Busy Moms Style

 

I was lucky enough to have a Guest Blogger write for me this week.  A big thanks to Katie for reminding us that busy Moms can do it all and look good while doing it!  Also, be sure to check out her amazing line of Chloe + Isabel.





 

I am a merchandiser with a jewelry company that has found a reputable spot in the fashion world. The results is that I know about things like the Pantone fashion colors for Spring 2015. I had never heard the word Pantone before working for Chloe + Isabel. I have a love for fashion, but the extent was magazines and shopping my own style. I'm a unique person (as we all are) and I embraced coming up with my own style from an early age. I needed a blue, crushed velvet beret for my eleventh birthday. At fourteen I was obsessed with Audrey Hepburn and wore gigantic, round black movie star glasses and a scarf to school. A classmate asked me if I was dressing up as an aviator. I wore Doc Martens when they were trendy, but I was never scared to rock my style the way I was feeling it. My style was the outward appearance of the kid who loved old movies, classic books (ok, ANY book), went to musical theater camp, and was a transplant from West Hartford, CT to a small, Maine town.

 

 

Fast forward 20 years. I am a divorced mama to two sweet cherubs, Liam is almost 5 and Nora is almost 3. I work full-time as a teacher and along with working as a Chloe + Isabel merchandiser, I have just started up a wellness coaching business. Busy Mom may as well be my middle name. Or just my name. Nothing strips away your sense of self like becoming a Mom. I love my children with the kind of love that has no poetry. I've wanted to be a Mom since I breastfed my Cabbage Patch dolls. I was a nanny and an elementary teacher; but anytime you clump a group of people under a one-word umbrella they become a generalization.

 

Mom. You see a tired woman with kids hanging off her and cereal stuck to her shirt. Her clothes are probably yoga pants and a long tee shirt. Actually, what does it matter? Her style is nondescript, because we assume she doesn't have time for style. Whether Mom is working out of the home or trying to get the kids to a playgroup within an hour of the suggested start time, Mom doesn't have the luxury of seconds it takes to put on a pair of earrings.

 

But what if you did take those seconds to throw on some easy jewelry? What if you had a few staple pieces that were easily accessible and you knew it would work with pretty much anything you wore? You will accomplish so many things during the day, even if it's merely keeping your children fed, but imagine if you had that “pulled together” feeling while you were doing it. Maybe you're walking through Target with your kids hanging off of the cart and someone catches that sparkle around your neck and thinks, “Wow, she's one of those Moms that has her sh*t together. She wears jewelry.” And you can relish in the fact that it literally took you 45 seconds.

 

And let me tell you, as a mom who works out of the home, when I pick my kids up from preschool and the little girls see my sparkly jewelry...coolest mom e.v.e.r.

 

There are quite a few reasons that Chloe + Isabel is the jewelry company a busy mom should shop with. Affordable, nickel-free, lead-free, hypoallergenic. There is truly something for everyone; the whole reason for the company name is that there is jewelry crafted for the “Chloe” and the “Isabel.” Chloe is the trendsetter who takes fashion risks and Isabel has a classic and refined style. Mix and match between the styles if you are like me and love it all!

 

The best part about the jewelry, though, is that it has a LIFETIME GUARANTEE. Talk about jewelry made for a busy mom! I have, in fact, had to replace a pair of earrings that my 2 year old daughter found within reach and (obviously) decided to bash them into the coffee table until a stone fell out. The jewelry is quality, but not much can withstand the wrath of a 2 year old. Thank goodness for the lifetime guarantee and a customer care team that provides the fastest and most pleasant experience I've ever had.

 

What does a busy mom wear for jewelry? I think it depends on a couple of factors: how old your children are and your personal style. I will recommend some staples, but if you think you would hate to wear a long pendant or a sparkly collar necklace by all means, go for the sterling silver pendant. When you visit my e-boutique (insert link to www.chloeandisabel.com/boutique/katiebrunelle) you'll see four “collections” at the bottom of my boutique page. I can personalize these collections so that when you click on one the jewelry I've chosen for that collection pops up on that same page. I've made things easy for you and made a “Busy Moms Style” collection.

 

If you have toddlers you may choose to wear studs instead of tempting their grabbing fingers with some of the dangly earrings. I, personally, had a hard time wearing chunky or sharp-edged bracelets when I was nursing, because of how I held the baby. Once you're past the toddler age I'd say you're in the clear for just about any jewelry that catches your fancy.

 

Here are my recommendations for investing in a small, accessible collection that will make this style thing easy for you.

 

-crystal headband

            When a shower is not going to be a reality, throw your hair in a bun and add a studded or sparkly headband.

 

-small statement necklace

            It's not too heavy or dramatic, just enough to make it look like you added some effort.

 

-matching studs

            When I wear any sort of statement necklace, large or small, I tend to go for a stud earring as opposed to a large earring.

 

-1 pair of drop or chandelier earrings

            If you're skipping a necklace, or wearing a delicate pendant, you may choose a flashier earring.

 

-simple pendant necklace

            Goes with just about everything. Quick, easy, and adds a little something without calling attention to the fact that you are wearing the same shirt you slept in.

 

-leather wrap bracelets

Easy to put on, goes with just about everything, and looks so casually cool. If you ever watched Californication they all wore leather wrap bracelets.

 

When you have a date night, a party, or a wedding to attend, see me to style you with a little more sparkle. Moms who work outside of the home can easily wear any of these options with work clothes as well. I also have a collection of work style ideas on my e-boutique.

 

Chloe + Isabel's slogan is: Be confident. Be creative. Be you.

Find who you are as this new creature called Mom and boldly, confidently share her with the world.

*Photo Credit: Wylde Photography