Are you going to one of the Queen City’s many charitable Galas and Events this spring and wondering, of course, What to Wear? You are not alone. It’s the first question anyone asks after they ask…Are You Going? Always next is What Are You Wearing?
If you are joining us at this Saturday’s Fashion Breathes Life Gala presented by Abernethy Contracting, to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis and enjoy a fashion show modeled by local celebs along with plenty of fun, you know that the attire recommendation is Cocktail Couture. We interpret this to mean that we need to step up our idea of a cocktail outfit, going for something a bit more stylized, higher-fashion, glam. But not ballgown. After all, the event was conceived of and is hosted by one of the QC’s fashion mavens, Jill Sloan Pleune. Jill’s son, Oliver, has CF, and Jill started Fashion Breathes Life 9 years ago to help raise awareness and funds for the CF Foundation.
We asked FBL committee members Amy Scibelli, Meghan Hampton, Chantal DePraeter, and Jennifer Jackson to model What to Wear to the Fashion Breathes Life party, styled by FBL Fashion Director, Chantal DePraeter, the owner of Chantilly Style.
All Outfits are from Sloan + Revolve, with jewelry accessories by Kristen Hayes. Brand pictured below and available at Sloan are Alexis, Alice + Olivia, Halston, Zhivago, and Black Halo.
Tickets remaining to FBL are very limited, and no longer available online. You’ll need to contact Rachel Staton at rstaton@cff.org for info. Donations can be made at any time at this link.
About the Stylist
Chantal DePraeter is a proud mother to her two fabulous children, her son Benton, 16 and her daughter Selwyn, 12. Along with that, comes being an entrepreneur, stylist, closet organization guru, wardrobe editor, fashion consultant and brand ambassador.
Chantal was born and raised in Montreal, Canada where passion and eye for fashion began. She has a combined 30+ years experience in retail, custom clothing and the styling world. Her latest and proudest venture was launching Chantilly Style in 2023, where she is the CEO and Creative Director. Her mission is to assist men and women look and feel their best, curating one look at a time. She bring her fashion expertise to outfit and shop for special events, day-to-day looks, photo shoots, business meetings and even vacation fits, she’ll even help pack!
Chantal understands first hand what disease can do when it strikes at home. Here younger brother, Aidan, has Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, a debilitating disease. She watched her parents spend countless years and dollar searching for a cure – which shaped Chantal’s understanding of the importance of specialized medicine, access to medications and the need for ongoing research. It takes a village!
The stars aligned last year when her dear friend and co-owner of Sloan, Jill Pleune, approached her to be a Fashion Icon for the 2023 Fashion Breathes Life gala for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, an organization near and dear to Jill’s heart, as her son Oliver, lives with cystic fibrosis. Chantal joined the fight as an Icon and went on to join the Fashion Breathes Life committee, and now serves as Fashion Director for this year’s runway show.
Chantal feels strongly this was God’s plan, bringing it full circle for her to jump in on the CF Foundation’s incredible mission and to help make difference for the CF community while supporting her dearest friends.
FBL Committee (left to right): Amy Scibelli, Jill Pleune, Chantal DePraeter, Jennifer Jackson, Courtney Sloan, Meghan Hampton, Stephanie True, Angie Harmon, Jessica Coniglio, Susan Bowman. Not pictured: JoBrent Austin-Diehl, Koren Ayers, Dr. Nicole Chadha, Jenny Loden, Nicole Scronce and Cathy Sloan
