C95's Bachelorette: The Stylist Speaks!

Last Thursday, C95's very brave Bachelorette Chelsey, along with her date, Global TV's Kevin Stanfield, came to Midtown Plaza as part of Chelsey's quest to find love. To start off the date off, Chelsey and Kevin met with personal stylist, Jacqueline Conway, to score some fashionable finds.What better way to test compatibility, taste, style, and attraction than by shopping together?  And, after all,  nothing diffuses first date jitters like a little retail therapy, right?

The couple that shops together, gets together? We'll have to wait and see! 

To assist them on their date, we sought out personal stylist, Jacqueline Conway, proclaimed Saskatoon's resident "It Girl" by Fashion Magazine. Jacqueline is a graphic design, PR and fashion maven and is one of the driving forces behind the Saskatoon Fashion and Design Festival. She also runs her own business, Trend Blazer Marketing which manages events and develops creative concepts. She lives and breathes fashion, and has worked with Midtown Plaza to style numerous fashion campaigns and photo shoots. As such, we felt there was no better person to steer this potential couple to the most stylish conclusion possible.

Under Jacqueline's creative hand, Chelsey and Kevin were led on a shopping adventure that had them subtly revealing their own personal style, what they find appealing on the opposite sex, picking up some great pieces (courtesy of Midtown Plaza) and, all in all, having a blast (the words "best date ever!" may have even been uttered.) We sat down with Jacqueline to get the dish on her style secrets, and what it takes to style a date.

First Date Attire: Dress to Impress!

It turns out, that the best advice it to not over think it. Jacqueline believes that comfort is key. Dressing is all about presenting yourself, and on a first date you are not going to want to wear something outrageous, uncomfortable, and unrepresentative of yourself. However, Jacqueline also recommends  to upping the ante when it comes to dressing to impress. "Find fun and easy new elements; such as accessories and blend them into your existing wardrobe."

For Kevin and Chelsey, Jacqueline wanted to focus on an evening of having fun, which meant she directed them to bright, sophisticated yet casual transitional wear that would blend into their current personal style.

Coordinating Couples: How much is too much?

Perfect pairings.... 

Bird of a feather flock together, as the old saying goes, but when it comes to dressing as a couple when does coordination become less complimentary and more crazy? The key, it seems, is to allow it to happen organically, and not to force it. "Your style, over time, will be reflected back in the other person" Jacqueline says, "it's a two way street."

Dare to Change: Getting out of your comfort zone!

Decisions, decisions... 

During their shopping adventure, Chelsey and Kevin seemed to have a pretty good idea about what they wanted, what they liked, and what they didn't. But, is staying in your comfort zone always the safest bet? Not so. "Style is so personal," Conway admits, "it's hard to get people to change. The most important piece of advice is try, try, try it on. You never know what something will look like once you have a body to fill it out. Fit is the most important thing of all."


Dressing your man:

Dressing room reveal! 

The nature of things.. 

Chelsey was lucky, Kevin was a self-admitted savvy shopper, and the date was well suited to their fun-loving dynamic. Even when playfully mugging for our camera, or handling all of Chelsey's bags, a smile was never far from Kevin's face. But such is not always the case. Many guys cringe at the mere mention of a day of shopping, and many are resigned to wear the same jeans and t-shirt every day of the week. It's doesn't have to be that way. "I find it goes a lot smoother if you focus on him," Jacqueline says, "Give him tons of options, get him a change room and let it go from there!"


"These times, they are a changing"

photo via StealStylist.com

One of the elements that Jacqueline focused on when creating the shopping plan for this date, was on pulling elements with transitional appeal. Since we are heading towards spring, she wanted to incorporate elements that would leave a lasting impression. Bringing in new elements, such as the footwear purchased from Town Shoes, and keeping them clean, sophisticated and casual ensures that the items last longer.

But, what else can we expect to see once Winter is on it's way out?

"Mixing prints is a big trend we are seeing right now," Jacqueline forecasts, "you just need to find ways and prints that can compliment each other in new and interesting ways."


Tips of the Trade:

What's one piece of advice a stylist can give regular folks to make their shopping experience as fun and effortless as date #3. "Well," Jacqueline explains, "My best advice is to always take photos of yourself while you're trying things on. Not only does it give you another perspective, it gives you documentation of what something actually looks like."

Using her technique, when you are unsure of a purchase, you have but to look back at your photo reel, and- voila- you have fashion inspiration idea or have avoided potential buyer's remorse.

There is no doubt that Kevin and Chelsey had a wonderful, and stylish first date. Whether or not he'll be the winner though, is yet to be determined. Watch a recap of their date in entirety below:

You can also check out Jacqueline's blog here! And keep up to date on all the Bachelorette news here!