Though I’m not a mommy yet, (one day!), I always find women who are fascinating. I look at the women in my family and it still boggles me how they are “jacks of all trades” but still manage to stay fly and on a budget. So with that in mind it shouldn’t surprise you why I admire LaNee Bridewell, a graduate student studying Social Work at the University of Missouri. I met her over a year ago when she worked in my department.
Audrey Hepburn without the black turtleneck
She’s incredibly smart, a Bill Gates Scholar recipient and very driven. I’ve always found it amazing how LaNee manages to stay incredibly stylish while transitioning from Undergraduate to Graduate school, being involved in her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated, various projects and programs that support single mothers in college, all while raising her beautiful son Jia.
One day in typical girl talk conversation I shared with LaNee that lately my luck has been low with finding good blouses at Goodwill. “Sometimes it’s hard to find something nice but you have to be willing to dig. I like to dig because the end reward is worth it” is her response to my frustration and many others. ” I go often, sometimes I don’t find anything and sometimes I walk out with one piece but that one piece is always a winner. ” I’d have to agree after spotting her in a very pretty fuchsia shell top from Goodwill.
“This was just one of those “that one piece” and my pants (a pair of black knit ponte pants) I’ve had these for so long I can’t even remember when I bought them. I think the most expensive thing I have on is my Oxford’s, which I paid $15.00 for but this top was either between $3.00 – $6.00″
Shell Top
So how does a graduate student and a mother of one stay so incredibly stylish? “I spend a lot of time in thrift stores, consignment stores and the Goodwill during some of my free time” says LaNee. I believe LaNee and many other single or married mothers are proof that you can still be fashionable as a mother all while striving for a degree in higher education.
“My son will always be my number one priority but sometimes I like to treat myself and I’ve learned to do so without breaking the bank plus I love finding good bargains! Who doesn’t love a good bargain?!”
I surely love a good bargain but you all should know that by now. So I’ll keep searching and maybe one day soon, I’ll find that “one piece blouse.”
Come back next week for D.I.Y tips and I’ll show you how to accessorize cufflinks and broken necklaces in more ways than one!
-Monica
Your (Re)Stylist
Fashion on The Dime 