Teaching The Teacher: Sonja Dziekciowski's Styling Story

I have a solution: I’d like to clone Sonja.

From there, I would launch my colony of “Sonjas” to the ends of the earth where they would offer motherly hugs, words of maternal affirmation and delectable anecdotes on the mysteries of life to the masses and world peace would ensue.

Ok, this is hyperbolic speech. But I may have met the most adorable woman ever to have walked the earth.

Sonja is the kind of person you meet and instantly want to invite to a sleep-over where you play endless games of Truth or Dare, shotgun orange soda, and do the cabbage patch for hours in place together.

Her genuine kindness and cuddly warmth is disarming - so disarming that it whittles you down into a third grade state where your sophisticated adult defenses are gone and all you can do is be yourself. Well, be yourself and cabbage patch in place that is.

It is no surprise that she wielded her super powers of kindness and cuddly warmth to win the unsuspecting hearts and minds of 7-year-olds, as she is a former second grade teacher. There she shaped young minds and taught little ones to celebrate wins both big and small, using her influence to impart the life lesson that in spite of their small stature, stubby fingers and limited life experience, they were all inherently valuable and wonderfully made.

Now Sonja is a mother of two little humans who are obsessed with her as they greet her in bear hugs and love sonnets by way of toddler cackles every morning.

I have heard it said that one child feels like you are drowning and two feels like someone threw another child onto you as you are proceeding to drown. Yet somehow between morning wake-up routines, breakfast peddling, preschool drop-offs and volatile nap times, this Minnesota Mom is happily afloat, and perhaps doing some synchronized underwater routine with her little humans in this analogy. Sonja is a super mom in her own right, creating adventure days for her almost 2-year-old daughter as her son “O” is away at school. And somehow in the small window of their collective nap time, Sonja is able to solidify dinner plans and secure thoughtful activities for the rest of the afternoon before the hubbinator comes home.

I marvel at all of this. It is wonderful, because in comparison, some days the responsibility of scooping kitty litter is soul crushing and I lack the emotional fortitude to even microwave my own dinner.

Sonja is a Mom-On-The-Go. And with two little ones who have yet to develop proper spatial intelligence, she is often the victim of projectile poo, vomit and any other kind of sticky goo that is birthed from a child’s innards. As a result, Sonja’s wardrobe is often reduced to baggy hoodies and yoga pants (see below). While I suspect this dear woman would still look adorable in a potato sack, she had been living in this stay-at-home-mom uniform for the past four years and felt like she had lost a bit of her style mojo.

So when her doting husband gifted her with a trip to the Mom 2.0 Conference with best-selling authors, marketing strategists, Beyonce-level digital influencers and the other love of her life (Jen Hatmaker), Sonja was thrilled but in a small state of panic as she felt she didn’t have the clothing that would align with the professionalism of this event.

For the conference, Sonja needed pieces that would be flattering to a large bust without drawing too much attention and wanted something that would disguise any unsightly tummy bits. Additionally, because Sonja wears a hearing aid, she needed an outfit with pockets so that she could adjust the volume of her aid through her cell phone. Lastly, the outfits needed to be so gloriously chic on Sonja that they would solidify the affections and BFF status of Ms. Jen Hatmaker... mission accepted.

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls… Actually, Go Ahead

For this first look, we have a bodycon dress that is figure hugging with some forgiving elastic and spandex stretch. The word “bodycon” sends many stay-at-home-mothers running for the hills as the word conjures seedy night clubs and Kim-Kardashian-style circa 2002, but I assure you, there is a right way and wrong way to wear it. When it comes to classy bodycons, size up, and you will achieve a classy fit that still hugs the body but doesn’t make you feel like a stuffed winter sausage. This fitted body con is ideal for a larger bust as the spandex stretch gives room for the girls to rest comfortably and avoids the dreaded square boob. Additionally, the vertical stripes lengthen Sonja’s frame while the fun floral pattern on top adds visual interest. To tie this look together, we have paired it with a pocketed, black waterfall cardigan that hangs in folds at the front, typically baring an asymmetrical silhouette where the front is often longer than the back. The draping of this waterfall cardigan pulls your eyes away from a large bosom and away from any tummy wobbly bits while adding gorgeous dimension.

V-Necked Dress Combo

For Sonja’s second look, we have a V-neck tie-waisted shift dress. The V-neck elongates Sonja’s neckline, making her appear taller, while the belted waist ties at the narrowest part of her waist and highlights some gorgeous hour glass curves. The dress itself is a shift dress, which is a boxier & wider cut, but the wider shape is balanced with a shorter hemline that shows off Sonja’s legs. The magic of this dress lies in the strategic black color blocking that creates a path for the eyes and guides them from the neckline to the waist and to the leg line. The color blocking breaks up the pattern and adds definition to the dress. We finished the dress with a pocketed, warm oatmeal-toned cascading waterfall cardigan that draws the eyes away from the tummy region while working to add dimension and visual interest to the entire outfit.

This Girl's Got Character

Some may say Sonja has too much character, but I think it’s the perfect amount. When this Minnesota Mom isn’t busy rubbing shoulders at influencer conferences, you can find her dishing out parenting humor and wisdom on her funny Mom blog, Too Much Character. She even wrote a blog post discussing her styling experience with me, so hop on over and check it out!

And if you find yourself wanting a little more mojo in your wardrobe, set up a free styling session with me and let’s get started!

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