If there’s one thing I love, it is supporting small businesses, especially those run by women. So let me introduce you to Southern Soul Collectives who I first learned about when I won one of their tulle skirts in a giveaway.
If you are reading this from MSN’s page, then click here for all photos and widgets.
Quote of the day: “I don’t go by a rule book, because I lead from the heart, not the head.” Diana, Princess of Wales
Southern Soul Collectives on real women
What makes Southern Soul Collectives different?
Styling a shacket
Colorful shacket
Neutral shacket
Winter shacket
Graphic t-shirt
I know we have a lot of choices when it comes to where we should spend our money. Especially with clothing and online selections. As much as I love the big box stores and appreciate all of their sales, I am constantly reminded that small businesses need our support.
In fact, depending on the articles you read, you won’t hear much about the small local boutiques because there isn’t as much affiliate money to be made from them.
As a former small business owner, I believe that we can benefit from promoting and sharing about these businesses.
My blog is also considered a small business so I hope that you sign up for the emails below. Besides the free eBook, my email family gets personal tidbits of what’s going on in my life along with other happenings, sales, information, giveaways, extra photos, and interesting articles.
After winning the pink tulle skirt from Southern Soul Collectives and my friend Marsha, I was on the brand’s radar and recently reached out to see if I could help promote her shop. She generously sent the three of us products so we could showcase them and give you our thoughts.
And I hope you pop over to her site and spread the generosity by at least sharing her site with your friends or buying a couple of goodies yourself. Make sure to sign up for her emails (because she shares sales and great information) and she also has a Facebook group that concentrates on some of the new offerings and fun styling tips.
Insider discount: Use code Jodie10 for 10% off at Southern Soul Collectives. And it’s all very budget oriented. That’s exactly why it’s perfect for me and my readers.
What Makes Southern Soul Collective Different?
When I talk about Southern Soul Collective, you might notice I refer to it as “she”. That’s because the face behind the brand is Meredeth who started this company.
You can read her story here about how she started the boutique, but what really caught my attention is the fact that it came as a way to impact others.
And that rings a bell with what I think is important too. Sure, we all want to succeed and make a living, but putting others first in making other women look and feel good is essential.
Because of this motto for Southern Soul Collectives, Meredeth makes sure to be size inclusive from XS to 3XL. There are new items added every Tuesday and Thursday as well as the option of paying in installments.
She is also very concerned with helping other women. For example, in her last email I received, she was discussing how the Large and XL sizes tend to sell out fast in the new arrivals. And since she is a small business, she has limited quantities of every size.
Yet, she went on to say that if something was sold out, to email her at info@southernsoulcollectives.com and they could try to source the item through their network. Now if that isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.
You won’t find the items on her site for long. So don’t concentrate on the exact items we are showcasing as much as on learning more about this fabulous shop.
But I have linked our shackets and tried to include a couple of goodies you might be interested in.
There’s so much more on her site including a sale tab, shoes, accessories, and even an outlet section.
Insider tip: There is a lot of great help with the sizing. When you click on the sizing tips, you will see not only a size chart but also videos. Or you can chat or email to ask about any sizing questions. It’s all about making it successful for you.
Shackets
We’ve showcased shackets last year, and I decided to have us each try one from Southern Soul Collectives because I think they can be a great option for older women.
Even though you won’t see many older women modeling on Southern Soul Collective’s site, don’t let that sway you. That’s why we are here to show how they can work for grown women. Right now there is a large variety of shackets available. And the three of us will talk about our individual shacket, but make sure to check out Meredith’s entire selection and all of the other goodies she has.
If you don’t know the new fashion terminology, “shacket” is a combination between a shirt and a jacket. This usually means they are oversized and heavier than your button-up blouse. And while all three of us are wearing ours hung open as a jacket (because it was over 100 degrees the day we took these photos and they came off right away), don’t forget these are very versatile.
Other style ideas:
1-Wear it buttoned up as a blouse. Or if it’s long, think of it as a tunic which can be perfect with leggings
2-Layer it under a cardigan or sweater
3-Make it into a different shape of top by buttoning it differently (as I did in this video with a different blouse).
Related posts wearing other shackets:
Shacket and faux leather leggings
Ageless ideas with a shacket
Shacket outfit with a dress
Colorful Shacket
My shacket is called the Sweet Kiss and there were only a couple of them left when I wrote this post. I like the option of having a colorful shacket to act as a cardigan or jacket.
