Fashion + Books = Love!
Hello and welcome to my corner of the internet, I’m thrilled you are here! Starting this blog has been a dream for quite some time and I have a lot of “excuses” why I haven’t started it yet but the most important part is that there is no time like the present to move forward. There is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that speaks to my soul about this, “You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” It’s time to get started, so let’s get to know each other!
I’m Laura…
and I currently live in Fort Mill, SC (just outside of Charlotte, NC) with my husband, two daughters, and our two fur kids. While I have a corporate and finance background from an education and career perspective, my passions are fashion and books which is how my idea for The Fashionable Bookworm was born which I will fill you in about below.
If you asked me what I wanted to be when I was around age 5 or so, I would have told you that I wanted to be a shoe store owner, a reader, and an astronaut.
My older daughter who is now 5 informed me recently that she wants to be an artist, a teacher, a builder, and a princess. My 3 year old then chimed in to say she wants to be Ariel and a lovey or even an Ariel lovey…a big one. Perfect, we’ll ask her again in a year or so! I love to think about what a child’s mind sees as possible, without social ideas or pressures to be or do something that is expected of them. It is inspiring to hear what they have to say and think back to what I felt at that time, anything is possible and the options are limitless, well except maybe my astronaut dream, perhaps a virtual reality journey someday instead!
An early start
When I was little, I used to spend hours in my Grammy’s closet with her shoes, playing store owner, and thinking about which shoes could be paired with each of her outfits hanging in the closet. I would line up all of the shoes in pairs on the floor, open up the closet doors and then set up her nightstand as my register area. I also used to pour over catalogs and magazines looking at the outfits of the season and making notes about which pieces I liked and what worked well together.
I also loved designing and coloring outfits with Fashion Plates. I completely forgot about this treasure until I saw it in the toy section at a store last year. I happened to be with my mom on this particular trip and she informed me that she purchased one for my older daughter for Christmas and how much I enjoyed it when I was her age. Yes! All of the memories came flooding back to me, I loved it and spent hours upon hours finding new outfits and color combinations to design. My mom did generously buy me one for Christmas as well this year and my older daughter and I designed pages of items that afternoon with our plates and colored pencils. My mom and I joked that everyone had just assumed it was a hobby and something that occupied my attention for hours, but just maybe there was more to it. I can’t wait to find out if there is more in store around this subject as I explore my creative side!
Favorite places? Libraries!
Meanwhile, I also adored going to the library and would ask to check out the maximum amount of books each trip. My mom says that I used to take a lot of time during my early years carefully selecting my ten books and devoured them, urgently asking to go back for another round as soon as possible. When I was ready for non-picture book reading, my mom introduced me to Nancy Drew which I also sped through quickly, gobbling up page after page to see what mystery Nancy could solve with her friends next. This was followed by countless Sweet Valley Twins and The Babysitter’s Club books, I would get so excited to go to Walden Books or B. Dalton at the mall to purchase the next one in the series. In my adult years, I generally read a little bit of everything but my favorite category is historical fiction. I love to roam around a bookstore or drop into a library just to look around. There is something so calming to me about walking through the aisles and combing the shelves, it is a quiet and restorative activity for me. I don’t know about you but just like Carrie Bradshaw’s character, I love the smell of a library book as well as the crinkling sound that the outside library cover makes of the book. Perhaps it is nostalgia, comfort, or even childhood memories that the sound and smell invokes.
What do these two subjects have in common you ask?
To me they both tell a story, a place to use your imagination and be creative. I style my outfits based on my mood, the weather, the feeling or story that I want to tell, among various other reasons. Who do I want to be today or how do I want to feel when I get dressed? Also, how many combinations can I create with each piece of clothing to make it as versatile as possible, stretching the limits and encouraging my mind to think of new and inspired options. Books do the same for me, a form of creative expression using your imagination to transport you to a place, time, or situation that the writer depicts.
Where do we go from here?
I will be posting my ideas on outfits, favorite pieces as well as monthly books I am reading. I enjoy providing style advice and often receive requests from friends and family asking for my opinion on what can be worn together or to an event. Drop me a note if you are looking for assistance, I would love to help you! Questions about what to splurge on versus when to save, love a pair of shoes but not sure how to style them – send the request through and I will help you come to a solution as well as feature it on the blog. If you have the question, it is likely that someone else reading this does as well. We can all be inspired and creative together!
In addition to fashion and monthly books, you can also expect to see posts on clean beauty, travel, wellness, and a sprinkle of other lifestyle topics. I look forward to getting to know you!
What did you want your career to be when you were younger? Favorite childhood toys that you loved or inspired you? Let me know in the comments below or by sending me a note from the Contact tab above!
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