Inner Diva Unleashed: July 2007

'A is for Accessories'

Hi Divas! It’s July and the summer is getting haute-er! Whew, if we are going to survive summer style redefined (by motherhood, that is), then it’s time for us to go back to basics and learn our ABCs: Accessories Before Clothes.

Now, pre-Benjamin, I may have said clothes make the outfit, but as time marches on and being a mommy becomes crazier every second, I have learned to appreciate the power of a killer accessory.

So, for busy moms suffering from extreme fashion frenzy, no worries, the accessories antidote is just what the fashionista ordered! Here are the 123s of ABCs:

1. Be “put-together” in 1/4 of the time!

Having the right accessories on hand saves you major time in the morning, which is much needed when you are trying to write your to-do list with one hand and clean up with the other hand, all while entertaining the baby and trying to decide what it is you are going to wear.

Put on a simple outfit of a sun dress or t-shirt/tank and skirt/Capri pants and let the accessories spice it up.

It is quick and easy to throw on a sun hat or headband, slide on some cute shoes or sandals, pick up a purse or bag with bold prints or colors, grab your fashionable silk ring sling or mei tai, and put on your sunglasses as you run out the door.

Here is another surefire time-saver: you can also leave your sunglasses and a few pairs of shoes in the car for instant on-the-go chic wherever you are!

2. Change the look of an entire outfit…within seconds!

Accessories allow you to go from day to night, casual to chic, frumpy to fabulous quicker than your toddler can throw a tantrum.

Consider a basic outfit of a tank top and Capri jeans. Pair it with a sun hat, flat metallic or brightly colored sandals and coordinating belt and flattering sunglasses for a casual classy look for a morning at the park.

Pair it with a headband, leather flats, cork heeled wedge sandals or espadrilles and coordinating belt and have a contemporary chic look for a lunchtime chat with friends or afternoon play date.

Pair it with high-heeled pumps and a long wrap scarf looped ever so stylishly around your neck and you are ready for a night on the town.

Same day, same outfit, different accessories…you are a new diva every time! Accessories are also a good way to conceal the fact that you are wearing the same tee and jeans on Thursday that you wore on Monday, because you haven’t folded the laundry yet and just picked up the first matching outfit that you found in the pile.

Just wear a different belt and shoes, pick up a different bag, maybe throw on a matching hat and voila, you are wearing a totally new outfit!

3. Accessories maximize your ROI (return on investment)…spend money wisely!

OK, so maybe this is the business professor in me, but investing in more accessories rather than clothes makes perfect “cents” to me as a new mommy.

All moms know that babies, while so sweet and absolutely perfect and you totally can’t imagine life without them, are MESSY.

Plenty of times, I have put on my “dry-clean only” clothes just to have Benjamin wipe Cheerios remnants on my slacks or when he was a refluxy newborn, “give” (very generously, I might add) all over my blouse five minutes after I put it on…and I know I am not alone.

Mommies, it’s time to stop spending enough money to pay the dry cleaners’ rent/mortgage each month and use half of that money to buy some more accessories!

It is not very often that baby spits up on your hat/sunglasses/belt/shoes/purse/etc. and if they do, most accessories are “wipe and go”, which makes accessory clean up easier, quicker, and much less expensive than their clothes counterparts.

With all of the mix and match possibilities that accessories give and the many new outfits that they create, each piece is much more versatile than one piece of clothing and they last longer, giving you much more bang for your buck.

Now you know your ABCs…go forth and accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!

Have fun this summer and stay cool with your haute new looks.

For more style tips, clothing and accessories for haute mamas and their cool babes, visit www.DivasNBabes.com.

Tonjia Coverdale is Owner and Divapreneur of Divas N Babes, an online boutique that caters to stylish, sophisticated mommies with apparel that is chic and cou¬ture, yet comfy and casual.

Made especially for haute mamas and by haute mamas, the company specializes in expressive, contemporary fashions with casual flair for today’s busy Mommies.

Created by Divapreneur Tonjia Coverdale, Divas N Babes features a selection of T-shirts, onesies, comfy suits and couture baby slings. The company is based in Wilmington, DE.

For more information, visit www.DivasNBabes.com or call 1-877-655-DIVAS.

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