I thought it would be perfect to add a better color near my face with this all-black look. And this shacket does a perfect job at that.
I was incredibly surprised at the wonderful quality of this shacket. The material is a viscose and linen blend which is lightweight but not flimsy. It’s not easy to see in these photos, but it has frayed edges along the button panel and at the hem.
I ordered the XS, and considering it is meant to be oversized, I think it’s true to size.
You might laugh that my husband was not a fan of this look, except for the shacket. He doesn’t like the chunky sandals at all because they aren’t my usual style.
I’m not sure I would have bought the sandals myself, but since my friend gave them to me because they didn’t fit her, I thought I’d give them a try.
In fact, it’s her t-shirt too that I was borrowing for a collaboration. I’m not a huge fan of the Rolling Stones, but the logo reminds me of a piece of glass my aunt bought me years ago thatI had hanging in my dental office.
Neutral Shacket
Lesley’s shacket is called All a Dream. It’s also lightweight like my shacket and while you don’t see the two different textures in these photos, in real life, you can see how the shoulders and pocket flaps are contrasting materials.
Lesley styled her shacket in a very similar style as I did with a dark column of color under it. She got an XL size which fits her great except the sleeves are long. That’s one reason (besides the heat of the day) that she rolled them up. And since she knows her way around a sewing machine, she will adjust the length.
You might think that Lesley and I were comparing notes because she told me she was very impressed with the quality and workmanship of the item. It’s not like shopping from some of the Chinese sites.
I always love how Lesley is willing to wear a belt even though she will tell you that she doesn’t have much of a waist. I really think the belt adds a great focal point to the dress and ties in the browns, ivory, and black colors.
And even though a shacket could be considered casual, wearing it over a dress makes it a little less casual. Plus the multi-colored loafers are fabulous.
These loafers are Walking Cradles Winnie 2 loafers. Lesley has a love affair with loafers and decided she had to have this pair. You can see how she has the solid-colored pair when we reviewed the styles last fall.
Winter Shacket
My mom is wearing the Teal Me After School Shacket. My mom called this a winter shacket. It is corduroy and while the website says lightweight, I would say it’s the heaviest out of all three of ours.
And isn’t the color just fabulous on my mom?
The sizing for my mom is also true to size considering it is a relaxed fit. She got a medium in this and also rolled up the sleeves.
My mom wore her shacket with a skirt and top combo. Her overall look is very pastel and muted, so the brighter shacket really makes the outfit pop.
You can see how all of our shackets are different lengths. That’s another nice detail found on Southern Soul Collective’s site. The length of each item is included in the descriptions.
Graphic Tees
I won this graphic tee from a Southern Soul Collective giveaway recently, and it’s safe to say that the site has a huge variety of great graphic tees. In fact, there is an entire tab on her site with over 6 pages of uplifting, fun t-shirts.
In fact, this one of “Love More, Worry Less” should be a human motto. There’s even one with my favorite saying “Perfectly Imperfect“.
A little information about all of the graphic tees. They aren’t your cheap $10 tees that you buy at the souvenir shop. These are all manufactured in the U.S. and internationally, then handprinted locally by a team of women in Alabama. BTW, Southern Soul Collective is based in Georgia.
Meredith believes in finding manufacturers that have fair labor practices and are eco-friendly.
Now, what are you waiting for?? Go give Meredith and her team some love. Remember to use my discount of Jodie10 so Meredith knows the power of blogger marketing. And I forgot to tell you the best part! Free shipping in the US.
For my wonderful readers outside of the US, maybe you have friends in the states?? If so you could share this article with them.
My Goal
Thank you for visiting my space on the internet. I like to showcase how it’s never too late to look great for women of any age, size, or working with any budget.
I feel I’m here to help move beyond the fashion rules of yesterday and evolve. Style and clothes are made to give you joy. Not cause us stress because we are worried about what others think.
My hope is that you get ideas and inspiration from Charlotte, Lesley, and myself. It’s not about copying what we wear, but about using what you already have and updating items along the way.
Most of all it’s getting us to think differently and dare I say, have fun.
Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.
It’s not just about me on this blog, but also my mother and friend. We get to showcase not only different decades of life but also different body shapes and unique personal styles.
Find out more about all of us here. And make sure to join the email list where I include so much more.
