{"id":13060,"date":"2019-05-09T14:57:29","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T18:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/?p=13060"},"modified":"2022-07-14T12:04:48","modified_gmt":"2022-07-14T16:04:48","slug":"mothers-day-style-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Women in My Life Taught Me to Dress and Live"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Mother\u2019s Day, we reached out to the Dia Community to learn the many ways the women who raise us can influence our style. We were so inspired by Dia&Co customer De\u2019Shantel Odom-Brown\u2019s story that we had to know more. Keep reading to learn how De\u2019Shantel\u2019s grandmother and aunt both helped her build the life and wardrobe she has today. *Edited and condensed for clarity and length.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My name is De\u2019Shantel, or \u201cDee,\u201d as everyone calls me. I was born and raised on the west side of Philadelphia, PA. I was primarily raised by my grandparents because I was born to a young teen mother. Growing up, my grandmother and my aunt had a huge influence on my personal style. My grandparents are from the south, so they were very traditional. We went to church every Sunday\u2014and that\u2019s when the magic happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting ready for church was always my favorite because out came the ruffles, the lace stockings, the slips, the gloves, and the bows. My mom (grandmom) was a classic lady\u2014she wore dresses and skirt suits, accessorized with large hats, jewelry, great shoes, and a bag to match. She always made sure she had a handkerchief in her purse, and I carried one too. After she was done with her makeup, she\u2019d add a spritz of perfume and then she was ready. It seemed as though she carried herself differently once she was \u201cdressed up.\u201d She walked differently, she sat differently\u2014it was always amazing to me. I wanted to be a classic lady, just like her and my Aunt Dee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to be a classic lady, just like [my grandmom] and my Aunt Dee.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"de'shantel
Grandmom and Aunt Dee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My Aunt Dee was my grandmother\u2019s oldest daughter and she also named me. Because she lived in Maryland, I didn\u2019t get to see her until the holidays. Honestly, she doesn\u2019t even realize how much I looked up to her. <\/span>She too had that little something extra that set her apart from all the other women in the room\u2014when she would visit, I couldn\u2019t wait to see what kind of accessories she had on. She was always color-coordinated and accessorized to a T. There was never a wrinkle in sight and every hair would be in place. She was perfection! My grandmom was a homemaker, but my aunt was a working woman. Many people in my neighborhood were on public assistance and there wasn\u2019t much opportunity around other than becoming a statistic\u2014she gave me something to aspire to. She gave me hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having these influences as an inner-city youth allowed me to see that I didn\u2019t have to adapt to my surroundings. I could set myself apart and fashion could lead the way. They let me know early on that I could wear whatever I wanted, wherever I wanted as long as I did it with poise, class, and femininity. Growing up, there wasn\u2019t a lot of money for designer clothes and sneakers, so I had to work with what I had, and I\u2019ve carried that through my life. I was taught that you can buy all the labels you want, but that you can\u2019t buy style. Add being plus size into the equation\u2014there weren\u2019t a lot of choices for plus-size teens that were fashionable. So, I made it work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having these influences…allowed me to see that I didn\u2019t have to adapt to my surroundings. I could set myself apart and fashion could lead the way.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"de'shantel
De’Shantel and her daughters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, fast forward to the age of 37, and I am still in love with all the frilly and feminine details. I would describe my style as feminine with a splash of tomboy chic. I go for effortlessly simple pieces with show-stopping accessories. I can go from full-blown ball gown to sneakers and a baseball cap\u2014and wear them all confidently. I have two armoires that house all my jewelry and accessories and a tower that holds my 25+ pairs of aviator sunglasses. To date, I have 20 brooches, including some vintage pieces, and my closet is overflowing with purses of all sizes and colors. As for shoes, well, I\u2019m running out of room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, as an adult, I know one thing for certain\u2014when I walk into a room, I\u2019m one of the best-dressed women there. Not because of the labels or brands, but because I walk into every room as if I own it. Just because you\u2019re plus size doesn\u2019t mean you have to hide in the corner for the rest of your life\u2014take center stage and live out loud. In the same way that I didn\u2019t let my upbringing decide what my future would hold, that\u2019s how I view my personal style and how I carry myself. My size doesn\u2019t define how I dress and what I can or can\u2019t wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am a multi-faceted woman. I have my degree in business and I have a corporate job, but I\u2019m also a tattooed, colorful hair-wearing, football-loving, MMA-watching wife, mother, makeup artist, and personal stylist. I don\u2019t fit in a box\u2014there\u2019s no box big enough for me. I don\u2019t have to be one thing or act or dress one way. That presence is what I want my daughters to see and be, but better. That\u2019s what\u2019s so awesome about my grandmom and my aunt\u2019s influence\u2014I know that I too can be the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"de'shantel<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"de'shantel<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"de'shantel<\/a>

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\"de'shantel<\/a>

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Want to learn more about the amazing women in our community? Bookmark the \u201cMeet\u201d<\/a> category for profiles and more!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Mother\u2019s Day, we reached out to the Dia Community to learn the many ways the women who raise us can influence our style. We were so inspired by Dia&Co customer De\u2019Shantel Odom-Brown\u2019s story that we had to know more. Keep reading to learn how De\u2019Shantel\u2019s grandmother and aunt both helped her build the life […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":13240,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"class_list":["post-13060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-know"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow the Women in My Life Taught Me to Dress and Live - Dia & Co<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dia&Co customer De'Shantel Odom-Brown on how the two most important women in her life have played a huge role in developing the woman she is today.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How the Women in My Life Taught Me to Dress and Live - Dia & Co\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dia&Co customer De'Shantel Odom-Brown on how the two most important women in her life have played a huge role in developing the woman she is today.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dia & Co\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/diaandco\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-09T18:57:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-07-14T16:04:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3mnyo7e05c2kb.cloudfront.net\/blog-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/stylists-moms-header.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"830\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marge Hudson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@diaandco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@diaandco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marge Hudson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/\",\"name\":\"How the Women in My Life Taught Me to Dress and Live - Dia & Co\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/d3mnyo7e05c2kb.cloudfront.net\/blog-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/stylists-moms-header.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-09T18:57:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-14T16:04:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12fa817987a28e5e481cfbdfaa4a81de\"},\"description\":\"Dia&Co customer De'Shantel Odom-Brown on how the two most important women in her life have played a huge role in developing the woman she is today.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d3mnyo7e05c2kb.cloudfront.net\/blog-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/stylists-moms-header.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/d3mnyo7e05c2kb.cloudfront.net\/blog-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/stylists-moms-header.jpg\",\"width\":830,\"height\":540},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/know\/mothers-day-style-influence\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How the Women in My Life Taught Me to Dress and Live\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Dia & Co\",\"description\":\"Dia & Co is the premier personal styling service for plus-size women. 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