Nicole Chavez, Latina Stylist Behind Hollywood’s Hottest Starlets
By , ,
Published January 10, 2017
Becoming a celebrity stylist in LA seemed like the most natural thing in the world for Nicole Chávez. She grew up in LA, worked as a nanny for a Disney executive, married an agent with United Artist Agency, went to Cal Poly (located in Pomona) and got her start working as a production assistant in the wardrobe department on films and television.
So it was almost natural that she became one of Hollywood’s hottest stylists.
After her first job as a PA on the 2002 film Big Trouble, starring Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Tom Sizemore, Heavy D, and a then- unknown actress named Sofía Vergara, Chávez says she discovered a love for doing this kind of work. She was “hooked.” But she had to get herself into the Screen Actors Guild to pay the bills. So, for the next five years, she plodded along working toward that goal.
Her first union job was on the pilot of the TV show The O.C., working as set costumer in the wardrobe department. While there, she met her friend and future client, a young Rachel Bilson.
Nicole Chavez's Tips for the Curvy Latina
- Investing in a Woolford bodysuit like the Individual Nature Body. It gives your body a smother look without feeling too tight—expensive at $180 each, but worth it.
- Cropped jackets shrink waists and hips. A small top makes everything on the bottom look smaller.
- A-line skirts are great for Pear shapes. They can be short skirts, if you have great legs, or maxis.
- A monochromatic look head-to-toe is very thinning.
- Lastly, avoid ankle straps they can shorten legs. A pump is good, or a bootie or shoe that dips down on the food can elongate the body.
As Bilson’s acting career began to take off, she needed someone to help her dress for interviews and press conferences. Chávez began making “cold calls” to designers to get clothes for her friend/client. Bilson eventually introduced Chávez to the actress Kristen Bell, then working on the show TV show Veronica Mars. Bell was the first actress to hire Chávez, and legitimize her position as bona fide style expert.
Since then, Chávez’s career has skyrocketed. She was recently named one of the "Top 10 Superstar Stylists" by Forbes Magazine, and #20 in The Hollywood Reporter‘s Style Issue featuring The 25 Most Powerful Stylists in Hollywood.
She’s become the personal stylist to a coterie of some of L.A.’s A-list celebrities. She’s Catherine Heigl’s go-to girl, as well as a stylist to Nikki Reed, Jessica Simpson, Scarlett Johansson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Courtney Cox.
The look of today is the curvy woman—thin is out. Everyone wants that body, and I believe it sends a great message
— Celebrity stylist Nicole Chavez
Chávez is currently most excited about her partnership with Bilson on their shoe line called “Shoe Mint”. Designed by the two and manufactured by Steve Madden, Shoe Mint joins the online monthly “Style Clubs” of Style Mint, exclusive clothing styled by Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, Beauty Mint, personalized beauty tips offered by Jessica Simpson, and Home Mint, a home collection curated by Justin Timberlake and celebrity interior designer Estee Stanley.
A new mom to an almost three-month old baby, Zev, Chávez says one of the loves of her life is dressing the bodies of “real” women.
“My father’s Mexican. I’m a Latina woman, with a real woman’s body,” Chávez said. “I’m drawn to the curvy silhouette and I love accentuating it. I create an almost corset-like look. I’m not afraid of bold colors and feminine patterns.”
Her tips for the curvy (Latina) girl are:
- Investing in a Woolford bodysuit like the Individual Nature Body. It gives your body a smother look without feeling too tight—expensive at $180 each, but worth it.
- Cropped jackets shrink waists and hips. A small top makes everything on the bottom look smaller.
- A-line skirts are great for Pear shapes. They can be short skirts, if you have great legs, or maxis.
- A monochromatic look head-to-toe is very thinning.
- Lastly, avoid ankle straps they can shorten legs. A pump is good, or a bootie or shoe that dips down on the food can elongate the body.
“The look of today is the curvy woman—thin is out. Everyone wants that body, and I believe it sends a great message,” she said.
She said both men and women love curves.
“Look at Beyonce, on the cover of People Magazine as the “World’s Most Beautiful Woman,” Chávez said. “That sends a message to be healthy and embrace your curves.”
URL
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/nicole-chavez-latina-stylist-behind-hollywoods-hottest-starlets