Mid Life Melanin MaMa

Hey Family,

To the Fleek (Flea) Market. One of Chicago's largest monthly markets for Thrifters.

One of the things I often struggle with now is finding things within my own closet to wear and still be casually on the go comfortable. Even one year after having given birth. The body that I live in now is a very uncomfortable and foreign thing to me as when pregnant.

This fit ( outfit) represents where I would like to take my dressing maybe more of during the summer. This denim high low zip up topper is unique enough to be me but, durable enough to handle baby. The weather here in the Chi has been down right cold so my casual fur lined sneakers wer great to wear.

Now these are leggings they have the best pattern on them and the are wool lined. The hold me in like no other. I think i was okay with wearing them because they were so thick. A grey camouflage hat, leather earrings completed the look.

For Zi'Joy it was a denim and polka dot dress, Higgins a cute custom made hat giben to us by a dear friend gave us and a reversible pink jacket/vest.

Right now this is my idea of mom on the go casual.

We went to our Thrifters group Fleek (Flea) Market. I included some pictures from there. It was a really great time. Let me know what you think. Even if you don't like it or if I could change something.

As always be well on your fashion Journey.

Le Donna

Does anyone remember the L.L. Cool J. Song from the 80's

Hey Family.
I hope this post finds you all well. So looking at todays post it reminded Me of the love/hate affair I've had with the bell sleeve.

We attended a recent event with my oldest neice. Her sorority was hosting a gala fund raising luncheon event. Her sorority is amazing and we wanted to honor thr colors which were blue and white. I love shopping on line and recently found this top.

It is a short mesh tiered bell sleeve. Dont you just love the drama of it all? I was able toeat linch take care of Zi'Joy and move about my day and the sleeve was beautiful in action. Not a drop of food on it. It was really an affordable $19 for the top and my headwrap was a simple. Strech jersey fabric. My jeans were a denim harem piece. I love them. Slip on denim shoes completed my look.

Zi'Joy is also wearing a bell sleeve although hers is longer. I love this outfit sadly we are passing hers along as sh recently outgrew this thrifted find plus her white old school walking shoes . We just went to see the movie black panther and although she cannot do the arms across chest for Wakanda. I did tach her another solidarity movement and my neice captured the moment.

As alway leave a comment orjust say hello. Be well on your stylish journey.

Hello family!

I hope that this post finds you well on your journey. Today at like to talk about creating a comfortable environment of where you work. Often times I read blogs about women and moms who working in very fashionable Industries or are stay-at-home moms or creative types. Being a mom who just returned to work 6 months ago for maternity leave I needed to create a space that would motivate me to work while trying not to miss my daughter too much as she went into her Learning Center or daycare. I started with a clean slate as I had not been back to work in almost a year and went from the ground up and in a couple of hours I turn my sterile office environments into a creative and productive space.

My workspace is a extension of what I wear. The colors the textures the visual as well as being very functionable. Austin & fashion we talked about form following function. And usually it's a given take you can't do one without the other I think. And so this post is a reflection of who I am the bright and colorful and also the studied in learning. I will call the leftt brain and right brain moment. Some days are harder than others leaving my daughter and going to work but I know that I am the main provider in the breadwinner for her so we do what we need to do. And I think we can do that stylishly.

So what I thought I'd do instead of add pictures of some of my outfits and also pictures comparing my outfits or correlating my outfits to my respective work site. Picture 7 is when I first return to work and picture 8 is my current situation.

Hope you enjoy the visual and thank you for reading. As usual be well on your fashionable Journey until next we meet.

Well I hope this day finds you well family.

So this post is titled dare to wear and Dare to be there. The reason why I titled this as such is because that, is a journey that I am on currently in my life. It is me and my sidekick Zi'Joy 24/7 I never thought I'd be that type of person to enjoy being a mom being a mid-life mom at-44 almost. So I dare to wear activewear this weekend.

So we are participating in an 8-week course of Aqua baby swim for half an hour on Saturday mornings and then a mommy-and-me toddler/ Walker class of yoga. If you asked me for 5, 3, 2 years ago, if this would be my life I would have been like heck no. So although I did not get a great picture of my swimming suit it is a one piece skirted kind of 1940s vintage swimsuit and what I'll do is next Saturday I will have full pictures of the swimsuit. And also I got to wear activewear we found some military camouflage for our mommy and me yoga class I loved it I've been planning this for a while. The classes for yoga were on Sunday after church and we just had such a great time. It wasn't like a regular yoga class because we all had Toddlers and Walkers and the class was adapted to them and I loved the free-form but we still got to do yoga.

