At the risk of sounding a little butt-sucky, 25 year old Chelsea Leyland never puts a Charlotte Olympia-clad foot wrong. The British born, Brooklyn based DJ is all over our radar, DJing for every major fashion brand - from Chanel to Burberry to Topshop. With her rock meets girlie, vintage infused aesthetic, Chelsea's tangled blonde curls and omnipresent red lipstick have become a regular fixture at pretty much every party you want to be at.
Chelsea makes fashion fun - favouriting classic designers such as Fendi as much as funky newbie Simone Rocha, and experimenting with everything from tiny antique crochet handbags ('big enough for an iPhone and nothing else') to leather boob tubes. With her partner in crime, stylist Kate Foley, Chelsea has become a member of the global front row. DKNY even sponsored her 25th birthday - which sure beats our quarter life crisis.
Which is why Chelsea's the very legitimate subject of this week's The Debrief Dissects...
Lesson one: Dress a biker jacket up and down
'My style is a mixture of uptown vs. downtown,' Chelsea told us. Yes, she receives a truck-load of designer freebies from all her DJ'ing gigs ('it has definitely made my style a little chic-er') but her failsafe staple - whether it's over a Chanel dress or a pair of skinny jeans and flats - is a black motorcycle jacket. Longline, cropped, leather, sheepskin... she's got an impresive roster, mixing them with pieces from her vintage archive collected from over the years.
Lesson two: Sod the androgynous trend; embrace the lady
Suit jackets and boyfriend jeans are all the rage, but Chelsea's vast collection of killer dresses is enough to turn even the life-long suited and booted to the frock-side. 'I like to wear a lot of vintage dresses and keep things feminine and girly' she says - a favourite is a navy Chanel wool dress with big gold buttons - but she'll offset a demure white lace midi dress with 'rebellious' detailing. Think fierce Dominic Jones rings, socks with sandals and visible underwear.
**Lesson three: Let your mood dictate **
Feeling girly one day and like an, er, rockstar the next? Chelsea's with you. 'My style is influenced by my mood and characters from my favourite film'. One day she's all about the tiny tartan kilt and loose hair (like that look? We're always in favour of the grunge frocks on ASOS Marketplace) whilst the next, she'll be rocking an ultra ladylike gold sheath dress and neatly centre-parted hair. Mix it up. It's ok.
Lesson four: Kooky headgear can be chic, too
Chelsea is hooked on cat-eared hats. 'I'm definitely the crazy cat lady' she admits. Even crazy cat ladies can look chic, though, when said cat hat is paired with a black velvet dress. If feeling feline isn't one for you, try a fedora, or if you're only ready to dip a toe into hat wearing water, pop a beanie on and go.
Lesson five: But do split your work/party wardrobe
Confusing territory, given that Chelsea's work is at a party. Nonetheless, she keeps it simple whilst DJing in a barely there '90's uniform of denim cut-offs, brothel creepers, crop tops and often a high bun, whilst her red carpet attire is pretty much always a banging dress and some Charlotte Olympia heels to showcase her seemingly never ending legs.
Lesson six: Never underestimate the power of the breton stripe
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Like her fellow British expact Alexa, Chelsea is a big fan of the breton stripe. 'I really admire the way my French friends dress,' she says. 'I think that Parisians dress in a way which is just effortlessly cool'. It's as obvious as the fact that Bovril goes with toast, that stripes look great with leather. Chelsea also smartens the basic up for evening with a black pleated mini skirt and velvet ankle booties. Easy.
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Pictures: Getty, Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.