Keeping our Shoozies connected to the best bloggers, celebrities, current trends and fashion icons by featuring the Who’s Who and What’s What of the cyber (and real) World of Fashion and all things chic. Sole to Soul will give you an up close and personal peek into the force and inspirations behind the trend, get styling and shopping tips, learn about current fashion happenings and events, and of course arm yourself with enough knowledge about what’s fresh off the runway to next seasons’ things to lookout for that you may even become a blogger yourself.
This Sole to Soul is with Mimi G Styles. A uniquely stylish, beautiful and successful woman who has dedicated a large portion of her life to keeping the fashionistas fashionable and empower those who are fashionably challenged with the confidence of knowing that style is all about finding and projecting your inner Betsey Johnson or Donna Karan. No matter if you’re in need of a fun, quirky look or a sophisticated, classic look – Mimi G. Styles has a little bit for everyone!
Fashion perfection… Mimi G. Styles is always picture
perfect.
I want to start off by saying…MOTHER OF
SIX? Holy cow! You look amazing! What is your secret????
Thank you! But in all fairness I only gave birth to four of my six babies. I
don’t know that I have a secret but I do try to take care of myself and eat
well. I exercise, dance, and always make time for myself–like all women should
do…especially mommies.
Okay, back to business…You started
sewing at 12 years old, what kind of fashion were you into at that age? Can you
share a picture?
I don’t think I had a “style” at 12 [years old], but I do know that
big frizzed out hair was a part of my look! So I am thankful that there are no
pictures, LOL. I did, however, spend many a day locked away in my room with my
sewing machine making duplicates of things I already owned; which is how I
taught myself construction. I had to figure out how my dress was put together so
I could basically copy it.
My greatest accomplishment at that age was when I made my mother a red dress
that she wore to a wedding even though the neckline was awful and the hem was
crooked! 
I think it took a long time for me to develop my own style and then was able
to translate that in my sewing.
How have you developed your craft over
the years from what you had envisioned at 12 years old into what MimiGStyle
stands for today?
You know at 12 years old I just knew that I wanted to make things! And I
found sewing to be a gratifying craft so I stuck with it. I taught myself
everything I needed to know and if I didn’t know something I figured it out,
read a book or took a class.
What Mimi G Style has become is a mixture of my life and fashion rules: 1. Do
you! No matter what the cost or opinion; 2. Always wear something girly, sparkly
or both; 3. Never be afraid to mix the traditional with the modern; 4. If it
doesn’t fit right, don’t wear it.
Today my goal is to inspire, teach and motivate people to come out of their
boxes and try something new. [But] I don’t think that at 12 years old I knew I
would take sewing and fashion to this level of commitment and passion.
What or who inspires
you?
Usually it’s something I see when I am people watching–which I love to do.
Sometimes it’s a color or an image I see, and thanks to Pinterest there is an
endless amount of inspiration to feed from, LOL.
I never know what it will be,
but I always have a camera or paper handy to capture it for later. I read other
sewing blogs and I get inspired by what others make and share, it’s a great
community to belong to.
Tell me about your 1st Annual
Meet, Shop + Learn event? And the 3-day Fashion, Sewing + Style workshop coming
in 2013?
Last year was an amazing experience because what started off as a single
request from a local fan who asked if she could accompany me the next time I
went fabric shopping. [That] turned into an event where women flew into Los
Angeles from as far as Florida and NY to come shop with me, learn from me, and
it was amazing. It was such a success that I have started planning the event for
2013 as a 3 day mini (really mini) conference where I will bring sewing,
fashion, DIY and style together for a great learning and sharing experience. We
have a SAVE THE DATE right now and a long “Keep Me Informed” list of patient
attendee hopefuls. Once I get some more logistics in place we will open
registration.
So I’ve seen you give your readers DIY
lessons on bedazzling jackets to making a maxi-dress from jeans? Any tips for
adding a little of your personal flavor to a pair of shoes?
I just went to the craft store and picked up some stones and ribbons to make
detachable pieces for my plain shoes. I also picked up the back of clip on
earrings so that I can create the pimped out bows and attach them to the back;
it’s easy and quick and most important non-committing. I also have extra yards
of chain links in my stash that I want to use to drape over some boots I have;
maybe that will be a tutorial soon
What advice can you give women about
creating their own sense of style and knowing the boundaries of what looks good
and what’s just outright crazy?!
DON'T FOLLOW EVERY TREND! That is the first thing I tell my clients. Just
because Beyonce or Taylor Swift are rocking it doesn't mean it will work for
you. Forget about creating a STYLE and start by creating “Fashion Looks” that
fit your lifestyle and comfort levels. Buy things that flatter your figure and
if peplum tops don’t flatter you, don’t try to wear them. I work wonders with
jeans and a sweater and it’s not because I am genius or possess something others
don’t have, it’s because I am comfortable in them. I make sure they fit the
right way and it’s MY favorite thing to wear. If you love dresses, wear them
often. Keep key pieces like blazers classic and use small items like accessories
to add your uniqueness. Once you start to wear things that fit and that you feel
confident in your style will emerge effortlessly.
Fun, fashionable, and so Mimi.
Okay, I am going to share a little secret with you that changed my life… stop trying to do everything yourself! And the most important thing to learn is that if the house is a mess and you are tired it’s okay, do it later!! Brilliant right? LOL! What I mean is, you must learn to delegate, delegate, delegate. My five year old picks up his own mess when he is done playing. My older kids do their own laundry and meals if I can’t make it on time. My husband does the grocery shopping and helps me clean house. I couldn’t possibly get it all done with my family. It is a team effort and I know that if I don’t take time to focus and recharge myself I am doing a disservice to my family. I don’t function well when I am stressed or tired so why not stop, regroup and then proceed.
Share with us the people or person you consider to be the epitome of fashion (beside yourself of course)!
Thanks. I am a huge fan of the classics! So my all-time icon has been Audrey Hepburn, but I am also a fan of Katie Holmes who has a great classic all-American style about her. I love Solange (girl crush) because she has an incredible sense of self and always looks amazing. I love confident women because confidence is 90% the driving force in fashion. You could wear a plain black t-shirt and jeans, but if you radiate confidence that t-shirt and jeans will look amazing.
What’s next for you, Mimi G?
I am working on several sewing related ventures like my own sewing pattern collection, sewing tools and a new website that will launch in 2013 and serve as an extension of my blog filled with resources for sewing, tutorials and projects to continue my plan to fill every household in America with a sewing machine *insert evil grin*. On the fashion side of things, I am working on expanding my work as a local stylist to a virtual stylist as well where clients can send me pictures of their wardrobes and I will help them build looks around what they already own. I also would very much like to have a televised platform and so I am hoping for that opportunity. These are just a few that I have in the works now and the rest I’ll keep to myself for now
To find our more about Mimi G. Styles visit: www.mimigstyle.com
Sign up to buy cute new or used shoes: www.shoozed.com
