MsFit Obsession: Dior Mise en Dior Tribal Earrings

These ain’t yo’ mama’s pearls, that’s for sure….

To ease into my next obsession, the single earring (coming next…stay tuned), I had to share with you guys these earrings that I’ve been coveting all summer. The Dior Mise en Dior Tribal Earrings were part of the 2013 pre-fall costume jewelry collection designed by Dior’s accessory designer, Camille Miceli. With the growing popularity of the side-swept hair and the single earring trend, these sweet little boules have definitely rolled themselves into every fashionistas accessory drawer.

I love them because they’re sweet, yet edgy, classic, yet superbly modern, and trendy without being too exclusive.

Here they are in all of their pearly glory….

 

Stay tuned for my next obsession, the single earring phenomenon that’s hitting the mean streets of Trend City.

MsFit Feature: Michele Cheowtirakul Braxton

I was so thrilled when Michele said yes to doing a MsFit Feature because, #1: the Modern Classic is amazing and #2: because Michele is so cool and inspiring. I love her story of how she combined her passion of everything dance and movement with fashion, to create for all of us activewear-obsessed, such an amazing product… the Modern Classic.

I fell in love with the Modern Classic the first moment I laid eyes on it and I immediately pre-ordered three of them. I placed my first orders and waited weeks for them to be ready to ship. I remember counting down the weeks until they arrived. And boy was that a great day when they did! In the meantime, while waiting for my orders, I had quite a few communications with Michele. There were a few updates, some fabric changes, slight change in ship dates, etc… and I remember thinking how pleasant dealing with her was and how her customer service was beyond excellent! I knew this was someone who was going to run an amazing business.

I now own a mini collection of Modern Classics (waiting on the brand new Modern Classic in the Ballet Pink color). I love them because you can scrunch them up for working out, then walk out of class and pull them down into a tunic and head right to lunch, errands or meetings. For me, it is a perfect piece that easily goes from barre-wear to day-wear to any-wear. I also am loving how now when I drive around my neighborhood, seeing my barre lovelies rocking the modern classic in my local coffee shops, parks, barre classes, and just walking down the street. My mommy group that attends my Baby Barre classes really loved the Modern Classic because it is so adjustable, it worked for them post-baby and was great for breastfeeding.

Thank you Michele for creating such a fabulous top + tunic!

XxJessica~

 

MsFit Feature:

 

WHAT IS KEEPING YOU BUSY THESE DAYS?

The color pink actually… To herald the release of the Modern Classic Top and Tunic in Ballet Pink, we are doing a little project we lovingly call PITNB (pink is the new black). I’ve never been much of a pink wearer, but we custom dyed our signature fabric to create this amazing shade that’s like a neutral color but still very ballet and definitely pink. We originally developed it in response to interest from a lot of our dance supporters. But now I am in love with it and am finding myself obsessing about other pink things! So lately, the whole office is in pink-think, with pink frames, pink images, anything pink – I even got a pink mani pedi, which I have never done!

Aside from the temporary pink insanity, I’m also working with the team on testing several new designs, replenishing the colors we’ve sold out of, and figuring out what new Modern Classic colors everyone wants! It’s so fun talking to our customers who enjoy what we’re doing and hearing about what they like, what we could do better, and what else they want to see. So to summarize, I am tickled pink and feel pretty lucky that gwenyth and our energetic team has been keeping me really busy.

 

WHAT ARE YOU LOVING IN FITNESS AND FASHION RIGHT NOW?

So many things, especially as we are now based in fitness and fashion savvy LA. But two interrelated things in particular. The first is the continual growth and acceptance of low impact, movement based disciplines like barre, pilates and dance as primary exercise regimens. I love it when I meet young, former hardcore marathon runners, cross-fitters or even triathletes who have transitioned to these types of workouts. These are the people that are about results and who are no-joke when it comes to athletic performance and fitness. And yet they see something like barre as totally challenging and edifying. That really speaks to me.

The second thing I’m loving is the variety and romance I’m seeing in activewear fashion, as these “softer” fitness disciplines have taken off. So I love that Stella McCartney’s line for Adidas has gotten girlier and that Net-a-Porter has been featuring ballet-inspired activewear. Activewear used to look like just activewear… it could hardly be described as pretty for fear that it would give the impression of not being durable or technical enough. But with workouts like barre and pilates kicking even men in the behind, I feel like women are more accepting of the idea that something can be both elegant and tough. And that’s the duality we thrive on – how can we make something beautiful, precious and delicate looking while also being innovative and high-performing? If women are “tough” packaged in “pretty”, why can’t their activewear be as well?

 

HOW CAN WE KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOU?

