CJLA Girls Stories: Sidnie DesCamillo

Hello CJLA Girls! We have a really special CJLA Girls Story to share with you this week! We chatted with Sidnie DesCamillo and learned about her story, her family and why she loves her CJLA capsule so much. You can find Sidnie's full interview below. Enjoy!

CJLA: Tell us about yourself!

SIDNIE: My name is Sidnie DesCamillo and I live in Simi Valley, California with my husband and our 6 month old baby girl. I worked in early childhood education before I got pregnant and now I'm a stay at home mom to my daughter, Autumn. I love being a mom and spending time with my family, going to farmers markets, taking a walk with our dog, cooking and buying more houseplants than I know what to do with.

CJLA: How did you find CJLA?

SIDNIE: I heard about CJLA through a friend about 3 years ago when I was a preschool teacher. I was so frustrated because I felt like I had two separate wardrobes. One wardrobe was for when I was working with kids that consisted of comfy clothes that were always getting trashed and another wardrobe for when I wasn't working that consisted of "nice" clothes that made me feel cute but weren't very comfortable. When my friend told me to check out CJLA, I bought the Stella Dress and was instantly in love. I wore it to work the next day and didn't want to take it off ever again. It was perfect for teaching in and lounging around the house and dressing up for a date night. I was hooked on CJLA and I've felt the same way about every piece I've ordered since then. Plus, I still wear the Stella Dress all the time and have it in three other colors in both the sleeved and spaghetti strap version!

CJLA: CJLA is more than clothes, it's a community! Why do you love being a member of the CJLA community?

SIDNIE: I love how positive and supportive the girls in the CJLA community are. I love women supporting women and I've only ever received positive, encouraging comments from other CJLA Girls. I often search the #cjlagirls tag to get ideas on how to style pieces I own and to see different pieces on other women's bodies so I can get an idea of what they'll look like on me before I buy them.

CJLA: What are your three all-time favorite CJLA capsule pieces?

SIDNIE: 

• The Stella Dress. It's the first piece I got from CJLA and I wore it working with kids for years, on my honeymoon, all through my pregnancy and now postpartum and being a new mom. It's also one I get asked about all the time when I'm out. Teenagers and mom friends have all asked me where I got my Stella Dress. Plus, it has pockets! It also works for breastfeeding, I just throw some bike shorts underneath and pull it up when I need to feed my daughter.
• The River Jacket, which is a new addition but it quickly became my favorite jacket. It's perfect for wearing year round in Southern California because it's lightweight but still keeps me warm as an extra layer. I can roll up the sleeves in spring and summer and it just completes every outfit. I haven't found anything it doesn't look good with.
• CJ's Favorite Spaghetti Strap, another one that I have in multiple colors and have loved for years. If I'm not wearing a dress this is usually the shirt I put on. I love that it's a v-neck with a really flattering shape to it, but it's not so low cut that I'm uncomfortable showing too much. I can still bend over when I'm playing with my daughter or our dog and I'm covered up, which is hard to find in a top when you have a large chest! It's soft and comfortable. I can tie it to make it more fitted if I want to. I can wear it all summer when it's hot with shorts or wear it with jeans and a sweater when it's cold in winter. This piece also works great for breastfeeding.

CJLA: Why does the capsule concept work for you and your lifestyle?

SIDNIE: The capsule concept works for me because I love not feeling overwhelmed when I look in my closet and I love not wasting money on clothes that only work for special occasions. With a capsule wardrobe, my clothes can all be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Plus, so many pieces from CJLA are comfortable enough to wear as pajamas so I don't even have separate "at home"clothes because I often wear the midi dress and the t-shirt dress to bed as my pajamas. When your clothes can be worn to a wedding and also worn as loungewear, it simplifies everything so there's one less thing to stress about every morning. I didn't even have to buy a lot of maternity clothes when I was pregnant because I loved wearing my favorite CJLA pieces more than anything. These clothes worked for me when I was a 3/5, when I was nine months pregnant and now when I'm postpartum and a size 9/11. 

CJLA: How has having a capsule wardrobe helped to simplify your life?

SIDNIE: When I get dressed in the morning I don't have to worry about if items match or if they're appropriate or comfortable enough for what I'm doing that day. I can wear the same clothes to be comfy around the house and play on the floor with my daughter and then throw on some makeup and go out for a date night. I genuinely wear CJLA every single day and it has worked for me through every season of life. Also, the pieces from CJLA are so well made that I don't worry about wearing them into the ground!

CJLA: What is your favorite CJLA piece to style?

SIDNIE: The Brenner Jumper is my current favorite. I just wear it over and over again in so many ways. I love it with a top underneath it, a shirt or sweater tied over top of it, a jacket over it, with sneakers or heels or flats. It's just so good!

CJLA: If you had to describe CJLA to a friend using only three words what would they be?

SIDNIE: Comfy, cute and versatile!