Timeless Grace

Timeless Grace Lifestyle Wear is a woman-owned small business based in St. Louis, Missouri, dedicated to helping women thrive in the many dimensions of modern life. We create luxurious yet functional garments that offer full coverage, comfort, and confidence—designed to support today’s woman in every role she embraces. Use code preppy20 for 20% off at https://timelessgracewear.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to the Preppy Podcast, and I'm your host, Patricia May Olson. I'll be interviewing the brands, businesses, and influencers who are keeping the modern preppy lifestyle alive. Each Tuesday I'll bring you a new episode, but if you're craving more preppy, then shop the merch and listen to past episodes at the preppy podcast.com and be sure to follow at the preppy podcast and me, Patricia underscore May underscore Olsen on Instagram. She is the founder of Timeless Grace, which is redefining what a traditional apron looks like. Um, she has such a fabulous product here. Not only does it come in amazing colors and patterns, but it's size inclusive and it really fits and flatters a woman's body. I really love learning about how she came up with the idea for this business, being a busy mom and wanting to look put together but keep her clothes um clean from life and messiness. But this product also is great for if you're a gardener or maybe you love to entertain and host or you love cooking. Um there's just so many uses for it. And the conversation is so wonderful because she not only shares the inspiration, but also, you know, some of the local resources she used to bring her product to life. Um, some of the things she's working on next for it, and everything in between. So I think you guys are really going to enjoy it. And if you go to her website, you can use code Preppy20 for 20% off. Um so definitely take advantage of that. I know we're getting into the spring season of entertaining and hosting. Um, so this is a great product, you know, for someone for Mother's Day or just for yourself. But before we get into that episode, I thought it'd be fun to do a little giveaway for listeners. I've done these in the past, obviously, on social media. Um, but this one basically, if you listen to the podcast, I'd love if you screenshot listening and tag me at the preppy podcast, letting me know and share that on your stories, and that'll enter you in to win um a fabulous leftover goodies that I have from our Camp Preppy Dallas gift bag. So I'm looking at it right now and I'll tell you some of the things that you'll win. One being that amazing love sack blanket, a southern decorative embroidered um espresso martini pillow, a um one more of the blue canary canvases for needlepoint that I have, a little package of goodies from Roseanne Beck collections, including a card, a notepad, a bunny Bradley little heart pouch, some nail polish from Olive June, uh Wheezy um face towels, lip uh chapstick, tally ties, hair scrunchies. Um, there's just so many goodies in there. Those are just a few of them. But one winner um who shares on stories that they're listening to the podcast and the tag of the podcast, I will send them this package. So uh we will just run that from this Tuesday essentially till next Tuesday. So you have a week to do so. Um, so happy listening and happy entering and good luck. All right, so why don't you first let everyone know who you are, where you live, and what you do?

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Perfect. All right, I'm Cassidy Vanslike Blinky, and I live in St. Louis, Missouri, and I'm the founder of Timeless Grace Lifestyle Wear. So we design aprons. Our first one is called the Classic Grace, so they're bump and body inclusive, full coverage aprons that have three side snaps on the side uh that are for flexible sizing. So it's something that I designed and created when um I couldn't find something on the market that I really needed.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Excellent! Oh my gosh. Well, I am so excited to learn more about how this business came to be and your background. Um, I love my apron from you. I think it's so beautifully designed and thoughtfully designed. So I'm excited to learn how you landed there. But let's take it back to the beginning. Tell me a little bit about you as a kid. Where did you grow up? Did you grow up in St. Louis as well? Did you grow up somewhere else? Were you creative? Were you entrepreneurial? What was childhood like?

