The Look:
Custom Tidal Cool tutu // SerenDipity Boutique Black Long Sleeve Romper // Amazfit Activity Tracker ($80) // Ella+Mila “Bags are Packed” Nail Polish ($10.50) // Carolee Jewelry Necklace // Aldo Shoes (Similar from Nine West – $50 ON SALE) // Wristlet (c/o my Second Gem in Command, Alexandra Barone) // Styled by Christina Imberlina
The Lesson:
Ever since I was a little girl, all I ever wanted to do with my life was dance. My teacher acknowledging my strength and giving my mom permission to buy my first pair of point shoes was one of the most exciting days of my life (along with that one time I met my idol, Carrie Underwood).
I had dreamed of becoming a principle dancer, hoping someday to be cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Sure I’d spend my life prone to injuries, living off a negligible salary, but it would be worth it. Nothing beat the rush of being on stage.
Late in high school, I made the tough call to take a step back due to some health issues I was having. It broke my heart, but now I see that without this turning point taking place as it had, I might be in a completely different place right now. It was a necessary chapter in my story that paved the path for other opportunities (more about that here).
The most important life lesson I took from my years of ballet training is anything that is beautiful takes a hell of a lot of tenacity and endurance to achieve. There’s an immense amount of struggle that has to happen to build the strength to portray sustainable softness and elegance.
I carry that with me every day. Every struggle that comes up, I remind myself of my bleeding, blistering toes that still haven’t recovered years later from the battle. I never let that suffering stop me. I knew it would fade away once I hit the stage. I remember how many hours and hours of rehearsals went into a string of performances that, once added up, would only last a 20th of that time spent preparing.
I’m thankful that I spent so many years of my life dedicated to dance because it’s how I developed my resilience. Of course then, I had no idea it would play such a massive role in my life now.
When I awoke from my 3 hour and 28 minute slumber on the second day of New York Fashion Week (SS17), the tutu gracefully hanging in the hotel closet was screaming my name. While strutting around NYC in a tutu may intimidate some, this look anchored me down to feeling myself and it prompted me to reconnect with my durability.
I hadn’t really planned on what to wear with this custom Tidal Cool ballerina tutu prior to embarking on this adventure, so after sending like 4 different options to my incredibly talented and tolerant stylist Christina Imberlina, we determined the best course of action was donning it on top of this black long sleeve romper from SerenDipity Boutique. New York had seen enough of my hiney from my look the day before, and despite the sea of fabric – depending on a tutu’s diameter – you just really never quite know how close you are to exposing those undies.
The perfect complement to the purple of this tutu was this “Bags are Packed” electric blue polish ($10.50) from Ella+Mila! The luxury brand’s adorable elephant branding caught my eye a long time ago and I’ve been following them ever since. With “7-free” polishes (find out what that means and why it’s so important here), Ella+Mila’s initial launch product was Mommy & Me polish sets (dying of cuteness!). When Founder Narineh Bedrossian’s twin girls wanted to start painting their little fingers, Narineh needed to trust what was going on them! Ella+Mila has every color polish you could ever imagine – from fun, playful colors for your littles to soft, sophisticated options for you. Without any harmful chemicals, every polish is cruelty-free, vegan with PeTA certification and proudly made in the USA.
Speaking of being polished, that’s more than a lustrous looking accessory on my wrist. It’s the most fashion forward, no nonsense fitness tracker on the market – polished over 120,000 times, to be precise, to give it that eye catching luster and shine. The look is inspired by jade pendants, popular in Chinese culture, which symbolize a happy and healthy life. I am well aware of the importance of taking care of yourself – I preach about it everyday, but even I get caught up in the fast-paced hustle of entrepreneurship and forget to take care of the most important item on my task list – myself. More on Amazfit’s elegant and smart wearable technology coming later this week! In the mean time, learn how these beauties track activity and sleep without compromising style here (shown is Equator).
The moral of this look is: some risks, some extensions of your comfort zone, are as simple as reconnecting to a previous stage of you.
Photos: Alexandra Barone