Fashion bloggers have the super power of intuitively knowing how to style an outfit. They have that knack I wish I had for browsing through a store and curating the looks that will define a season. This is why I invited five of my favorite fashion influencers to come to the YMC and Joe Fresh shopping event to show me their fave looks and give me some much needed advice on what to buy this fall.
Each of them are also moms to young kids yet manage to look pulled together while parenting their toddlers, something I wasn't often able to do myself. Here are some of their insights into what you need in your closet this season. If you're not following them on Instagram yet, you should.
Renee has three kids and she loves styling and photographing them so we all die from their cuteness on Instagram. Obviously, I wanted her thoughts on how to get kids Instagram ready. For girls, she suggests soft pinks, nudes, and anything fluffy. At the event, she put together a soft pink dress with sparkles with a tiny faux fur vest and adorable tiny gold booties for her daughter. For boys, she likes the look of jeans with plaid detailing but says the must-have piece for boys this season is jogger jeans. They're stylish and super easy to get on and off. Graphic tees in blues and neutrals finished her son's look. I can totally see both of these outfits in Renee's Instagram feed.
Zeba is one of YMC's fashion writers and she also curates great looks on her personal site, EllaPrettyBlog.com. Zeba says her fave pieces this season are the Joe Fresh black faux leather leggings, which she pairs with long dusty pink sweaters. Zeba's other must-have Joe Fresh piece was a red plaid faux wrap skirt that cuts just above the knee. She'll wear a pair of high black boots and a white cream turtleneck to finish off the look. In terms of colour, Zeba is noticing that earth tones are really big right now, but she's drawn to pastels like blush pinks and blues. Rather than following colour trends, Zeba's advice is to find your power colour, a colour that makes you feel happy and confident when you wear it. It's that confidence that will help you carry off any look. When I asked Zeba what pieces she likes to splurge on, she's comfortable spending more for classic designer handbags. In her words, they elevate your outfit.
Mandy is all about print mixing, a big trend on the New York runways. When I met Mandy, she was wearing a Joe Fresh plaid shirt with a tan leopard skin sweater over it. It was striking and unusual. That's Mandy's advice: do the unexpected and be bold. A lot of us are scared to step outside our comfort zone but Mandy's success as a fashion influencer comes from daring to dress differently. Her must-buy piece at Joe Fresh was an unfitted black velvet blazer. Velvet is apparently super hot right now showing up on magazine covers everywhere, but it's hard to find in stores. Mandy suggests pairing the blazer with a simple tee or an unstructured shirt and Joe Fresh stretchy skinny jeans.
The first thing Kelsey and I did was compare footwear. Both of us went for the same pair of Joe Fresh ankle boots to dress up our looks. For those like Kelsey and I, who aren't fans of heels, boots are a great alternative. Like Kelsey, I'm also a practical shopper. Kelsey is now dealing with the reality of shopping on one income down from two, so she's all about being fashionable, yet practical. That means every outfit she buys needs to have the ability to be dressed up and down to get maximum wear out of it. She's a huge fan of Joe Fresh skinny jeans (which she was wearing) with a simple grey sweater and a chunky Joe Fresh necklace. She also bought a classic flannel shirt with specks of sparkles and combined it with faux leather leggings which suits both her budget and her Instagram style. Those pleather leggings were a fave for most of the style bloggers that night.
When I invited Christine Martin to come shop with me at Joe Fresh, she almost said no. As a self-proclaimed plus size woman, Christine didn't think she would fit into Joe Fresh. Before RSVP'ing, she snuck in for a little retail therapy while buying groceries at Loblaws and discovered that she could actually rock a bunch of Joe Fresh pieces. Bottoms were her biggest surprise. She showed up at the Joe Fresh event in some olive green leggings which we both agreed were extremely flattering. She paired that with a black tee with extra sheer fabric that drapes over her waistline which Christine says, "hides her love." She finished her look with a very chic green and black reversible plaid scarf. Christine's fashion advice veered more towards the inspirational - to love your body and celebrate your curves by shopping at stores like Joe Fresh who design clothes for real women's bodies (and budgets). I couldn't agree more.
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