March was Brain Injury Awareness Month, but I want to bring attention to it in April. Why? Because when someone suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) it doesn’t go away, ever. Month after month, year after year, the sufferer may look healed, or may look like nothing ever happened. But just because they look okay doesn’t mean they feel okay, which is a very tough thing to explain to other people who can’t see what is happening inside their brain. They can’t put band aids on their brains and it wouldn’t work anyway because the boo-boo will always remain under the band aid. In an ideal world, TBI sufferers would have little caution signs on them that would say things like:

I don’t like loud or sudden noises.

Sometimes I can’t remember things.

I can’t always be friendly because my brain is using all its energy on thinking versus feeling.

I may be feeling anxious, annoyed and/or angry but I don’t know why.

New people and situations are hard for me.

Imagine feeling all those things but no one else knows that. They expect you to look and act like everyone else, to remember their name and to be friendly and social. Everyday is a challenge.

This is exactly why awareness is so important. One of the most critical times for a pediatric TBI patient is during the initial recovery. There is a fight to want to be “normal” but “normal” activities don’t work the same. The Maddi’s Bag foundation  was created by one of my best friends, Jenny Raimondo, in the hopes of helping other children who have suffered a traumatic injury to the brain. Jenny and her family know all too well how important it is to have some comforting items to pass the time while in the hospital for recovery. Their daughter Maddi Raimondo suffers from TBI and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after she miraculously survived a fall from a building while on a family trip to Mexico. Jenni and her family collect everyday items to put into bags that they give to pediatric hospital patients in the TBI unit. The items in these bags help both the patient and the family to spend time together and provide some comforts from home.

Want to show your support? This Thursday, April 6th, from 10am – 8pm, is Spring Girls Shopping Day in Kennett Square. Ashley Austin, Houppette, No. 109 and Chantilly Blue will all have sales and specials for you to kick off your Spring wardrobe. Chantilly Blue has graciously partnered with Maddi’s Bag to show their support by requesting you bring in any item off of the list below.

Besides knowing you are helping an amazing cause, for every item donated from the list,  you will receive 20% off one full priced item. Bring one, bring ten… No Limit!

That’s 20% off of premium denim, and not just any premium denim but denim fit to YOUR body by the denim doctor herself, Lisa Baldwin of Chantilly Blue. Lisa and her staff take the confusion out of the fit challenges so many of us encounter when shopping for denim. They know our bodies and they know their brands, so you don’t have to spend hours in the fitting room or going through the racks wondering what a slim, skinny or straight leg is and which one will look best on you. There are lots of colors, lots of shades and, as always, lots of sizes.

They also have gorgeous pieces in for Spring that will take you into Summer and beyond. Need help on how to put it all together? I’ll be popping in to give you ideas of how you can pair your new buys with your existing wardrobe. I am all about putting versatility into the wardrobes of my clients and Chantilly Blue nails it when it comes to easy pieces that can be used to dress outfits up or down. I stopped by the other day and put together these  few outfits in just a few minutes, all paired with the latest and greatest jewelry from Power Beads by Jen.  I had so many more ideas but I was limited on time so I can’t wait to go back and put together more!

*Insider Tip – Avoid Shoefusion (when you don’t know what shoe goes with what pant).

The question I hear the most when I am putting together outfits for a client is ” What shoes should I wear with that?”  Many of my clients buy their denim and take it right down to Ashley Austin to find the perfect shoe. I’ve also had clients fall in love with a shoe at Ashley Austin and head right over to Chantilly Blue to make sure they find the perfect pair of denim to show off their new shoe. Denim can be tricky, especially with all of the various lengths, cuffs and hems. Here are some ideas to help. All shoes from Ashley Austin. 

1. Cropped and frayed denim?  Wear a heel to lengthen the legs and elongate the ankle and show off this season’s most popular look.  And try to wipe the drool off your face after you look at these beauties below.

2.  Flared hem? You need a pointed toe and or a platform to lift the jeans off the floor and show off the cut. Open toe works too just make sure they is enough of a platform to keep the hem from dragging on the ground.

3. Skinny to the ankle? Try a pointed style flat or a classic stiletto. You want to the look to be clean at the bottom, avoid any ankle detail so you don’t have to worry about the hem getting in the way.

4. Cuffed hem? Ankle boots, platform sneakers or a chunkier block heel work well, just make sure to show a little skin between the bottom of the cuff and the top of the heel.

A good rule of thumb is that the chunkier/heavier the hem, then the chunkier and heavier the shoe. The tighter to the ankle, the taller and more delicate you can go with the shoe.

Need more help? Schedule a Spring Styling Session with me – 610.517.2983.

And don’t forget to please treat other people with kindness, patience, and respect. After all, you never know who is wearing an invisible crown.

Thanks for reading!

Suzie