Seeking Inspirato with Chanel Lewis
The Basics
Name: Chanel
Age: 28
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Style in 3 words: Transitional, comfortable, accessible
Feels best in: Fitted crewneck tee (tucked), high waist skinny jeans (cuffed and belted), a jacket, and red lipstick (always)
A Cohesive Self
Like her home, Chanel has a warm, comfortable, and relaxing presence.
She uses those same words to describe herself, but adds “a little opulence and fun” because what’s life without them?
Stepping into Chanel’s living space, I got the sense that it’s her sensibility, extended. There’s a connection between Chanel’s observant, thoughtful nature and the pieces in her orbit.
“I’m learning to be the sum of all my parts and not just some parts every now and then—the pieces that make me “me” as the whole me and not as just a part of me.”
From her clothing to the art adorning the walls, everything is placed with purpose.
But this isn’t to say Chanel doesn’t give herself licence to play with her expression. She has a dynamic range of styles that cohabitate with one another, ebbing as Chanel flows from day to day.
“No longer do I explain why I wear what I wear. What you see is a reflection of who I am—whether it’s tight and form-fitting or loose and oversized. I no longer see this gamut or spectrum as a piece or a part of me.”
She explains, “this is all me.”
“Damnit, We’re Lovers”
“The one constant is red lipstick.”
Lipstick is one of Chanel’s superpowers.
“There are two things that I know to be true. One, I am a damn good cook. This is something I brag about. I don’t shy away from that. The second thing is that red lipstick and I are forever friends. Dammit, we’re lovers. It just works on me, and I know it.”
The Chanel Lip
Chanel typically wears lip stains–her favorites are Fenty Beauty’s Lip Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored and Nars’ Powermatte Lip Pigment in Starwoman. To get that perfect ombre lip, she’ll put on the red without covering her whole lip and then line her lips with a lip pencil in a shade of burgundy–Chanel uses MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth. She works her lips together to blend the two colors and create a gradient effect. Or as I like to call it, a masterpiece.
Signature Staples Go Deep
Chanel’s love for a red lip reminds me that the timeless staples we carry from one phase of our style to the next create a harmony of comfort. These staples have a story to them that, upon reflection, we can conjure up.
Diane Keaton had a huge impact on my style at an early age (anyone remember Because I Said So?). Her use of a wide belt was exquisite, and I adopted it immediately. Today, wide belts are such a staple in my looks I rarely acknowledge Diane’s influence as I should. Consider this penance.
Chanel’s red lip staple has an origin story. The red lip empowered her to lay creative claim to a part of her body that carries historical and personal relevance. Discovering the power of a red lip allowed her to outwardly express the way she felt on the inside.
MACking On You
“I grew up in white suburbia, and for a very long time, I was very self-conscious about how large my lips were. I was also teased growing up for having big lips. I was 15 when I started wearing makeup, but I always wore glosses.”
One day, a 15-year-old Chanel visited the MAC counter at the local Macy’s, and a white, gay, angel named Michael Wormwood greeted her. He was the absolute best person to serve as Chanel’s lipstick guide that day. He was encouraging and exuded positivity. He created a playful space for a young Chanel where the only objective was to have fun and try things on for size.
Michael said something Chanel’s mom had said a million times before (but who listens to mom?):
“People pay so much money for the thing you have naturally. Rock this shit.”
“That started this reframing of who I am in the world. I still get uncomfortable taking up space, and wearing red lipstick for me has become a way to announce myself without announcing myself because most people don’t wear red lipstick. It’s very bright, and it does capture a lot of attention and because my lips are very full, you can’t not see it.”
We’re thankful to see it, Chanel.
"In most of the spaces that I occupy, I am the only black woman. In the past, I would try to...fit in and not show up fully and authentically. And now I'm just like 'f--- that.' This is me. This is who I am. I'm here."
Capsule Closet Methodology
Chanel’s purposeful nature didn’t always apply to her wardrobe–she learned it. Inspired by the minimalist movement, Chanel adopted the Capsule Closet method in 2016. The idea is that all of your pieces will work together to create a variety of different outfit combinations, all while owning less.
