Styled for Mom 2.0

Last Thursday it hit me, Stitch Fix is co-hosting the Wednesday night event at the Mom 2.0 Summit and I had no idea what I was going to wear.  Actually, I had no idea what I was going to wear for the whole conference!  This is not an unusual thing for me – I’m always that chick who frantically texts all my friends to find out what they are going to wear before an event and begs for input on what I should wear.  And then I remembered, I interviewed 8 local stylists a few months ago – now is the time to call in the big guns.

It was last minute, but my girl Steph Hobbs was able to fit me in on Sunday for a quick consult and she totally hooked me up!  Here is how it all went down:

Friday, April 27 8:44 am I send out a nervous tweet to @Mom2Summit asking about the schedule so that I can plan my wardrobe.  Almost immediately Mom 2Summit replies informing me that there will be two posts about what to wear on their blog and with a link to the schedule.

Friday April 27 8:50 am I read How to Dress for a Conference and Mom 2.0 TEN Style: What to Wear? Start Here posts on Mom 2.0 Summit blog.  Instead of feeling comforted, I feel completely overwhelmed and panic.  Although I was able to glean one take away – pack dresses!  Lucky me, I have a few dresses from my recently RTR Unlimited plan rentals sitting in my closet.

Friday, April 27 2:52 pm Frantic call to Steph – she doesn’t answer and since it’s last minute, I’m too embarrassed to leave a message.

Friday April 27 4:29 pm Steph texts me after noticing my missed call and asks how she can be of service.  I answer immediately with a plea to meet me for a consult over the weekend which we then coordinate.  Being the professional she is, Steph inquires about my goals for the consult at which time I inform her of  the Mom 2.0 summit and send her a link to the website.  Steph peruses blog posts and we finalize arrangements for the consult.

Saturday, April 28 2:00 pm I frantically clean my closet and knock out the laundry in preparation for Steph (and seeing Hamilton that night at The Hobby Center, but that’s another post).

Sunday, April 29 6:00 pm Steph arrives right on time.  She is well prepared after familiarizing herself with the Mom 2.0 Summit schedule and reading the style blog posts. I uncork a bottle of 19 Crimes, pour us each a glass, and then we head up to my closet. Steph quickly:

• Reviews my dresses and makes recommendations for night time events and day time conference wear.
• Helps me select shoes and accessories for dresses.
• Searches my closet for the mandatory denim jacket that must be in there… somewhere… – right?  Wrong.  Momma doesn’t own a denim jacket.
• Recommends I check out the Banana Republic sale on denim jackets tomorrow during my lunch break.
• Recommends the white cargo pants I’m wearing for airplane travel to and from the conference.
• Selects White House Black Market shirts and a sweater already in my closet as well as my white Converse All Star tennis shoes to round out travel ensemble.

Sunday, April 29 7:00 pm Steph and I enjoy the rest of our wine and chat about everything from growing up in Houston to the fact that she is a bad ass when driving on nose-bleed-high curved bridges and I’m the annoying white knuckled driver going 45 mph in front of her.

Monday, April 30 11:30 am I head over on foot from the lovely Allison Tower in The Woodlands, Texas where I am currently handling change management for a couple of IT projects at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to Banana Republic.  A nice sales lady immediately greets me at the door and inquires how she can help.  I ask to be directed to the denim jackets – there is only one and it is available in my size.  I try it on, it fits!  I find a few other things on sale I can’t resist (I love their camisoles and Steph told me a I need some more colorful t-shirts) so I make my way to the cash register and am out the door within about 20 minutes!  Quickly enough that I have time to dash into the White House Black Market on the way back to pick up a couple of scarfs and a really cute pair of pink pants on the way back to the office.

Tuesday, May 1 11:00 pm I finish packing my bag for Wednesday’s 7:30 am flight to LAX because last minute is just how I roll.  But not before finally discovering the secret to getting scuff marks out of my favorite pink patent pumps (more on that later) – I was so happy!

Wednesday, May 2 9:22 am air time (where am I right now?) I’m sitting here on the plane in my cargo pants, WHBM t-shirt, chucks, and Banana Republic denim jacket typing this blog post.  My travel ensemble is very comfy in my not as comfy United Airlines coach seat.

More about Mom 2.0 Summit coming soon – can’t wait!