They arrive with flawless skin, blindingly white teeth and not a hair extension out of place. No, I’m not describing the models currently gracing London Fashion Week. I’m actually talking about the cast of Selling Sunset. The blockbuster Netflix reality show follows a group of thirty- and fortysomething female realtors in LA as they deal with multi-million dollar listings, and the resulting inter-office drama. All, of course, while teetering around in sky-high platform heels.
“Our show definitely pushes the boundary of what is work-appropriate and what isn’t,” jokes the show’s incredibly likeable and perma-tanned protagonist, Chrishell Stause. “But that’s kind of the fun part. LA is a more ‘anything goes’ kind of place.”
It’s an unseasonably cold September day in London when Stause rings from LA. Naturally, they’re in the middle of a heatwave. The 41-year-old is in the middle of filming season six of Selling Sunset, and I’m eager to ask her about it. “There’s been a little drama early on. I’m hoping that we can focus on the real estate a little more, but we’ll see how that goes,” she laughs.
The season will also introduce at least two new cast members, with Stause adding that there have already been some “tensions” sorting out the “new energies with the OGs”. “It does make for an interesting dynamic,” she says, “but I’m hoping that at the end of the day everybody wants to be there to build their business. I think it’s really inspiring to see women successfully work together and so I’m hoping that we can really highlight that.”
Of course, I have to ask Stause about Christine Quinn. Quinn is the Barbie doll antagonist to Stause’s big-haired heroine, and drama seems to trail her. Stause has made it clear – both on and off set – that she is not Quinn’s biggest fan. So when I ask Stause what the office has been like since Quinn announced she was leaving the Oppenheim Group – the brokerage who employs the cast of Selling Sunset – I’m not surprised when she demurs. “I don’t want to give her any more airtime than she’s already had,” she says with a colder tone. “She’d left the office a long time before [we started filming season six], so it doesn’t really change that much.”
Sensing the temperature change, I shift back to fashion. Stause will be visiting London in November for the launch of her new collection with Lipsy London. Stause partnered with the brand – that she “absolutely loves” – earlier this year to launch her first line. Her second, an autumn collection, will drop at the end of September before a winter line at the end of the year. “[The winter line] will be perfect for holiday parties,” she teases.
Viewers can expect to see a couple of pieces from the collection in episodes of Selling Sunset’s new season, as Stause says they provide a perfect “day-to-night kind of vibe”. “A lot of pieces do that really seamlessly,” she says. “Now I know my office is a little different than some other people’s, but – for me – everything in this collection could be worn to the office.”
A piece from the new collection that Stause is “obsessed with” is a houndstooth coat, something she describes as “airport chic”. It’s therefore no surprise that she calls her own style a “bit Posh Spice” – Victoria Beckham being the queen of fresh-off-a-flight fashion. That said, she also thinks she has a bit of Sporty Spice in her wardrobe, too. No wait, she interrupts, actually she’s more of a Ginger. “I feel like I’m a different one on different days.”
As for Stause’s red carpet style, one of her favourite looks has been the Grace Ling bra crop top and trousers she wore to the MTV Movie & TV Awards in June. “I’d never worn anything like that before,” she recalls. “I’m always in some very uncomfortable dress. But [this outfit] was, ironically, one of the most comfortable outfits I’ve ever worn on a carpet yet it ended up having such an impact.”
We don’t repeat clothes [on the show], but I absolutely repeat my clothes [in reality]— Chrishell Stause
When she’s not on a red carpet or filming Selling Sunset, Stause can be found in athleisure wear. “But I don’t have too many days off,” she laughs. When it comes to fashion misconceptions, she says that she worries people think – because of her show – that she only wears outfits once before throwing them out. “We don’t repeat clothes [on the show], but I absolutely repeat my clothes [in reality],” Stause insists. “I think sustainability is a huge thing that we should all be aware of.”
When she thinks back on her own fashion journey, Stause says that she is proud of how it’s evolved since the beginning of Selling Sunset. “I was definitely dressing [based on] what I’d seen on TV,” she admits. “I was new to real estate, and [thought that was] what realtors are supposed to wear.” That meant lots of soft hues and pencil skirts. Infamously, Quinn once pledged – or threatened – to “work on [Stause’s] style a bit”. Fast forward to season five, though, and Stause’s looks are more edgy – she’s more likely to be seen in a designer top with ruffled shoulders than a simple A-line dress. Stause seems to have loosened up with her style, but how would she personally describe it today?
“Sexy, but classy,” she says. “I want to be comfortable in my body, so I don’t want to be too revealing.”
She pauses to reconsider.
“That being said… I still want it to feel sexy.”
‘Chrishell x Lipsy’ collection is exclusively available online at Next.co.uk/Lipsy