To keep up with gwyneth’s goings-on, come see her at her site, www.gwenythbrand.com or her blog. For me, I am (sadly) always on email. So feel free to drop me a line at michele@gwenythbrand.com !

 

MSFITS! Don’t miss out on this special MsFit discount code that runs until August 31st!

Use code: GWENYTHLOVESMSFIT_15 

 

 

My Life Under the Big Top – A Mom’s Happy Balancing Act

As a mom of two boys, two dogs and as a wife, I feel like I have an insanely close personal connection with circus performers. I truly do live under the big top. I’m a clown, I’m a juggler, I have been the 300 lb. woman before (while pregnant), I wrangle wild animals, I do breathe fire (only on my really bad days), I can be a contortionist (as far as my planning skills go), I can’t say I’ve been shot out of a cannon, yet, but some days, I really do wish I had one, I’ve gone around and around and around in a circular steal trap  (not on a motorbike, but with my emotional state) and, I pounce from platform to platform with some fear and uncertainty, but always with a smile, and I really do have some awesome costumes and props that help me tame my life under the big top.

 

My days aren’t any longer than any one else’s, I haven’t won the megamillions (yet) and my kiddos are just as ________ (fill in the blank) as your kiddos, but I chug through everyday with a purpose.  My kids and husband come first, and everything else is a balancing act. I love my hobbies, one of which is gardening and writing, I love my friends and social life, I love spending time with my family, I love to travel (New York, LA and Paris are my favorite cities), I love fashion, I love hanging out with my husband, just the two of us, I love to read and of course, I absolutely love my job as a stylist and my new venture as a blogger of all things fashion and fitness.

 

As this career has taken off, it has opened my eyes to the difficulty of not only balancing work and family life but also the difficulty in maintaining a high level of self purpose and the belief that what I’m doing is right, what I’m doing makes me happy, which in turn makes my family happy. I’ve come to the realization that my happiness and self worth is what’s going to make this big top operate on a daily basis.

 

Fortunately and unfortunately, mine and my business partner, Jessica’s new venture as MsFits has thrown us into a whirlwind of events and parties and meetings and art shows. They’re last-minute invites, they’re “come have a drink and discuss bla bla bla”, they’re Tuesday late night meetings with a 5am wakeup from a one-year old, they’re write that blog post or do our 7 foot load of laundry, they’re have a conference call in the 2o minute window our kiddos are distracted by Sesame Street, they’re post everything and anything you can on Instagram because your PR expert told you to, they’re phone calls about gossip that we’re always out and never home with our kids.

 

I’m pretty sure that every mom out there knows exactly how hard it is to be a mom, I’m pretty sure every mom out there would hate to hear criticism on what she’s doing to balance it all, and I’m pretty sure every mom out there can agree that we’re just trying to do our best. Other mom’s “best” might not be your definition of best, but I guess, “best” is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

And so is happiness. If our happiness is maintaining our careers as a stylist and barre instructor, if our happiness is being on a conference call while sorting that 7 foot pile of laundry, if our happiness is taking our kids to fashion events, if our happiness is going out to events and parties a few times a week, then that’s the best we can do.

 

Ms Fit for Society started as a simple idea about supporting women whether they’re moms or entrepreneurs or financiers or artists or whatever. It was a simple idea about feeling good about yourself as a woman through fitness and fashion and it has taken us on a ride that has only just begun. After a little over 6 months into our venture, we have had so much fun, have met so many amazing people, have taken so many great pictures and have hopefully inspired some people as well. We have shot out of cannons (our ideas at least), we’ve been the Incredible Four-Armed women (how else can we Instagram and shake hands and hold our clutches?), we have swung on the trapeze from event to event with the greatest of ease (thanks to Uber) and with all of that, we love that our lives have come full circle to the middle of the circus ring. Our happiness is the reward at the end of the day, our reward is that our happiness is contagious and if we can infect our kids, our families and our friends, then how much better can it get?

Welcome to the big top ladies… now find your happy !

 

This is me on my way to a black tie event… Little did I know that that naked baby of mine left a nice poop stain on my Alexander Wang gown…

Sports Bras Take On the Streets

My thing with sports bras is very simple. They squish my boobs into a mutant uni-boob. The sports bra… Attractive? Not one bit. Practical? Only for running. Fashionable? Are you serious…? Until now.

This past season we’ve seen a whole slew of fitness clothing punching out its competitors, and taking center stage in the fashion scene. But nothing is as wildly unusual to come out of hiding, as the sports bra. Try it out as an under-cami for a low cut shirt, or as a cami under a sheer top… give that sports bra of yours a new life…take it out of hiding and onto the streets.

Check out these street style stars and how they gave their sports bras a fashionable new life…

 

 

We’d love to hear your take on this trend… Leave us a comment or find us on Facebook and comment away!