True Fashionista: Beverly from Beverly Like Hills, a Southern California Fashion Blogger

It’s so sad when a beloved blog stops posting. You may have never met the blogger, heck you may have never even commented but when the blog leaves you feel as though there’s a hole not just in your RSS reader, but also your life. Blogs just have that effect on some of us. So when a favorite blogger returns, it’s cause for celebration. And a blogger whose style is worth celebrating is in my mind a True Fashionista. This is why I asked Beverly of the blog Beverly Like Hills to be part of my True Fashionista series.

Please note, Beverly's blog is no longer in existence. However, I kept her interview as inspiration.

I work in an office. I’m not 21 anymore. I have a daughter and my social life is more restaurants and wine in a friend’s living room than clubs and bars. Blogs that have fun yet realistic style for my life are sort of hard to find. Beverly from Beverly Like Hills isn’t 21 anymore either. She works full time, is a parent, has a life but a life I can relate to. All this, and she has amazing, inspiring every day style.

Excellent use of color? On-trend prints and silhouettes? Drool-worthy shoe collection? Awesome specs and awesome hair? Beverly has all this and more in her personal style. She shops from popular chain stores, incorporates hot trends without looking like a fashion victim, has polish and professionalism while having a sense of whimy and fun to each outfit. I think I’d wear almost every item in her closet and often see that we have similar pieces (or the same like the brown Banana Republic hobo in the first collage!).

Beverly rocks fabulous, wearable fashion. She’s not afraid to embrace a trend or modern silhouette. She proves that you can be chic, trendy, fabulous when over 40. She proves that age is but a number when it comes to fashion, and one shouldn’t feel the need to only shop certain stores, silhouettes, or trends because of what is on her driver’s license.

I’m thrilled to have Beverly back in the blogosphere, and thrilled she was willing to be part of my True Fashionista series. I asked Beverly the same five questions I ask of each woman in this series; her answers:

How would you describe your personal style?

I’m going to start off with “a classic cocktail: shaken with a splash of trend”, add a little “menswear gone girly”, and end with “mature on the edge”.

Where did you get your passion for fashion?

This may sound strange, but I think I was born with it, although it went unrecognized for years. My mom has shared with me stories of how picky/stubborn I was with regards to my clothing when I was a little girl. I also remember memorizing outfits of friends I saw at school or from movies I watched as a kid. I had no idea there was such a thing as “fashion” or “style” until I was well into high school. I just knew what I wanted to look like. It wasn’t until I started purchasing my own clothes that I discovered fashion magazines and catalogs. That opened a whole new world for me and basically validated my love of clothes and how I dressed.

Where do you find sartorial inspiration?

EVERYWHERE! I’m always looking: blogs, magazines, online lookbooks, Pinterest, the mall, the street, Starbucks, school parking lot, TV, movies, etc. My eyes are always wandering. You never know when inspiration will strike.

What is the difference between fashion and style?

Well, that’s THE question, isn’t it?

I’ve read how others have answered this question and I agree with all of them. Fashion is what’s being offered and style is your personal interpretation of it.

Getting nerdy on you, fashion is a fixed point in time, as in, that was in fashion the Spring of ’92. However, style is timeless and never fixed. Just like your life, your style changes, evolves, adds pieces from the Spring of ’92, then keeps maturing.

Any advice for a woman who is starting to find her personal style?

Wear what makes you happy, cover your basics, and know what fits your body. Once you got that down, start experimenting and don’t stop. The more you do that, the braver you become. As we age, we have a tendency to tame our style of dressing. It should be the opposite. What you wear is it’s own language, so why not say, “Look at me! Look at what I’ve accomplished”? Believe me, people like me are looking at people like you and we are appreciating your efforts.