You may be well-prepared for that important sales meeting, but even your best pitch might not seal the deal if you’re tugging at your shirt or wondering if your suit is right. “The way you put yourself together matters,” says Michelle Chappuis of C-Style, a new personal fashion consulting business. “Just like your posture, eye contact and handshake matter, clothing is an important way to communicate with people. If people don’t feel good about themselves, that shows.”
A semester spent in Florence, Italy, studying art and design sparked the St. Louis native’s interest in fashion. “You could walk the streets and go into what would be their version of Target, and the clothes were spot-on,” Chappuis says. “The way in which they were able to nail the look, even in the lower-end stores, was amazing to me.” Even before Chappuis started her business, she found herself scouring stores for clothes she knew would suit her friends. “I would see something in the window, call a friend and say, ‘Tell your husband there’s a sport jacket in the window at Kim Kuehner and he’s got to look at it,’” she says. “I get a kick out of thinking what people would enjoy in life.”
She launched C-Style to put her skills to use improving people’s appearance and boosting their confidence. “It’s not about transforming them into something they don’t recognize,” she says. “I’m out to help people feel and look their best.” That can mean anything from teaching clients to mix and match the apparel they have in their closets to helping them shop for a whole new wardrobe. “I want the client to feel really special and be in charge,” Chappuis says. “It has less to do with where I think they should be than where they want to be, and how I can help them get there.” When one recent customer wanted to freshen her look, Chappuis spent a few hours helping her try on clothes she already owned, then went to boutiques to select complementary pieces. “What was really satisfying was being able to show her the new items she purchased with the skirt she’d had in her closet for a while.”
Chappuis says it’s surprising how almost everyone can benefit from her services, including “the professional who’s really busy and doesn’t have time, or the person who can’t stand shopping and doesn’t want to deal with it.” Even teenagers can use a little fashion counseling. “It’s for the parents who are tired of telling their daughters, That’s totally inappropriate and you can’t wear that,” explains Chappuis, herself a mother of four. “You can still be totally trendy and fashion-forward without showing every part of your body.”
Ultimately, she says, looking good is about blending trends with good fit. “As much as it’s fun to follow trends, and they can really add to an outfit, it is also extremely important to find what is appropriate for your body type,” Chappuis says. “My goal is definitely to be fashion-forward, but also to have people understand what their body type is, what looks right on them and what they feel comfortable in.
By Rebecca Koenig
Photo by Suzy Gorman
Pictured: Michelle Chappuis
For more information, call 314.610.6600 or visit cstylestl.com.photos shot at Duane Reed Gallery, Centro | Makeup: Randy Davis | Hair: Mary Chittenden from Linea Salon | Cover design by Jon Fogel | Cover photo by Suzy Gorman