Pre baby these are things that I loved to do. I love swimming I love meditation I love yoga these things were geared to the life that I created When I was single. I happened to find a wonderful group on Facebook which is amazing that utilized the niche of where moms who had a life before can have a life after baby. Not saying you don't have a life but have social interaction can be limiting and isolating with a baby. Healthy positive social interaction and located close to where it's easy and convenient for me to travel. It's amazing what we can do when we put our minds to it where we miss something in our lives the creativity knows no bounds. And these activities are geared towards women who entrepreneurs, are full-time moms, who are full-time busy career women like myself and utilize the time in a great manner.

I really like the mommy and me yoga & found great Lycra and something to fit who we are in our style. Well in my style for baby at least.

So I say dare to wear because many women my age are afraid to wear form-fitting body-hugging outfits. But if you get the right swimsuit and if you get the right activewear for your body and your shape then you can modify to fit and feel how you would like it too. I encourage you to go and try some things on. My body is not Beach ready. One year after having baby and I don't know when it will be but, getting the time in to bond and exercise makes me feel like I'm on a high good energy high and I love it. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I hope it brings a smile to your face and I hope wherever your travels take you that you will do it fashionably and you will do it with confidence. We would love to thank MaMa Fresh Chi for hosting these Fab events. You can find her on FB and also blog of the same name.

As always be well in your fashionable Journey...

Hey family how are you on this day?

Have you ever said something similar to this? That's not my life! Often times it is said that we should dress for the life that we have not for the one that we want. When I first began my style journey I wanted to have that aspirational look. I thought I needed button-downs and heels and makeup and all the latest and greatest. Needless to say that did not work for my life. Angie was a fresh person that really heard that said dress her life that you have not the one that you want.

So let's talk shoes I had to bid a fond farewell to 90% of my shoe wardrobe recently. They were all comfortable pretty stack block heels that were chunky enough to support my lovely curves for hours upon hours. Why the sudden style shift you ask? First off thank you for asking. Next because my whole life has shifted.

So as most know I'm 43 and will be 44 in one month. I have my beautiful rainbow baby and my body has physically changed. When pregnant my feet started to grow and spread. I knew that they may not ever go back to my size 11 wide. I knew that my feet were growing so I bought temporary shoes. The shoes that will fill the space until my feet reverted back. Well I had to say goodbye to those shoes.

This is my new reality that I am finally accepting. I have one pair of heels in my wardrobe left only because I bought them in two sizes size 11 wide and size 12. So this is turning into my spring wardrobe early summer I have to figure out something in the summer.

Suggestions for summer shoes are more than welcome I like closed for shoes. I'd rather invest into good pair of summer shoes then a whole bunch of cheap e fill in the space shoes.

Well hello my fashionable family long time no see. Well virtually see! It is so good to be back on the boards I have missed you all so much as we have been taking this break from winter year 2017 until spring of 2018. I thought it would be a wonderful time to come back with Vivid color for spring.

I cannot wait to reestablish old friendships and connections and to see all of the new faces here. And so we begin with our first outfit. This weekend was all about celebration of life of Resurrection of renewal and a 1st birthdays. So I really wanted our wardrobes to reflect the joy we were feeling inside.

The first outfit for me to be honest with you was a hot mess. We went out to a pre Mother's Day brunch celebration with our thrifting group. My daughter looked beautiful but, I just felt like a hot mess. I didn't know what to wear. I was out of sorts and I felt that discombobulation of being a new mom. And although my daughter turned one-year-old today on the 2nd of April I just couldn't pull myself together. I look forward to learning and growing from the group again as I reestablish my fashion sense in style. My daughter on the other hand looked like 1 million bucks. She had a gold Afrocentric top on denim leggings and her first walking shoes. The coat was just everything, is everything as you can see.

The second set of pictures 6, 7 and 8 made me feel much better. My daughter was gifted a Easter dress and coordinated with a white polka-dotted blouse and it doesn't show up on the pictures but a polka dotted blue Palazzo pant. And it hand made velvet hat. I really like this outfit I can't say much more than that this is not used to look and again my little one in her red hat. Again I look forward to our journey on the fashion boards and thank you all for reading.