet,” the “Selling Sunset” star tells me over the phone. “I love when people play with the expected, and the waistline on these is cut out. It’s kind of like a boyfriend jean, but a little unexpected — for when you want to be casual, but you still want to be cute.” (Found ’em!) 

Stause has a lot going on at the moment. Just hours before our scheduled call, People published pictures confirming that she and G-Flip recently tied the knot in Las Vegas. Then, of course, there’s the new season of “Selling Sunset” premiering on May 19, which promises to cover her “awakening,” as well as the drama that comes with a new class of realtors entering the picture at the Oppenheim Group.

Ahead, Stause discusses her fashion evolution over the course of six seasons on the hit Netflix series (and why she picked an Ivy Park jumpsuit for her first day back in the office in this fresh batch of episodes), how she uses clothing to make herself memorable to potential clients, the story of the dress she wore to her wedding and more. Read on for highlights from our conversation.

“I would describe my personal style as fun, colorful. I always like to feel confident and sexy, but also put-together — if I’m going out. If I’m at home, I might be in pajamas. I go with what’s really soft. This one [I’m wearing on the call] right now is really nice. It’s from MeUndies.

“I always lean toward clothing that has structure to it, whether it’s a dress or a pantsuit — something like that I feel gives you a nice confidence, when you have the right silhouette and you’re not tugging and pulling all over. I love a power suit… I like color, I like playing around with things. I like having fun.

“I know what works for me and what doesn’t. Sometimes we’ll have a group chain when there’s something coming up, and the girls will be putting a lot of different options on the chain… I’ll weigh in, give my opinion when they’re asking and show them what I’m wearing…. For the most part I’m the kind of person where you could pull two racks of things, I would see what I like and I’d probably know exactly what I want within one or two try-ons.

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“When the show started, it was one of those things that I was trying to figure out, how a luxury real estate agent filming a TV show dresses. It was all new to me. I’d only worked with friends in the past. So I went out shopping for what I thought would be appropriate for that. I was kind of trying to play a part. They weren’t necessarily clothes that I would’ve just had in my closet. As the show went on, I realized I don’t need to be wasting money on clothes that I don’t really even like. You can be yourself in luxury real estate. 

“Obviously, on ‘Selling Sunset,’ we kick it up each season, but it’s more about expressing yourself, being who you are. That confidence comes through when you’re talking to clients and different things. I don’t think they want you to cosplay as a realtor. They just want [someone] who’s very confident and knows who they are, and that comes through dressing in things that you really genuinely like. I’ve slowly figured that out.

“When I come back to the office in season six, I’m in a red Ivy Park power suit. First of all, I’m a huge fan of Beyoncé — that’s very much my personality. I’m always speaking in Beyoncé GIFs. It just really made me feel so confident. It’s one piece, so you don’t have to think it through. You zip it up, and you look great. I knew it was an important day, coming back into the office after taking a break, so I wanted to feel exactly like what we’re talking about: sexy, but not too over-the-top, really confident and powerful. So, I went for red — really loud, really bold, really fun structure and silhouette. That’s exactly what I would be looking for if I was saying, ‘Okay, I really want to come in with a bang.’

“I could go through my closet, and it’s a little bit like memory lane. Some of it is over-the-top and ridiculous, but you never know, when you’re filming a show like ‘Selling Sunset,’ when it just might [come in] handy.

“I actually ended up donating the bulk of my wardrobe from season one to this charity called Cancer Cartel, which takes high-end pieces and sells them, and all of the money goes to people that are trying to pay their bills during cancer treatment. It means a lot to me because, I had dealt with different situations with cancer in my family. So, the bulk of my season one wardrobe, I don’t own anymore. That being said, I did keep one piece, because I felt it was important to have a keepsake. It’s a polka dot dress that was in my first interview I did with ‘Selling Sunset.’ It’s what I think of when I think of my look from season one.

“We did a scene [in season four] where we all went on a boat, and I had this really beautiful coverup from David Koma. It actually was meant to be a dress, but I was thinking, since our show is always over-the-top, I could use it as a bikini coverup. The day went a little awry, but I still look fondly on that coverup… I just took it to Australia, and had some really great new memories.

“We dress to the nines if we’re filming, for sure. If I’m going to be meeting an insanely amazing client, I’ll still dress the same. I might save certain outfits. It just depends on how important it is. There are these photos of all of us in pink from one of the seasons — that was a hot-pink Alex Perry power suit that’s a go-to in my closet. It’s nice and it’s powerful, but it’s also familiar. So if I know I’m competing with a lot of other agents to get a listing, maybe seeing me in that hot-pink suit feels familiar, in their memory somewhere, in the back of their head. I use these things to my advantage.

“[The red carpet look] that stands out the the quickest to my brain is the MTV [Movie and TV Awards: Unscripted] Awards, because it was a big night for us. We ended up taking home Best Docu-Reality Show, and I took home Best Reality Star. It was just really comfortable. 

“I’ve actually never been more comfortable in an outfit. And it came through in all the photos. I just seem so relaxed and just enjoying the night and having a good time. That one always makes me smile. It was the perfect storm of something that at first I thought might be a little too casual… The MTV [Awards] is a fun carpet, so you can get away with things there. I thought it was so flattering, and we ended up taking home all the awards, so it was also pretty lucky.

“I was going to a gala with a charity I work with, and I felt like Belle. I had this huge yellow skirt, it could have had its own zip code. I felt like I was playing dress up in a fairytale and when else [could I do that]? I personally find it really fun. I was beaming in that dress all night. It really did feel like being Disney princess or something for a night.

“I definitely prefer to shop online. It’s just so much easier, and you have access to so many more options as opposed to going in-person. If I’m going to go to a store, I’d like to go to one where they have a lot of different brands, just because it can be a little limiting if you’re going to [just one brand]. Intermix is one of my favorite stores… If I’m shopping online, it depends — everything from FWRD to MyTheresa. I also am lucky that some things are sent to me and gifted.

“I will say, I have learned the value of a good tailor: Some of these clothes don’t have to be crazy expensive and break the bank if you’re tailoring them. I think I get away with certain looks and things that, because it fits so well, you wouldn’t guess that it cost $200 versus $2,000. 

“I did a line with Lipsy, and that was so important to me because I have stepped into this more designer world, but that’s not where I came from. So, trying to find that same fit and ease and bring it to a more reasonable price point was something I was looking to do.

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“[Designer Gemeli Power,] she’s so wonderful. Actually, I was going to an event, and she gave me two versions of the dress, and one was hanging in my closet, because I didn’t end up using it. I wanted to give it back to her, and she was like, ‘Just keep it.’ I think she was surprised to see that I did end up wearing it. I think she was really happy about that. It was a fun Vegas dress to get married in. It looks like I planned that out, but I actually had it in my closet. I felt really confident in it. It’s actually a little iridescent. I love it because she’s an Australian designer who’s the sweetest person.

“I’m a huge fan of Dion Lee now. I’m such a sucker for him. You might get a little bit here, but in Australia, he has huge stores… I can’t wait for him to hit a little bigger, because I love how he plays with proportions, where it could be a small sexy top and a big baggy cargo pant. That’s actually what I wear when we kick off season seven in Australia.

“There’s an old adage of ‘dress for your age’ — our show is the perfect example [of breaking that]. Now, yes, we definitely lean into the camp of it all. That being said, it’s nice for people to feel confident and dress however they want to dress, at whatever age. Our show helps take that narrative back a little bit.” 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Source: Fashionista.com