SPEAKER_02 4:40

I love this question and how you ask your guests because I think our childhoods have such a formation of who we become as adults and laying the foundation, especially for creatives. So I grew up in Michigan, specifically Grand Rapids. I went to college there, and you know, I spent a lot of time in nature, ironically. And so I was a creative. Um, I was always writing. My mom was always sewing, so she was a self-taught kind of seamstress, so she made a lot of her own clothes. She would always have different fabrics laying around, and um, I would join her on trips to like the fabric store. So she was always creating, and um, that's just something I kind of mirrored. And um, I don't know, I was always doing it. And as far as being entrepreneurial, um, I didn't really label it as that, but when I was thinking and reflecting on it, I was always trying to sell things. So when I was little, I had my own like bracelet shop. I had lemonade stands, so I would make things at home and then always try and share them with other people. And it wasn't necessarily about making money, but I just wanted to like pass them along, whether it was like on the playground or when we would go camping.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

So I love that, and it sounds like your mom really inspired you. My mom is someone who sews as well, more just for fun. And I grew up with her making Halloween costumes for me, and um, even to this day, like she can re-upholster like a little footstool for me or make me pillows, and I wish I had her sewing skills, but it definitely inspired me like to know that you can create and make something, right?

SPEAKER_02 6:30

No, absolutely, and she was always like encouraging us to like advocate for ourselves and figure it out. Like, if we had questions, like she would make us even like when we were little, like go up to the person and ask a question ourselves. So I think that kind of like set the tone for when I created this business, like being curious and finding different makers that could help me execute on a product that I had a vision for, but necessarily didn't have the tools to do it everything myself.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Yes, no, that's so interesting. Now that you say that, I do think a lot of entrepreneurs are curious, and that's what makes us entrepreneurs and leads us to creating something is that curiosity of how it's made and how it can be better or why something doesn't exist. So I love that point. Um so you mentioned you went to school or you went to college in Michigan as well. So where and what did you study? Was it something creative or entrepreneurial business or something completely different?

SPEAKER_02 7:32

So I remember when I was younger, I would just make commercials up in my head, and I would create videos with my parents' camcorder, and so I thought, okay, well, I want to study advertising. And this was before social media um was a thing, and advertising seemed like a good outlet because you know, you were creating, you were designing. I was like, oh, I could be a graphic designer too, and just like manifest like wonderful things to get people to buy different products, and so I majored in creative advertising and did some graphic design there, and then I was also on the Alpine skiing team there, so I really love to ski. That's kind of like a random side bucket, but um, so yeah, there I did advertising. Um, yeah, so that was my major, but like coming out of college, um, and I heard I think one of your other guests talk about this too. I'm a little bit older than he was, but it was during the recession. So um it was really hard to get a job in advertising. So I ended up moving to Chicago and waiting tables for a number of years until I could land an internship. And from there I fell into social media marketing as it was just becoming a thing, like when businesses were um being able to have business pages. I remember the day I was interning and Pinterest became a thing.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Yeah. So that's so cool. And I I, you know, am familiar with that as well. When I graduated, it was not the best economy either. So I studied PR and I ended up, um, even though I wanted to be more in fashion, which I am nowadays, um, working with lifestyle brands. But back then I took um a political campaign and did some PR and communications work with that. Because I think, you know, for people listening who might be in college or just graduating, I think uh being willing to try new things and like make the best of the situation and not letting something stop you because even if it's something completely different, like waiting tables or political campaigns, you can learn something from every position and like skills. Like I'm sure waitressing, you know, gave you great people skills then that you could use later, or being in politics gave me uh, you know, a little bit of a thicker skin, um, or made some connections. So I think that's a really important note from um that that point you made.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Yeah, and just being open to it and open to the adventure. And I think for me, had I not just packed up my bags and like moved to Chicago, which um I literally put boxes in my car and drove. Um, but you know, you can you can totally be more strategic about that. But I'm really glad I did. Um, but being open to the possibility, and you know, I did have an internship, but I will say my best experience was like taking those jobs where you weren't necessarily getting the huge paycheck. Being like, yes, like I will stay later, I will come early, I will take that client, I will do whatever because I just was like a sponge and I enjoyed the challenge of working with difficult clients or just like exploring the personalities of like what the world had to offer. And I think that was better than like for me personally, like anything a degree could have given me.

