When I got the e-mail invitation to an intimate dinner in LA with a brand I adore (Shani Darden) I was immediately thrilled and nervous. LA feels very outside of my realm of comfort, but I knew I had to take this opportunity to go!

It helped that my friend Anna was invited as well, so I knew I would get to experience this with her!

The invitation didn’t give a lot of indication about what the dinner would be like, but I knew I wanted to find something to wear that felt professional, appropriate, and comfortable. And I wanted it to be a little fun, too, since it was an evening dinner.

I started browsing and really couldn’t nail down what was going to be right for the event. My eye was drawn to print and pattern, but was that right for a dinner party at a home" It felt a bit too casual, maybe a bit too summery as well"
I finally came to the conclusion that I should have jumped to immediately which was to hire Candace to style me. Candace is a friend of mine, I discovered her on Instagram and we’ve been together in a Mastermind group this year. She’s an influencer and a professional stylist with Wardrobe Therapy, based in Ohio. She is an absolute delight to be around, and simply emanates chic, effortless vibes all day long.

I texted her and basically said, ” HELP ME YOU HAVE 2 WEEKS OMG HELP ” and she took me on as a client. We had a quick call talking through what I knew of the dinner, and what I was ima...