Hello! Welcome if you are new to AFL and welcome back if you were already following us. As we recently broke the 1k follower mark and have a lot of new faces stopping by to say hello, we thought we would do a little recap about ourselves and our goals for A Fashionating Life!
Our old tagline used to read: Two moms, three boys, multiple hats, endless outfits, and too many pairs of shoes and we still think that applies (except the too many pairs of shoes thing. Can you ever have too many pairs of shoes?) But we want our blog to reflect our mission rather than a tagline – Encouraging women in their 40s and beyond to feel empowered by fashion in their everyday lives. Inspiring women to embrace their personal style and see clothes as a powerful tool in the story they tell the world.
Between the two of us we have worn the following labels – career woman, single mom, married woman, divorcee, working mom, stay-at-home mom, executive director, board member, entrepreneur, and our personal favorite, DINK (dual income, no kids). This is the real-life experience we want to bring to the blog. Whether it is fashion advice, shopping on a budget tips, personal style info, mom hacks, or career counseling, we want this to be a space where any woman can find something to relate to regardless of her station in life.
As far as style, as this pic suggests, we love combining affordable fashion with thrift and vintage pieces as a great way to develop your personal style. These dresses are from Target’s recent collaborations with Cushnie and Lisa Marie Fernandez. Both are paired with designer and vintage pieces purchased on the secondary market. Our thrift/vintage obsessions began back in the late 70’s (aka The Dark Ages) and never stopped. Pretty in Pink took that obsession to another level. While we do purchase items from department stores and fast fashion, 80% of what we buy/own/wear is sustainable. And 96.99% of the time #itwasonsale
We also love pieces that pull double-duty with just the change of an accessory or two, a bright lip, and maybe even a simple change of hairstyle. These summer dresses went from errands and mom duty to a night out with the ladies (or your honey) incorporating these tips.
We met at work almost 10 years ago where we bonded over mom stuff, a love of the arts, juggling work/life balance, and yes, fashion. And while we no longer officially work together, our personal relationship grew to the level of, “one of the few people I would call if I killed someone and needed help hiding the body.” We also share clothes like sisters.
We also bonded over the belief that style is ageless and confidence is eternal.
We started this space because the more into our 40s we both became, the harder it was to find ourselves much of anywhere in the fashion industry, especially the influencer space. Then we remembered that the 40s is when even Hollywood actresses say they began to feel invisible. Women in their 40s have plenty of style, the confidence to pull it off, and usually the disposable income to go out and purchase what they want, so why are very few of the BIG bloggers in their 40s. We deserve a place in this space regardless of whether you work or not, or a mom or not.
We will wrap this up with our new tagline: Follow your heart, not the rules.
If you liked what you read, please feel free to continue following here and on Instagram and Facebook. You can also check out more of our style here.
Images by Breezy Ritter