SPEAKER_00 11:00

Yes, yes, a thousand percent. That real world interactions. So tell me a little bit then about um, you know, your your first career and sort of career journey into entrepreneurship before launching this brand.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

Okay. So I was living and working in Chicago doing social media marketing. You know, in the beginning, I was a community manager, so I was the one behind the screen managing um all the people online commenting on profiles for different companies, and then um kind of doing the back-end work. And then I discovered I really like being in front of clients and building relationships. So I shifted more into account management where I became more client-facing, building those relationships, and uh shifted to that role, um, which I really enjoyed because I found that just talking to people was super fun to me, and it was something that I'd just done my whole life being an extrovert. And then also, you know, there are times when I retreat being a creative, as I'm sure you know as well, um, that you need. So um I was working there, and then literally right before my husband and I got married, he got a job offer here in St. Louis where we currently live. So um, you know, being in the digital field, like you can work pretty much anywhere. So we moved here, and so he's an attorney, we moved, um, and then I shifted to do more like recruitment marketing and kept working, um, which was great. I loved moving to a different city, and I found that coming to um St. Louis, even though it was a bit of a smaller city, really opened myself up to different career possibilities. Um, it was kind of scary at first, but I found that just again being open to possibility, taking meetings, getting coffee with different people, was just did so much for my career, and being able to make new friendships was awesome. So I was able to have really large accounts that I managed. So it took me kind of up higher and bigger experiences and doing things where I really learned how to be like a strategic thinker, maybe even before I was more of an implementer. Um, so I think that that really prepped me for um having the mindset of being a small business owner and being able to like think big picture. Um, because when I was younger, I don't think I necessarily had the courage to do that.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 13:41

And but when I had managers were like thinking blue sky, big ideas, like if you could do anything, what could it be? Um I shifted to that. So then um I got pregnant with my second daughter, and um, this was a couple weeks before the pandemic happened, and I made the choice to leave the position um I was at because I found that it just it really became too much. Um, you know, when your mom or really a woman or any person, you know, there comes a time I think when you have to recognize when you can't do certain things anymore.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:21

Um and that came a point and I was able to be able to step down and you know, raise my two daughters. You know, I had them really close together, so they're 15 months apart. And then um I found myself having two more children. So I had four kids in four and a half years.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

I know it was a lot, and I struggled at home. I had um different like postpartum um issues where I was really sad and I got help for that. But so this is like I'm going on a tangent, but then like I am home alone during the pandemic with my babies, going from using my brain in a way that's like really scientific, and I'm creating these huge strategic reports and in meetings and feeling powerful, and then all of a sudden, um I'm like at home on the floor with a mess with diapers everywhere and a dog. Um and he's currently snoring over there in the corner.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Living the life.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

And you know, having to learn to ask for help. So I would always wear a chef apron.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Because things were so messy in my house. Um, whether I was like cooking, cleaning, taking out the trash, fixing something in the car, um, because I would, you know, wear my yoga pants or whatever and be shifting between rolls. And sometimes I'd be hopping on the computer, zooming or whatnot. And I just would throw on this apron I ordered off Amazon. Um, and I still felt like it really wasn't it wasn't doing the job because I like the pockets, so I could like slip my phone like right in there and start with like my AirPods. Um, and one day I was talking to some other women at our preschool and I was like, Do you guys wear aprons? They're like, Yeah, but we don't like them. And I'm like, gosh, me either. And they're like, Well, why don't you just kind of like make your own? And I was like, That's a really good idea.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Um, and my husband's a patent attorney, so we were um just talking about it, and he encouraged me too, and so I started making like a sketch. I don't have a background in fashion. Uh-huh. I've always considered myself um fashion adjacent, um, you know, expressing myself through like different styles and clothing. So um I looped in different friends who had backgrounds in fashion and kind of got started um in product development and different prototypes that um was something that I would wear.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Yeah, that I could use. Wait, I love that story of how it got started because I do think that makes so much sense. Like running around, you're wearing so many hats as a mom, cleaning, cooking, taking care of kids. Like there's messes constantly, and especially then if you're having to hop on Zooms um in between things and look presentable, you don't want to ruin your clothes underneath of it. Uh, so tell me then. So you had this idea, uh, you started talking with some friends in fashion, like what was going to make your apron different? Like, what were some of the things that you're like, it has to have these features um to make it different and to make it, you know, something that you'd want to wear?

