Dress for the Occasion is a series where I ask stylish Charlotteans how to get dressed, based on the occasion. This week, I talked to personal stylist Whitley Adkins.
Prompt: Elevated every day for the busy mom. She’s dashing from drop-off to board meetings to errands, so her outfit needs to work all day and flex with spring’s notorious temperature swings.
The formula: I don’t have an internationally recognized formula for getting dressed. I reach for something in my closet, commit to that first piece, and just keep adding to or layering onto whatever I reached for first.
- My approach of having a framework with loose rules inside that framework is my own recipe for what I call creating tension. I never know what I’m going to get and quite frankly it’s freeing and people are generally interested and curious.
Why it works: This picture was taken several years ago outside of my grandfather’s old store in downtown Fort Mill. It was a photo shoot day with Richard Israel that required me to be dressed but dressed as Whitley, full-time working mom of two active boys vs personal stylist serving customers, thus a relaxed, carefree vibe.
- I have several layers here that can be added or subtracted accordingly with the ever-changing spring temps. I always advise my clients to dress for their audience and the occasion.
- I think doing so shows a sign of respect for self and for others. Getting dressed for me is only serious for serious occasions, but even then, I think the process of getting dressed should be relaxed and easy.
- I say dressing with the audience in mind while staying true to oneself is a formula that works every time!
Exactly what she’s wearing:
- Rank & Sugar authentic woodland camo BDU pants by my pal Nashville based designer, Suzanne Wade
- Le Superbe cardigan from Five One Five
- Chaser America tank from Our Place (RIP!)
- Lucchese Hat
- Metallic pink Swedish Hasbeens from Poole Shop
- Vintage belt and Cliff buckle from world’s best vintage cowboy shop, Savant
- Melinda Maria statement ring
- One of her father’s bandanas he kept in the passenger seat of his 1979 VW Bug Convertible for any female passengers that might ride along!
Who else do you want to see in this series?
