Davee and six month old Rowan.
Truly, there’s nothing more stylish than authenticity, especially when it comes to fashion.
In a time when social media has become fashions most beloved accessory, it can be hard to differentiate between influence and click bait. Enter Minneapolis based stylist and blogger Davee Ek of Davee’s Secrets, and one of the most fashionable women in the city. Her ability to remain candid, composed and clever has earned her opportunities to work alongside entities like the Mall of America, CBS, Envision, Ignite Models, VON91, The Flyover and I AM MPLS. Her maximalist, cool-girl style has been featured and celebrated by publications like Nylon, Marie Claire, Bloomberg Businessweek, Refinery29, Minnesota Monthly and the StarTribune.
In May of this year the style savant welcomed her first child, a baby boy named Rowan, and began a new adventure as a first-time mom. The joys (and stresses) of being a parent, working full time and staying engaged in fashion has come with a unique set of challenges -- challenges Davee embraces with the same erudite fearlessness she applies to her personal style.
We sit down with the new mom to discuss all things fashion, and motherhood.
Q: As you semi-outgrow some of your old style staples to embrace new ones, what has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced when it comes to getting dressed post-baby?
The biggest challenge I have faced in terms of getting dressed is not being able to fit into my normal pre-baby sized clothing (read: size 24 jeans and XXS tops). One veteran mom said it best the week I was due to go in for my c-section, "after you have your baby, don't look at your body for awhile." I think of all the advice I heard throughout my nine months, that was the one thing that helped me actually mentally prepare for what was to come with regards to my body. And even then, I was still shocked at how long it took my body to semblance some form of its old self — it still isn't quite there yet, and I'm six months postpartum.
I was really hard on myself at first when I wasn't able to fit into an old favorite pair of jeans, but now I'm just realistic. Thankfully, my style pre-pregnancy was always a little bit on the androgynous, tomboy side so I had a lot of things in my closet that were naturally loose-fitting and more forgiving, which fit me even better now that I got a little somethin' somethin’ (read: child-bearing hips, and nonexistent thigh gap).
Q: What do you know now about being a woman, that you didn’t know then?
That our bodies are truly amazing! I still can't get over the fact that I grew a human life inside of me and now he is this living, breathing, laughing beautiful child. I also learned that women are truly unbreakable — the first couple months were so hard, I was struggling with adapting to motherhood, lack of sleep and self-denial about postpartum depression, but I got through it all and have some beautiful women (and men) to thank for helping me along the way.
Q: How has your personal style evolved, especially with the baby?
My style has mostly stayed the same — I am still outrageously dressed whenever I can be, but there are some days that mom-ing calls for something a little more functional and comfortable like sweats and a T-shirt. However, I'll add a ‘Davee flair’ or touch to any look — even if it's just sweats. For example, I still laugh at the thought of me pushing a crying Rowan in the stroller wearing sweats and a Kanye West Saint Pablo Tour shirt backward so that a half-naked Kim Kardashian is splayed across the front, meanwhile other neighborhood moms are shaking their heads and running fast in the opposite direction. That's how I know I haven't sacrificed my personal style, even for motherhood.
And for a little thing I like to call “jump thoughts”, Davee can you finish a few sentences…
My daily routine consists of….waking up, feeding baby and then getting him ready before grandma picks him up for the day — this is usually within a span of an hour or less — and then when it comes to getting myself ready, I slow it down a little, take my time with makeup and dressing, then making sure I grab some Starbucks before I go into the office. It's my little have-to pick-me-upper.
To stay healthy with enough energy to work and take care of the baby, I eat…can I be honest here? I sometimes work right through lunch, especially if it's super busy and I'm just trying to beat some deadlines. I'm usually running on two cups of coffee, water and occasionally a banana and some trail mix until I get home and have a nice, big dinner. As for working out, I've been really bad at this lately as I never have the time, but my favorite is a spin class at The Firm MPLS — either Laura's class if I'm just easing back into working out but still want a little ass-kicking, and Somer's class if I really wanna go HAM.
Mother and son
The challenges of working full time and being a mother tend to be….blurred and misunderstood. I think no one really understands a mother's pain when dealing with this, except for other women. As I was trying to blur the lines of being the best mommy I could to Rowan and being the best employee, I got in the habit of doing this work-from-home thing with a baby that, honestly, was just not working. Rowan was getting fussier and needing more attention and my job was getting more demanding. It only took me a little while to realize that I didn't need to choose one or the other, I just needed to divided my attention accordingly to each. Now I'm working only four days a week and spending the other weekday completely devoted to my baby and I'm so happy!
My favorite fall pieces are… long stylish coats, colorful faux fur shrugs and all the boots — thigh high, ankle, velvet, sock bootie — you name it, I'm wearing it.
For a mom’s night out, I’m... wearing shiny, faux patent leather paper bag pants, a blouse with all the extras —volume and ruffles — and going to a Friendsgiving at a newly opened champagne bar.
Best words of wisdom given to me on motherhood…. regarding giving birth and the aftermath of it all, "Don't look at your body for awhile" - Nora Purmort, of Still Kickin Co and author of It’s OK to Laugh (Crying is cool too).
Style runs in the family
Misconception about being a mother and being fashionable.... you don't need to sacrifice one for the other! Though I have mentioned some days where I forego a more creative, elaborate outfit, I still always bring a little piece of me to everything I wear and do, and that will never change even if my life does.
A guilty pleasure when the baby is asleep and you have at least two hours of free time… my favorite murder podcast and perusing "stroller queen" a hilarious Facebook group for deals. It’s full of the most extra moms you’ve ever seen selling sometimes overpriced designer strollers, but I secretly love it!
Advice to ladies out there looking to start a family soon… don't. I'M KIDDING. If I was still back at two weeks postpartum, I would be saying that. However, the hard stuff comes and goes and it's totally worth it to raise your own little mini-me. Another piece of advice: don't be so hard on yourself — healing and getting your body back will take time. It’s also important to note that learning the ropes of being a perfectly stellar mommy is not a realistic goal, you can only try your best and remind yourself that at the end of the day, your baby love's you no matter what.
Most stylish and important quote…...my favorite quote about style and being true to oneself is actually written by you: "Being unique is attractive. Being different is advantageous. Influence is about relationships, it's about allowing people to see a simple part of themselves in you"- Joan Erakit