SPEAKER_02 17:45

Yes, absolutely. So I wanted it to have full coverage, and um meaning I wanted it to have at least a little bit of sleeve um right here because I would throw rags over my shoulder. And I don't know if anyone's been a server, um, they'll understand too. Like if you're drying dishes or something, it's the same thing. And then if you're holding a baby, um, if they vomit or have spit up after nursing, like they'll go, it'll go right down your back. Um so I wanted it to be able to cover your back. So I was not a particularly um big fan of smocks because while I do love them and they're gorgeous, they did not stay secure on my body while I was moving. So smocks are aprons that you just kind of put on. You don't necessarily tighten them. So I wanted the design to be secure so it wouldn't fall off your body while you're in motion and shifting around. I wanted it to be full coverage. Um, I wanted it to be tailored for a woman's body, meaning that it would fit you in different points so that it would flatter you, whether you're you know at the stove or moving about, because chef aprons, utility aprons, they're made for a man's body. Yeah. And I just didn't feel like they looked beautiful or cute when you were um in the kitchen or anywhere really, because even when you're at home all day, I was like, I think women really deserve, or anyone who wears this deserves to feel beautiful in everyday wear at home. Um, so full coverage. I wanted to be a few sizes, but be inclusive of you know, people who have bumps. So if you're pregnant, um, because the apron I wore, you know, when I had a really big belly, um, didn't really do it. Uh and then also, you know, I've been different sizes as well. So I wanted it to be inclusive. Um, and then fabric was a big thing for me. You know, I've spent a lot of time considering different types of fabric. Uh, I wanted it to be utility, meaning that um it was thicker, um, some type of water resistant. So those are just a few things I could go on and on.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

No, I love it.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

I wanted lots of pockets um as well. So I think like what really sets this garment apart is that it's it's a new pattern. Um, and I know all designers have new patterns that they create, but this is like just a completely different design. So someone may have a preconceived notion of what an apron looks like. Um, but this is technically an apron, but it also can look like a dress. So I actually wore it to a fashion show, and someone was like, Oh, I love your dress, you know. So it's like you can still feel beautiful wearing it.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

Yeah. I love that. I think hearing you talk about the the features and how thoughtful they are really makes sense because I was drawn initially to the fabrics and the colors and the patterns, but then you start to notice all the little details and how thoughtful they are and the you know, all the thought that goes in behind adding them, like the buttons to expand, like the pockets, um, the full coverage, all of it. It makes total sense when you say it. Uh so I think you you designed a great product. So tell me then from going to idea coming up with all of these details that you want to make sure that it has, to having this product. Like, what did that process look like? And how long was that? Did it take you a couple of months to find someone to manufacture them? Where are you manufacturing them here or overseas? Like, tell me a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

