American Threads — Confidence is Key

You know how they say that you end up meeting the people you were meant to meet, or maybe the saying is everything happens for a reason —

Either way this applies to my amazing encounter with an energetic and beautiful soul.

A week or so ago I stumbled into a little store in Nashville, and the aesthetic was so beautiful that I didnt even know where to begin. I am not going to lie when it comes to fashion I am a bit stand off-ish, only because I am a black tights, white t-shirt and jean jacket kinda girl. I mean I have my little moments of inspiration and get lucky putting something together inspired by my addiction of Pinterest. So naturally I ventured off into the instagram worthy store and after doing a lap around the store and seeing all the beautiful pieces, trying something on and feeling so weird in it; I decided to leave and just embrace it for the beautiful store front it was.

Little did I know that I would end up going back after meeting and getting to know a little bit about Paige.

She is the kind of girl who has an infectiously positive personality and a sense of style that matches her soul. I ended up going back so I could get an outfit for St. Patricks Day weekend and had no idea where to even begin, so I sent her a text to let her know that I was coming in and immediately was greeted by her bubbly personality and she already had a vision for how to style me. She lined up a couple of outfits she put together and just like that my dressing room was filled up with pieces that I would never I MEAN NEVER pick out for myself.

that little green jumper —

I tend to be a comfort kinda girl with a tomboy twist and the occasional red lip, thats just me — and these clothes were the complete opposite. They were delicate and beautiful, flowy and effortless and looked like they were created specifically for the fashionista type of girl who loves to brunch and goes out with her girls for champagne, on top of that she grabbed me fitting sizes, and by that I mean pieces that would fit my figure. With the way my weight fluctuates I gravitate towards clothes that are a size too big, and gravitate towards clothing that "helps" hide my insecurities, because although I am not an unhealthy weight... it is what I am comfortable with.

I tried on my first piece and fell in love with it, the green jumper I had tried on the week prior and immediately put back because I had no idea how or why or where I would wear this. She paired it with cute strappy black sandals that have turned into my MOST favorite foot ware. More outfits followed and I walked out of there with three outfits that i obsessed over.

& as odd as it sounds she instilled a confidence in me that I never knew I needed. Being girly was far from who I am, but as I saw myself in those clothes, I saw myself in a different light and it was like a little switch turned on inside of me and

the little voice that tends to whisper in my ear from time to time said —

"it's okay to be feminine and soft, you don't always have to hide behind your comfort, you are allowed to be expressive in your style and it is okay to look this beautiful"

To Paige,

You are a bright light, full of inspiration.

You help others find the beauty within themselves by creating outfits to match who they are, and help them re-image the way they see themselves.

To some it might just be a piece for a killer #ootd for their Instagram feed, BUT for some it is allowing them to see themselves in a different way that instills confidence, beauty and radiance.

I hope you never change the way you see fashion, I pray you always have the passion to help others in this creative + expressive avenue.

Thank you for what you have given me in the short amount of time we have known each other. You have become my beacon of light when it comes to how I carry myself.

Your energy and enthusiasm is genuinely authentic and true to who you are and the world needs more guiding lights like you. I cannot wait to see where our friendship goes and although we wont always be in the same city, I know that we will always be connected.

I am so blessed to have crossed paths with you beautiful.

Her journey to American Threads -

A pre med biology major at Alabama (she wanted to be a dermatologist to help people feel confident in their skin). Her journey in retail started at the age of 16. While working at Buckle she encountered a younger girl who was shopping with her mother, the mom asked the retail team for help because her daughter didn't feel confident about anything she would try on and was feeling defeated. + like every other teen in that awkward transitioning phase of trying to figure out who they are, and what they like, refused to take fashion advice from her mom. She styled her with pieces that would compliment her and make her feel her most beautiful in her own skin. Completely overwhelmed and insecure in her previous choices, she became emotional when she tried on the outfits that she was given. The young girl started crying because she felt like a different person and thanked the team, that's when she decided to make the switch from dermatology to fashion. After college she went on to work at Tom James for about a year and a half but she still felt gravitated towards retail and the joy she got from helping others find confidence in the fashion industry, and just like that the universe shifted and she received an opportunity at American Threads to move to Nashville for the store they were opening and knew it was where she belonged.