The tighter the pants the better is Shawn Booth’s mantra and his fiancée, Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe has definitely taken notice.
“His pants are usually tighter than mine,” says Bristowe with a laugh, on the line from Nashville, where the couple have made a home since their reality TV turn.
In fact, it’s Bristowe who turns to Booth for fashion advice.
She describes her fiancé’s sartorial look as classic American and draws comparisons to Ryan Gosling’s signature style defined by a white T-shirt and faded jeans.
“Shawn’s got a good sense of style, that’s something I’ve liked about him since the beginning,” reveals Bristowe.
Casual and comfy is a conscious fashion choice Bristowe has made since she was teen growing up near Edmonton.
Her high school years saw Bristowe hitting the books in zip-up hoodies and baggy jeans.
“I was kind of like a skateboarder wannabe,” she says.
Her current style is all over the map, but most days it’s a marriage of edgy, comfortable and cute.
“My favourite outfit is comfy like Converse shoes and a Vans T-shirt,” says Bristowe.
Recently Bristowe has made a foray into both fashion design and professional singing.
Growing up in the dance studio and doing pirouettes almost as soon as she could walk, music offers Bristowe an insulation from the demands of being in the spotlight.
“Music, in general, my whole life has been important to me and even if you were sad going through a little breakup at the age of 15 to now going through all the stuff I have, music has always been something that resets me and calms me down and can change my mood instantly,” says Bristowe.
Since moving to Music City with Booth, Bristowe has gravitated even more towards country music, a genre she embraced as a child. Growing up in Alberta may have had something to do with that.
It’s been a lifelong dream for Bristowe to get to Nashville, and she has followed her heart.
“And then it just so happened that I got engaged to a guy that lived here,” she says.
Bristowe’s day was filled with singing lessons and songwriting, in between filming some promos for the upcoming season of The Bachelor, when the News caught up with her last week.
She was still on a high after doing interviews on the red carpet at the Country Music Association Awards in a stunning black lace crop top, with her abs on full display, and a full, A-line skirt.
“If you have a fiancé like Shawn Booth you get your butt in gear pretty quick. So my abs are thanks to him,” says Bristowe with a laugh.
Bristowe worked with a stylist out of L.A. who dressed her for the 50th anniversary of the CMAs and who she trusted to best capture her style. The crop top feature, explains Bristowe, added a touch of edginess to her glamourous gown.
It was a natural step for Bristowe to create a “personal” jewelry line that mirrored her love for music. The obvious theme for Bristowe’s boho baubles? Everyday yet edgy. She sees the jewelry being worn at music festivals as statement pieces.
The necklaces, rings, bracelets and headpieces are made from a high quality 925 sterling silver and are also available in gold or, Bristowe’s personal favourite, rose gold.
As for rocking some wedding jewelry, Bristowe says she has been fielding the marriage question a lot lately.
“You know what, realistically we did just meet a year and a half ago and we are so busy and I have no idea where I would find the time to plan a wedding. We have our whole lives to be married. We are just kind of enjoying this,” says Bristowe.
The Bachelorette star returned this week to Vancouver, where she lived for 12 years, to host a charitable fashion show, Less is a Bore, held in The Pipe Shop at the Shipyards on Nov. 24.
Organized by John Casablancas Institute students and benefiting Covenant House Vancouver, the annual fashion gala and award show will be a mixture of outrageous fashions and good food which brings together local brands including John Fluevog.
The “fun and edgy” fashion show is being put on by JCI students and the fact that it supports the Covenant House was icing on the cake for Bristowe.
“Shawn and I just found ourselves being really passionate about their organization and what they do and we were just moved by our experience last year,” says Bristowe, who raised $20,000 with Booth during the 2015 Covenant House sleep-out campaign.
Bristowe is no stranger to the North Shore and frequents this side of the bridge to get her Cactus Club fix and climb the Grouse Grind.
“That’s (the Grind) actually what I did to exercise every week before going on The Bachelor,” she says.
As for Booth’s impression of Mother Nature’s gruelling StairMaster, Bristowe says his nonchalant attitude “frustrated” her.
“Because I thought he was going be like, ‘Wow, that was really hard.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I could probably do it again.’ As I was dying at the top,” says Bristowe with a laugh.
Less is Bore starts at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at The Pipe Shop and tickets for the show are available for $30 at the door. For more information visit jcinstitute.com/category/blog/events.