So it was a bit of a journey. Um, and again, it it's the curiosity like in childhood and staying true to my vision. The first thing I did um was make brand guidelines, and I think that was like my agency training, and I established like The values of timeless grace, which are like tenacity, self-love, inclusivity. And right at the beginning, I wanted to stay true of to what timeless grace meant. So even before I started establishing partnerships or people to help me, I really wanted to like carve out that, which is like love, because I want my brand to be love, self-love, and just feeling loved. Um, so I worked with a local um company nonprofit here in St. Louis in the beginning to start product development. So they had a pattern maker, sewers, um, and we got our first few prototypes. I mean, it took multiple variations to get to our first one that we um set out for user testing um that I was like okay with. So we would go in, we would do like a few um fixes here and there, um, I would try it on, we would give feedback, and then I selected maybe five different women who were friends of mine, and then some people who weren't. So I had one uh person who uh plants succulents, so she does plant design. I had another woman who was a chef, and then I had um another friend who was a stay-at-home parent who has three boys, and they took my garment for three weeks and they wore it, and then they gave me feedback, and so from there we made other adjustments. So that was like the product development process, and then unfortunately that group closed. Um the nonprofit, you mean or yeah, which was really sad because they were a great organization, and so I was just, you know, like okay, I have a tech pack, but it's not really finalized. And a tech pack is your design, you know, that you can hand off to a manufacturer and they can produce. I had some fabric swatches that I'd found, and again, all of these connections are just me asking people questions and going to different people. There was no book. I mean, I literally was going to the library in the small business section, like um checking out books on textiles and manufacturing. Um, so I credit my library for a lot of support in librarians because I've been doing that my whole life. Where if I don't know something, I just go to the library and they're just endless resources in wait.

SPEAKER_00 24:38

I want to pause here real quick because I do think that's such a good point. And even I didn't realize how many resources your local library has until I was at a networking thing a few months ago. And they have um, you know, resources and databases that you can use too. Like if you're looking for emails or um uh people to connect with, like there are so many free resources or very affordable resources through your your local library. Um, and I want to touch on the fact too, then so this local nonprofit that helps with um that helps start with your designs initially, how did you find them? Did you just Google them? Like, is it a national thing or was it just a specific um for your city local? Because I do think a lot of cities have similar um opportunities and businesses.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

St. Louis has a great fashion ethos. And my friend who helped me with my first sketches, she had done some of her designs with them in the past. Okay so they did offer like small batch manufacturing. So she put me in contact with them, and that's how I got connected. But I had been aware of them um as well, just because they were part of the St. Louis fashion ecosystem, and um, that's how I found out about them. Okay, but again, literally everything in this journey was just through conversations and asking people questions, and it's not about like I have no ego, it's just being like, hey, I have this idea, I'm super passionate, I can't stop, I need to create this garment. Do you know anyone who can help me? And you're right, like the library, they have subscriptions to international databases, and in my particular one, you can like book an appointment with a librarian. He sat down with me and showed me how to use Simply Analytics so that I could form these custom reports to get access as access to personalized customer databases. Wow. I mean, it's phenomenal. And so, um, and again, I had access to textbooks, so I checked out um manufacturing textbooks, and you can vet different factories and manufacturers and things like that. Um, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

That's such a good little nugget there that I feel like we haven't talked about that much on the podcast, or um, or if we have, it's been a while. So thanks for sharing that. So then what was kind of the next step then? Um, once your initial group that you were manufacturing, you got your tech pack, then how did you find your next manufacturer to really launch this product?

SPEAKER_02 27:18

100%. Okay, so another conversation. Um, my daughter is her art teacher, is in fashion, and I was casually telling her about um my aprons that I have been designing. Uh, because my daughter is also creative and artistic, and she had recommended another group here that's based locally that helps people build tech backs, resources connect them with different manufacturers and products and things like that. Um, so I had a meeting with them, and uh they were able to help me kind of finalize my tech pack, make the changes, help me source different pat or excuse me, source uh fabrics that were um a bit more aligned with kind of what I was looking for, and then also find a place that could manufacture and do the specific coating I wanted for my garment, and also make sure that the partner, manufacturing partner, aligned with you know my values as well. Um, so each garment has an eco-Teflon coating, so that means that it's water resistant. Um, and that was important to me because I didn't want it to be like DWR, which is great for outdoor wear. Um, you know, if you're dealing with ticks and things, but this is more um of an everyday wear garment, and I didn't want the coating to be harmful. Um, you know, for example, if a mother's holding a child, um I didn't want anyone to have to worry about that. So this specific place could um do the coding, do you know the printing and everything? So it was just again having another conversation, um, taking meetings, doing research, doing the planning, um, and just being open and vulnerable to telling your story and being strategic and smart about those conversations. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:18

