Working with designer clothing and working with celebrities are the dreams of many, but Christina Carathanassis gets to do both. She’s the founder of Christabelle’s Closet, a very stylish designer resale online store. Recently the site has been receiving major buzz after teaming up with hot starlets like Hayden Panatierre for clothing auctions to benefit charity. Continue reading for all the juicy details on Christabelle and her fabulous closet!

FabCrush: Tell us a bit about Christabelle’s Closet and how you got started in the fashion industry.

Christina: Christabelle’s Closet is a full service luxury consignment boutique, where you can find designer goodies for up to 80% off retail! It is located online, so people across the nation (and overseas) can shop to their hearts content at ANY hour of the day. Each item is lovingly chosen by one of our fashionista staffers to ensure our items are all top designer, authentic and in impeccable condition and are then placed in our “e-tique” to satiate your shopping hunger.All of our customers receive their purchases more like “gifts” wrapped in pink tissue and a complimentary Christabelle pink sachet (perfect for tucking into YOUR closet). We are extremely customer service oriented at ChristabellesCloset.com – we want every customer – old or new – to feel as though they have one-one one attention and the personal touch as certainly worked. We have an extremely high return shopper rate. It is a given that we offer quality merchandise at super low prices, but if you are looking for even greater bargains, shoppers can visit our “Clearance Closet”, where half of the profit is donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

The majority of items in Christabelle’s Closet are offered on consignment from a confidential list of consignors – ranging from high-level executives, socialites and celebrities to your best friend who lives next door. You never know where the item you have purchased has been…one recent customer was thrilled to know that the dress she purchased was worn on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards!

FC: What made you decide to get into the designer resale business instead of starting a boutique and buying each season?

C: Discount shopping has been a love of mine for as far back as I can remember - I have always been fascinated by thrift boutiques and consignment shops and even told my mother at age 9 that someday I would own one for myself. In true form – I followed through with my adolescent words and opened up Christabelle’s Closet in March of 2004.

Offering designer items for low cost is our main objective and making it possible for people with tight budgets to operate their wardrobe on a whole other level is so rewarding. We get dozens of emails a week from our customers thanking us for the deals we offer and noting they could never afford the wardrobe they purchased at ChristabellesCloset.com anywhere else. It is so nice to help so many people feel good about their fashion choices – I truly believe it adds a sense of confidence to the soul. Fashion seems to bring joy to so many – I want to be sure people everywhere have equal opportunity to look as though they shop in Madison Avenue, even if they live nowhere near NYC.

FC: Can you give any tips on snagging the best pieces from Christabelle’s Closet? And what would you recommend a woman look for when she goes resale or vintage shopping, especially online?

C: YES - if you see it and love it – BUY IT! Generally speaking, there is ONE of each item available (not multiples) and there are thousands of fashionistas’ shopping at the same time you are. Nothing is more frustrating than stalling on a purchase to let it slip to the next lucky lady. We also suggest signing up for our newsletter – it will alert you to ALL of the newly listed merchandise and sales – so you are always a step ahead of others.

FC: What are some of your favorite resale pieces that you’ve come across? And are there any particular brands or certain items you like to stash for your closet?

C: There have been a number of extraordinary items from Hermes, Gucci and Chanel that have come into Christabelle’s Closet – though they were available for only a short amount of time (due to the coveted nature of the items) they were so striking to admire and appreciate. True designer craftsmanship is like artwork. I just adore all of the details and thought that goes into producing luxury items.

As for my personal closet – it is a daily struggle to not buy EVERYTHING for myself. We work with a number of boutiques that sell overstock with us – there is one in particular that stocks all of my personal favorite designers like Nanette Lepore, Milly, Tibi, Mint, Rebecca Taylor, Trina Turk and Catherine Malandrino - it is like Christmas when those items come in. I have had to learn and practice self constraint!

FC: Out of the ones who have done an auction with your site, which celebrities have impressed you the most with their style?

C: Ryan Star (though folks think he wears the same thing all the time!) has such a unique approach to fashion. He mixes hot designer brands in a stylish rock-star way and always tops the most intense jewelry pieces from Kristen Farrell to his ensembles. He is not afraid to take risks and in my opinion – always pulls off a rockin’ sense of himself (not to mention he is possibly one of the kindest, wittiest and most intelligent people I have ever known).

FC: What celebrity closet would you love to raid next?

C: For top high-end designer items, I would love to sneak into Katie Holmes closet. For fun, flirty, going out on the town I think Kate Hudson’s and Lindsay Lohan’s closets would be fun to raid! For edgy designer goodies, I would love to pop into Fergie’s closet. For more of a teen edge, Miley Cyrus and Hayden Panettiere For men’s attire – Patrick Dempsey.

FC: What is the most rewarding and most challenging part of your job?

C: Staring your own business is like having a baby – you have to commit yourself 100% to growing, nurturing and molding it. You have to give all of yourself – your passion, love and support and constantly look for ways to improve and move forward. This is a huge challenge and I can be found more often than not, working into the wee hours of the morning and on vacations. However, touching lives of those you don’t know and being able to support and fund wonderful charitable causes makes everything so worth it. I never realized how much impact my business had on others until the day I received my first thank you email from a woman who had read about me and was so inspired she followed her dream of starting her own business.

The life lesson in that is passion is contagious and you have the power to not only cultivate your own future dreams, but can be the water that helps to blossom someone else’s.

FC: Lastly, do you have a favorite quote about fashion?

C: Ah yes, it comes from Dolly Parton’s character Truvy in Steel Magnolias regarding shoes; “In a good shoe, I wear a size six, but a seven feels so good, I buy a size eight.”

FC: Thanks, Christina!

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