Toni in Taffeta: Fashion blogger
As it goes, I have been finding my own feet in discovering my style, or better yet, fashion feet. Timeously, I gather the courage to hop into people's Instagram inboxes from a place of admiration for their content or work. It always feels like a work in progress, and sometimes we turn to social media for a bit of inspiration. In the age of content creation, people's biggest issues are a lack of authenticity on the platform, too much-curated content and not useful enough real-life stuff. And while that can be true, it's anything but Toni from Toni in Tafetta.
I first came across her account after I did the article on the sustainable stylist, Vividinit, and as it goes, good things attract more good things, and et voila, Toni in Tafetta. Through her content, you get your dose of style inspiration, but in between, you also get some motivation that can unexpectedly pick you up on a random day. What started as liking posts on Instagram evolved into getting insight and her experiences with fashion and lifestyle.
I’ve known you for a little while through your Instagram posts, stories and website. I’ve always been curious to get to know more about you as a content creator. Can You Tell Us A Little Bit More About Yourself and how Toni in Taffeta came about?
My parents thought my dream of fashion design would only lead me to a life in a factory, so I opted to take business and marketing. My love for fashion has always remained in my heart and soul. My mom and I started a jewellery business so many years ago. We did very well, but when she passed away 10 years ago, I didn’t know how to continue it without her. I have finally decided to sell off the pieces and not have the online shop anymore. I don’t have the time to dedicate to design new one-of-a-kind pieces anymore. As a single mom to my son, who is now 27, the apple does not fall far from the tree. My son sews and designs clothing as well. So, I am proud to say that our love for fashion and design stuck with both of us! Toni In Taffeta launched a year ago. It took almost 3 years to design the concept because I am a perfectionist. I work full-time, and my co-workers constantly ask me about my outfits daily. They would call me the fashionista of the office. I think my friends were getting sick of me procrastinating all the time. Finally, one day I said just launch it; it does not have to be perfect! The brand name was a mix of my name and ethnicity, Italian/Lebanese, and it had to be catchy and unique. And that is how Toni In Taffeta was born.
If you want to know a little more about me, check out 16 things about me:
https://toniintaffeta.com/about/
What I know is there are always so many stories, emotions, feelings, fear, and courage behind the stories of creating a blog. One day I think I will also tell a story about how Unscripted came about and how much it has evolved. Can You Tell Us A Bit More About Your Blog Toni in Taffeta, and Why You Created It?
I have always been a lover of fashion, design and creativity. The idea of having a fashion blog was in the works for over 10 years. After contemplating for years, I finally invented Toni In Taffeta! I am so glad I took the leap of faith and finally launched the brand. I knew I wanted to share my style and inspiration with women to inspire them to get dressed regardless of their size or how many clothes they had.
The idea was to help women over 50 create fun outfits that made them love getting dressed in the morning. I wanted to share tips and tricks on how I stay organized and how to organize your closet to make getting dressed easier in the morning.
Dressing for your shape can be tricky. I have a curvy figure, and my body has changed so much after my 50s, but I am gentle with myself and try to be confident regardless of my size. A woman should love themselves no matter what they look like. Confidence is sexier than a skinny body 💞
Daily reminder to Love Within https://toniintaffeta.com/lovewithin
The problem is I can only dedicate so much time to the blog because of my full-time job. I truly believe people do not know the work and effort that goes into launching even just an Instagram fashion account. Everything from the graphics and concepts, the fashion reels and editing, writing captions, blog posts and e-news, and engaging on social media platforms like Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook. This entire platform and everything around social media were all new to me. I remember saying to myself, god, I really need to do these reels. I love learning so much, so I decided to research the subject and figure it out myself. So, now I edit all my videos and try to create fun fashion reels in hopes that people will get inspiration from them and move out of their comfort zone when building their wardrobes.
Aside from all that, I am selling my pre-loved closet on Poshmark Canada. Not to mention I do all the cooking and cleaning at home as I am on my own. There truly needs to be more hours in one day, or we should not be required to sleep to get our energy. Coffee could be our fuel, lol.
I have so many ideas for my blog and hope that one day I can fulfil this so that I can be a resource to inspire women in all parts of their lives.
Visit my blog at: https://toniintaffeta.com/
What I know is there are always so many stories, emotions, feelings, fear, and courage behind the stories of creating a blog. One day I think I will also tell a story about how Unscripted came about and how much it has evolved. Can You Tell Us A Bit More About Your Blog Toni in Taffeta, and Why You Created It?
Wow, what a great question! My style has evolved tremendously over the years. As a young girl, my mom would force me to wear frilly girly things, and I would fight her to wear Led Zeppelin tops and rugby pants. I was a total tomboy! Yes, I know, and how did I come to love fashion so much? I have always been an inventor and creator. I was the one who started fashion trends. My style was often injected with many eclectic pieces and some that I had created on my own by sewing different patterns together to create pieces that screamed “Toni” all over them. I remember my signature style was cowboy boots and overall shorts in college. My girls and I would always wear that; it was our girl gang style. I think that what my co-workers found interesting is it was totally my style. Being in the corporate office had me loving blazers and trousers, and I was influenced by menswear fashion. But, my looks were always different because I could never be boring and corporate looking.