No, so many good nuggets. So then you have your product. Now, how do you get the word out? Like, what were the first steps? Like, I'm assuming launching website, um, social media, you know, maybe sending to some influencers. Tell me a little bit about from product to getting it out there.

SPEAKER_02 29:37

Yes. Okay, so I have the inventory and it's building the site. So we built the site, and then my social network here in St. Louis, and just all my wonderful friends and family for sure. So we hit that, and then um I had a few friends. Well, they're not, I call them friends, but they're people, women that um I hired to help me to get things launched. So, like coming up with a product launch strategy. And since you talk to entrepreneurs, I do want to touch on this. So my background is marketing, but I was out of the marketing sphere for a number of years because I was at home. And so shifting into a business mindset when your brain has been focused on parenting was quite an exercise and adjustment, and then also releasing it to other people to get their support, right? And entrusting that to them. Um, but it was accepting, you know, I can't do it all. Yeah, you know, I have to release this to someone else to help support me, you know, because back when I was working, it's like we do it all, we do all the things, but recognizing like, okay, I can't do everything. Yeah. And I need to be strategic in having other partners that can get me to launch and get me where I need to be. Um, so I was uh, you know, had two people that were wonderful and they helped me get my site going and do all the things that you need to do or that I wanted to do to get where I needed to be. Um, so we did some influencer marketing. Um, you know, we I did a few local pop-ups. And so, you know, right now we're e-commerce direct to consumer, we're exploring some wholesale options and and things like that. So that's kind of where we got started.

SPEAKER_00 31:34

Okay, excellent. I love that. Um, and I think that is a good other note as well is knowing when you need to delegate. Um, like you mentioned, you were in marketing, but you took some time off, and then on top of that, now you have four little kids to take care of, which you didn't have four to begin with. So figuring out where your time's best spent because now you have um to spread it more evenly or more at different places, right? Yeah, for sure. So go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 32:06

No, I was just gonna say, and it's not like um you know, any woman or anyone who listens that that has a business or does that you don't have to have kids. I mean, yeah, everyone's so busy, and it's just like doing what you can to survive.

SPEAKER_00 32:21

Yes, a thousand percent. Um, now what would you say is the hardest part and the best part with this business that you have?

SPEAKER_02 32:30

So I heard a woman speak on this at Summit at the Southern Sea about with her first company was not taking everything personally um because this product really was like my fifth baby uh because I put my heart and soul into it. So I really get excited about everything. So just keeping like a business mindset when something doesn't necessarily go my way, and just reminding myself of that. Um, because I'm a sensitive person, I'm emotional, and I put my heart and soul into everything. And so definitely the hardest part is not taking everything personally, um, and just yeah, that would be the hardest thing. Um, and then you know, to just like keep going when things get hard, because that's literally every second. Um there's always something that pops up in business. Yeah, yeah. But again, being true to my vision is like the best part is like, yeah, I have a business, I want to make a profit, I want to keep going, but it's just creating something beautiful that I can give to other women to help them in their day. So it's like when someone sends me a message or I see a picture and they're like, oh, this is the new accessory I didn't know I needed, or just like even when I'm mailing something out, like the other day, like a couple of my kids were home from school, so they like came with me to the post office to drop off the packages. And then, you know, my daughter was like, Mommy, I'm really proud of you, what you're doing with your aprons. And I'm like, Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 34:15

You know, it's like that's so sweet.