“I realized I didn’t like the pieces I had, and I wanted less. That was the moment where I started to refine my style. That manifested itself in my desire for fewer, better things, and I want all of the items to complement each other in some way.”
Chanel focused on the dynamic nature of her pieces and their quality.
“The way that I look at clothing is that I want quality pieces that I can do different things with all the time. For example, I’m wearing a cotton, black, long-sleeve dress, but I can put on a chunky piece of jewelry, and it’s a different dress. I can put on a jacket, and it’s a different dress.”
When we have less:
We create space for creativity. “When I paired down my closet to a minimal amount of items, and I didn’t have the resources to go refill my wardrobe, I had to become creative. What can I do with these particular items to get me through a week?”
We simplify our routine. Chanel wants to feel Clothing-Confident, but she also wants her clothing to be easy to care for.
We can value what we have. “If I can’t see it then why do I have it? And if I can’t see it, then I can’t even think about it.”
Chanel did such a good job of stripping her wardrobe down that she reached a point of owning less than 20 items.
“I had gotten down to maybe two pairs of jeans, a burgundy, a navy, and a black work pant/trouser, and maybe four or five shirts.”
Chanel’s criteria for wardrobe management is perfectly logical and creates an environment for resourcefulness, the frequent host of creativity.
Chanel’s wardrobe criteria:
She could see all of the pieces she had.
She wasn’t overwhelmed by the pieces.
She loved all of the pieces.
All of the pieces went with each other and allowed for many outfits.
Each piece could serve multiple occasions - date night, work, evening, and more.
High-Low Fashion is Practical
Chanel’s journey with the Capsule Closet naturally led her to play with high-low styling.
High-low styling is the concept of wearing pieces that are normally reserved for fancier occasions and styling them down for everyday wear.
Examples of high-low fashion:
Heels with a regular pair of jeans
Converse with a nice dress
Glitzy jewelry with an understated outfit
“We all need some pieces that we’re not going to wear all of the time. I began to challenge my own comfort level by wearing “special occasion pieces” on a regular Tuesday. For example, I have this silk, black, drop-waist dress, and I wanted to wear it more. So, I’ve just started to wear it more.”
Imagine the possibilities with the pieces in your closet!
Chanel’s Shopping Process
Chanel is a critical shopper who isn’t going to be pushed into buying something. She has stopped accumulating pieces for the heck of it. Now, every piece she owns has a purpose.
“I ask myself so many questions in the clothing-buying process. It’s very similar to how I’ve acquired art.”
Questions for a purposeful wardrobe:
How many times can I use this?
How many times will I want to wear this?
Can I see myself wearing it once or twice a week if I really need to?
How will it look if my weight fluctuates? What if I’m on my cycle, and I’m bloated? (my favorite)
“I don’t think I ever would have thought of these questions if I had continued to accumulate pieces. It was the process of streamlining that made space for more thoughtfulness and consideration and that creativity, ability, and freedom.”
Servicing Our Own Joy
Clothing can help us serve ourselves better. I’m often asked why I don’t just focus on confidence, why Clothing-Confidence?
I focus on Clothing-Confidence because I believe it’s a spoke in the wheel of our inner confidence. When we feel down, it’s even more important to dress in a way that serves us best. The same goes for Self Talk.
Chanel takes this practice to heart.
“I’m trying to live in service of my joy...always. It looks different each day. Some days when I’m not feeling it, putting on the right outfit will give me joy in that particular moment.”
Chanel has grown into accepting her differences. She practices vulnerability and resilience, two of the personal style cornerstones. Just take this statement from her as proof:
“There are moments where I feel very different from those around me, and I am finally ok with that, in particular with my clothing. I’ve stopped operating from others’ expectations of who I should be and what I should wear. I am honoring myself and what I want. Sometimes that’s a long-sleeved black dress that’s relatively fitting that’s showing off this lovely figure, or sometimes it’s a tailored three-piece suit with a slim necktie, and black Dr. Martens.”
I’m in awe of her beauty, both inside and out.
Chanel’s Outfit Example
Thank you!
A huge thank you to Chanel for being apart of the Seeking Inspirato series, and to Jessica Webb for taking the beautiful photos.