Introducing Coast To Coast Style Collective

I like to see what other people are wearing and how they put together their outfits, even if it isn’t exactly my style.   I am also curious about my friend’s beauty favorites and how they celebrate their lives. I’ve been turned on to so many great products and outfit ideas by friends.  Seeing various styles is inspiring—and I think the celebration of a woman’s unique style is important.  So often I hear women say  “I like her style but I would never wear it.” You aren’t supposed to wear someone else’s exact style! We aren’t supposed to look identical to one another!  Let’s be more like French women who focus on creating their own unique styles! 

Let’s celebrate each other without the “but I would never wear it.” at the end of the sentance!

Anyway,  a small group of friends got together to create Coast to Coast Style Collective. The collective is made up of four women all over 50, who have different lifestyles, live in different regions of the country, and have different takes on fashion, beauty, and life.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, especially when you work from home as I do.  I am sometimes surprised at the changes in the world of fashion.  Take the workplace, for example.  A while back, I got dolled up to go to a law office for a meeting, only to discover that everyone there was wearing jeans!  They told me that they only dress up to go to court these days.  There I was in a dress and pumps!  Sometimes I get it wrong, and that’s why having a few stylish friends with different lifestyles is a good thing—they would have steered me right.  That, after all, is what friends are for.  

Suzanne, Julie, and Andy are definitely friends every girl needs. Let me introduce you:

Suzanne Bell (www.asksuzannebell.com)  lives in California, where she and her husband run a real estate business.  Their son is finishing high school, and their daughter is in her second year of college.  They are very busy people who love to travel and host lovely warm family get-togethers.  I love Suzanne’s style—it’s always evolving.  She is an expert stylist, who loves luxury consignment finds, and modern versatile pieces from Nordstrom where she once worked, and has been known to blend in a few treasures from stores like Target to create a unique, very sophisticated, and chic style.

I met Julie Augustyn from (www.FashionTrendsandFriends.com) in 2017 and love her bold, chic style.  Her blog started with three friends navigating their middle years with style.  Now the blog is mostly Julie and she has shared her health ups and downs and her weight loss journey which has been very inspiring to her readers.  I love Julie’s “all in for a good life” philosophy —it’s evident in all she does from her interior decor, gatherings with friends and family, and her fashion choices the girl loves her bling.  Julie enjoys her family, especially her step-granddaughter who loves fashion as much as Julie.  She lives and works full-time in Chicago so you will get her warm and cold weather styling.

Andy from (www.PearlsandPantsuits.com) is our resident southern bell.  She’s the friend who tells it like it is with a smile and little sass for good measure.  She married her high school sweetheart (who looks like David Cassidy-swoon).  Andy’s kids are grown, so she and her husband enjoy date nights, dog walks, and family gatherings.  If you are not familiar with southern style, Andy rocks it and also shares how she celebrates her “midsize, midlife, over 50, pear shape” body which has been a massive hit on Instagram.

And then, there’s me—the old lady of the group I’m 63, and I  love modern classic style and small gatherings—which is a good thing since we downsized to a villa we fondly refer to as The Casa.  I live in Florida which is a blend of northern and southern sensibilities. It’s definitely hot and humid for half of the year and I am still learning to embrace the warm weather (even though I’ve lived here for 40 years) and getting used to my empty nest with my partner, Roger who is a great photographer and is always up for my latest schemes.

So, what are we going to be doing, going forward, you ask?

We are going to share how to style the latest outfits–the small tweaks that bring an outfit to life, celebrate with family and friends, and our favorite makeup and skin care finds.  All the stuff you want to know about how to live your best life as a woman of a certain age.