Tales of a Wannabe Fashionista

There are a zillion reasons why it's awesome having Jenny as my SF best friend (thank you, Universe!!) but at the most superficial level, she is a built in stylist!  Her shop, Heritage Row, has been in business for one year (happy birthday, HR!) and I couldn't be more proud of how hard she's worked building her brand (or her "empire", as she likes to call it).

I've never been big into fashion. Sure, I've gotten hooked on a fabulous pair of shoes or two, watched make over shows and ooh'd and ahh'd over celebrity style...but in general I tend to cave to comfort above all else (wool sweaters/turtlenecks = my skin's absolute nightmare).  Jenny has helped me see I can have both comfort and style (on a budget!) and I'm excited to share some of her tips and tricks with you in this new weekly Grateful Life installment :) Basically, I'm a total wannabe and Jenny is my ticket to lookin' good...

A few weeks ago during our trip to Tahoe we stumbled upon the Sandra Bullock movie "Hope Floats" on TV while relaxing around the hotel room and couldn't help but watch as we napped. There is a scene in the movie where she is at a barn dance of sorts ("hoe down" does not seem appealing) and I completely fell in love with her look; simple, light, feminine dress paired with cowgirl boots.  She looked effortlessly adorable. As I often do these days I turned to Jenny and said "I want that outfit.". 

Luckily for me I already own a great pair of boots and left the rest up to Jenny....

Voila!

BCBG Generation dress with Steve Madden boots

How awesome is the back?!

Pardon the price tag sticking out a tad

Jenny has a handful of simple and easy to follow go-to fashion rules that I love repeating in my head as I'm getting ready in the morning.

Rule #12: Belt it.

Perfect example: This dress is cute (and comfy, major bonus) but it wasn't doing much for my frame.

BCBG Generation dress

Add an ADA leather wrap belt and all of a sudden you've got yourself a winner!

Jenny is also great at being told an "event" (i.e. wedding, date night, baby shower, lunch meeting) and creating a look to go perfectly.

I tested her with "date night".  (Guess I should probably get myself a date now?)...

BB Dakota top, Vintage Revolution Jeans, Top Secret bralett and Matiko shoes

It's hard to tell in this iPhone pic but the top is actually leopard print! She then added a bad ass leather jacket and cute pop of color via the clutch and although I look super awkward in this photo, I was feeling pretty cool.

My closet is due for a major purging soon so I've recruited Jenny to gut it, mix and match what's left and recreate my wardrobe.  We've decided to document the event with before and after pics to showcase what a little bit of imagination and reorganizing (and perhaps a little bit of wine, too) can do to a wardrobe.  Get excited, ladies!

For any styling help feel free to contact Jenny at [email protected]. She's a doll and I'm sure you'll love her just as much as I do :)

In Gratitude,

Trish