Carolina Hellal is not your typical fashion blogger. Born in Cúcuta, Colombia, Hellal’s style has an international influence that seems to reside in her history. Focusing on simple looks with an emphasis in detail, one could mistake her for a Parisian or a New Yorker as much as a Coloradoan. That’s because Hellal is so good at elevating simple basics. On her blog you’ll see an array of looks that focus on a simple color palette and lots of heels. “Heels are always a style, without a doubt. They make me feel confident, and put together,” said Hellal. So we sat down with the founder of Chic Talk CH to learn more about her history and take on Denver style.
303 Magazine: First off, can you tell our viewers a bit about yourself and how you got started as a blogger?
Carolina Hellal: I’m from Cúcuta, Colombia, and right after graduating from high school in my hometown I moved to Denver in 2004. I’ve been living here for almost 13 years, and in 2007 after taking some art classes for two years, and doing one semester of Apparel Design and Merchandising at CSU, I decided to move back to Colombia, and go to fashion school in Bogotá. Right after graduating in 2010, I moved back to Denver, and started working as a visual merchandiser for a junior’s clothing store, and loved the experience. Merchandising in one of my biggest passions, and even though I was working full time, I had a lot of free time after work and during the weekends, and that’s when, inspired by my favorite fashion bloggers, I made the decision to start my own and created Chic Talk as an extra creative outlet. So far, it’s been one of my best decisions of my life!
303: What trends are you excited to try out for 2017? What should go away with 2016?
CH: I’m excited to keep trying the athleisure look… As far as what needs to go, I would say Crocs please! I know they were all over the place at Christopher Kane’s Spring 2017 show… but they are not my favorite!
303: What are your top three must-have items for Colorado’s winter?
CH: A camel coat, over-the-knee boots and a long-hooded winter jacket.
“My style icons include Sarah Jessica Parker, Caroline de Maigret, Olivia Palermo and Aimee Song of Song of Style!” Carolina Hellal
303: How would you describe your personal style? Where are your favorite places to shop local and not local?
CH: That’s a hard question because I feel like it’s always changing, specially with all the seasons, but I would describe it as classic with a modern chic touch. I always gravitate towards versatile pieces that I can mix and match with what I already have, but I always try to elevate my looks with fun accessories and make-up.
I love shopping online a lot; I really like department stores like Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales because they have everything in one place. But Topshop and Zara are some of my favorites stores as well. I do need to shop more local! That’s one of my biggest resolutions for this year… Twill Trade, a store of a good friend of mine, is one of my favorites here in Denver!
303: What would you like to see from your blog in 10 years? Would like like to continue doing it, or where would you like to end up in life (career wise)?
CH: I would love to see myself designing; that’s what I really want to do. Having my own clothing line would a dream. But, I can definitely see myself still blogging. I’m too passionate about it to let it go.
“I love the fact that Denver’s fashion has evolved a lot during the past years due to how fast the city is growing. As Denver has been chosen as the number-one city to live in the country in 2016, I’m looking forward to seeing a bigger offer of stores, and more emerging local designers. ” – Carolina Hellal