SPEAKER_02 34:17

Yeah, but there's not a price take for that. And so, again, like the the mission and the vision of my brand is just to create an apron that I couldn't find to help me when the days were really, really tough. So that's the best part, is just putting it out into the world.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Definitely. I'm sure you helped so many, you know, busy women uh in their everyday, whether they're moms or or not, and um, just making them feel good and still be able to look good while they're trying to do all the things. Yeah. So speaking of that, then who would be a dream customer? If you could pick anyone like a celebrity, a royal, like um influencer, to wear one of your aprons, who would it be and why? Like who do you think embodies you know your product so well and and what you believe in?

SPEAKER_02 35:10

There's so many, but I was just thinking of like Kate Middleton because she has such a gentle spirit. Um and she reminds me almost of Princess Diana in the sense where there's just so much heart and love, and you know, being um a mother and just giving back to people. Um, and that's like really important to me, just being loving and kind and and humble and graceful in every day, even though things get hard and they're tough, and and they may not always um like go your way, and just going back to to that. So um she's one of them. Um there are just so many uh beautiful celebrities um that I love too.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

So yeah, no, but I think you know, Princess Kate is a perfect answer. Uh since this is the Preppy podcast, I always ask everyone what does Preppy mean to you? So, how would you describe Preppy?

SPEAKER_02 36:18

Okay, so I was thinking about this answer for a long time. When I was younger, and I think in middle school, maybe a little bit before middle school specifically, Preppy to me then is different than what it is now. Back then, I remember seeing, you know, Tommy Hill figure ads. I used to wear Tommy Girl. I would go into Abercrombie and Fitch with my mom, and this is before um it became what it is now and what it was kind of like in the early 2000s. Like you would go in there and they had these beautiful like wool sweaters, and their jeans were like serious denim. I mean, they would still last today, the ones that you purchased. And so what I viewed then was like popped collars, you know, laposte.

SPEAKER_01 37:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:09

Um, like that is what I associated with being preppy. But now for me, being preppy is owning your own style. I was watching an interview with Ralph Lauren, and he was wearing a Kmart shirt, and it was like worn. And he said something along the lines of like, to me, it's wearing something that's your own style and owning it and matching it with something else. And since I've become more involved in like the fashion world and meeting different people, it's really mirrored my own style in the essence of maybe what you would consider preppy, is just caring and finding what works for you despite the label. So I may wear it, be wearing a designer label, but I'll match it with something that I sourced from an antique store. Yeah. But because it makes me feel beautiful or aligns with my style. Um, and it was just so cool to hear him say that because he's like the king of Press B. There beautiful photo shoots that I would see in Vogue and just like gaga over like their picnic scenes that they would have of like all the Americana and people playing football, which I mean, let's be honest, I love that too. Like, I'm a baseball gal. Let's go play baseball and like I love playing. Don't even get me started on like baskets and picnic baskets. That's my thing. Okay, I love baskets, but um, like so just all of that, owning your style. And I heard um Wes Gordon talk recently, and he said someone asked him, you know, what what bothers you the most? And he's like in fashion, and he's like, people just not caring. Yeah. And like I understand that you never know what's going on in someone's day or if they're struggling, but for me, like, no matter what, like you can like care or it makes you feel better too.

SPEAKER_00 39:08

I feel like when I get dressed, I feel so much better than if I'm just in sweatpants um and being, you know, tired or lazy. And there's always a time and a place for that, but I can see a huge shift in my mood and spirits when I get dressed up.

SPEAKER_02 39:22

Yeah, like I'm all, you know, I'm dressed up now, and then I'm gonna go do something. Yeah you know, before this, when I was dropping my kids off, like absolutely not. That's not how I was looking, but like for me, that's a form of self-care. And I remember watching my grandmother like always putting on her lipstick before she got out of the car, you know? Yeah, that was just something um that I would see. So now it's something I do, but it's not because I want to show other people I look nice, it's it's because I do it because it makes me feel good.