Even on casual Fridays, I was always styling some high-low look!
Today, you will still find me wearing men's styles and everything from casual fun pieces, wide-leg jeans and trousers, to mini and midi dresses. I don't contain myself in just one style like a minimalist would. My style is based on my personality. Lots of fun, unique, individualized pieces that are unique to me. I am like a chameleon when it comes to fashion. Some days I wear colour, and some days neutrals will do me just fine. I guess with an olive skin tone, most colours suit me well, which I am extremely lucky. I have recently wanted to refine my look and hone in on fewer clothes I love. This will give me more space in my closet to get ready in a snap.
All you Poshers out there, be happy because my pre-loved closet is getting bigger by the day! Go see my pre-loved items for sale at https://poshmark.ca/closet/toniintaffeta.
My unique style will remain the same even with fewer clothes. I am sure you will see my Instagram account http://www.instagram.com/toniintaffeta change post by post. I am excited to see what happens a year from now.
One of my favourite questions to ask all people I interact with is based around their aesthetic, How would you describe your overall aesthetic
If I look at my overall aesthetic, I would say I love the menswear-inspired design with a feminine touch. I love high and low looks that are edgy. Like I said, I am like a chameleon because depending on the event and how I want to feel, I might wear something trending one day and the next day, I love to look very feminine and elegant. You can see from my Instagram my colour palette is all over the place. I love creams, blush tones, deep dark colours like black and burgundy, and bright colours. When I shop, I always love buying unique pieces. Pieces that no one else will be wearing. That is why I love vintage shops, warehouse sales and smaller boutiques. You find amazing designer brands for far less, and it’s so much fun sorting through everything to find your perfect pieces.
In the age of content creation, fashion, and style, we always have a few that we keep an eye out for. What are some of your favourite creators/ designers/ or brands and why?
I love the styles in Italy! They are so effortlessly chic, and they are all so gorgeous. My favourite brand for many years would have to be Michael Kors. I was always on the hunt for new pieces at our outlet malls. I have always loved Donna Karen’s (DKNY) aesthetic, with her simple lines and menswear-inspired looks. The stores that I love sell designer finds for less. I have seen some beautiful pieces from designers like Sandro Paris, House of Harlow, DKNY, Michael Kors, Philip Lim, Massimo Dutti, Sosken, Veronica Beard, Maison d ’ Amelle, Cyrus and also Zara. So far, I have been lucky to have found my beautiful yellow Prada heels, my See By Chloe handbag and my Valentino set for 75% off the regular price. I really need to make my career a Personal Shopper. It’s so much fun shopping and even better when you find affordable designer deals.
How’d you develop an interest in fashion? What about fashion is so intriguing for you?
Magazine covers and the pages within those have always inspired me to love fashion so much. I love to draw. In school while they were teaching the lessons, I was always doodling. I love drawing the models face of magazine covers.I get inspired to create new looks by sorting through magazines and Pinterest. Fashion is so beautiful with so many colors, textures and designs to choose from. How can anyone get bored of fashion, it is ever evolving. Fashion is the one thing that is constant and transpires with age. No matter your age, you can always use fashion for self expression. This is truly how I see fashion.
What is your current color obsession?
My favourite colour has always been grey. I have been obsessing lately over blush and butter cream tones.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Hmmm, I am really quite shy, and I am not a competitive person at all. I am a giver, not a taker, and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am very insecure about my hair because I lost a ton of hair, including my eyebrows, to Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia.
Where do you get your inspiration as a content creator to keep it new and exciting?
Right in my closet! Outfit creation is where I build my content, and some beauty and lifestyle posts are injected into my account. Mostly it's about fashion and building outfits from the pieces I own. Mixing and matching and coming up with different outfits to inspire others to do the same. Women over 50 should embrace their bodies and build outfits that make them feel happy.
I lived in Shanghai and traveled alot around Asia and the individuality in style helped influence my own personal style. Does location influence your personal style?
Not really. I grew up in the city, but fashion was never big in my city, nor did any of my friends care for fashion the way I did. I have always been unique and stood out for being different, and I am happy with that. I am a dreamer by heart, so I can envision the perfect outfit creation and not really care whether I fit in.
If we had a line up of outfits picked by different people, how would we know which one was yours?
The model wearing mine would be confident and have a huge smile on her face because her outfit would be unique to just her. I think it’s important to dress for your personality, not for fashion.
How’d you develop an interest in fashion? What about fashion is so intriguing for you?
Just start! Don’t overlook your ideas because you can change as you grow. Don’t look at the numbers because they do not make your worth. You will grow if you consistently show up and engage with like-minded individuals. Do not compare yourself with anyone else. You are unique and deserve to be out there just like everyone else. Slow and steady wins the race. Be kind to yourself, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”.
Any projects/ socials you might want to plug?
Well, I have recently been asked to enter a contest with other FabOver40 women to tell their story of why they think they should win a 2-page spread in a magazine. I would love to win so that I can inspire other single moms that they can make their life beautiful. Shoot for the stars, ladies ✨
Vote for me October 10, 2022