SPEAKER_00 39:54

No, I agree a hundred percent. Now, if someone was listening to this podcast and maybe they are wanting to start a business or they've been toying around with the idea of starting something, what's one piece of advice you would give someone?

SPEAKER_02 40:10

Uh, it's something someone told me when I was thinking of starting a business, just go for it.

unknown 40:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Um, and then another friend of mine, she's like, be persistent. Um, so those two things. And then I think for me, just staying true to your vision um and really helped. So when I laid out what I wanted my brand to be in the very beginning and the brand values, like as an exploration exercise and building out customer personas of who I thought my customer would be, was really helpful. Because, you know, along the way, you're going to meet a lot of people that offer a lot of services or have ideas about, and this isn't just in business life, how you should look or how things should go. You have to stay true to what your heart and your gut is telling you of what is right for you and your brand.

SPEAKER_00 41:10

Yes. I think that's a really good tip that you shared because I think a lot of people, um, and probably even myself when I started my PR business like way long ago, was you have an idea of what you want the business to be and you launch the business. But then a lot of people a few years later, when they're rebranding or growing, then they go back and think about who the customers are or build out, you know, those personas or the values. And I think you did it very thoughtfully. And sometimes people rush into it or forget those little things, and I think that helps with a lot of decisions down the line.

SPEAKER_02 41:48

Yeah, and it just gets you to understand um, you know, what it is, it's larger than life, and it it's like journaling, you know, you just you you humanize it in a way because for me it's it's not just an apron, it's a lifestyle of of celebrating the everyday, even though it's tough.

SPEAKER_00 42:06

Yes. Um, I'm curious which is your best-selling, you know, print or color.

SPEAKER_02 42:13

So right now, um, it's our Eden Peony print. So um that one is inspired by let me move this.

SPEAKER_00 42:23

Um my wedding flower.

SPEAKER_02 42:28

Oh, yeah. Here, I'll take it off.

SPEAKER_00 42:31

And that's the one I have, and I love it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:36

So my friend designed this pattern. Um, I sent her a bunch of examples, like everything I have done with this brand is extremely intentional. I even sent her pictures of our wedding invitations um that we had done, but peonies were our flower. Uh so yeah, this is our best-selling um one right now, but then also um our dress blue, which is our solid. Okay, which is funny because and I think I heard one of your other guests talk about how he wasn't a blue person, but now he is, and um I wasn't going to do blue because traditionally, you know, don't wear blue, but now I do. Um, but blue is a very popular color, and I feel like we do embroidery too. Oh, nice!

SPEAKER_00 43:25

This is like chain stitched with my name, so so pretty. Okay, so a final question is where can people find you? Share your website, your social media handles, anything so they can follow along and support you.

SPEAKER_02 43:39

Yes, I love that. Thank you so much. Okay, so my website is timelessgracewear.com, and my social media handle is the same on Instagram, Timeless GraceWare. And the name of my brand is Timeless Grace Lifestyle Wear. Yep, and then um, I know I talked about Doing a discount for your listeners. Yeah. Um, so it I've made a coupon code. It's excellent. Preppy20.

SPEAKER_00 44:08

Um nice and easy. Well, thank you so much for offering that to listeners. And Cassidy, thank you so much for being on the Preppy podcast today. I really enjoyed learning more about you and your business, and I love your products even more now hearing your story.

SPEAKER_02 44:22

Well, I feel the same way about you. Um, I'm really honored that you asked me, and I was admiring you for from afar for a while. So I just it's really cool to connect with other women who are just as kind, who are just as motivated and ambitious, and um, that's really what it's all about.

SPEAKER_00 44:44

Definitely. Well, thank you so much. Thank you so much for listening to the Preppy Podcast. I hope this put a little prep in your step for the day. Please subscribe, rate, and review on wherever you listen to your podcast, and follow along with at the preppy podcast on social media.