Jazzin’ It Up With Joanna

Hi! I’m Joanna! Welcome to my blog, Elsie Gray Style! Here’s a little about me! I am a sixteen-year-old tenth grader and live in North Carolina. I love styling and fashion, and have for as long as can remember! I am very passionate about my family, friends, and life in general. I’m hoping to inspire teens to find trendy, affordable, and age-appropriate fashion, while also finding a balance between the girls’ department and mom clothes. Along with fashion, I plan to include other interests I have such as cooking, travel, beauty, books, school, dance, organization, my faith, and my Netflix watchlist! You might even get a glimpse of the best little sister around! I am so excited to share this blog with you, and I hope it inspires you as much as it inspired me to write it. I can’t wait to share fun tips and styling ideas with you all! I’d love to hear from you… send me an email, find me on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram… whatever you prefer… I’m here to chat! xoxo, Joanna

Why the Name Elsie Gray Style?

The name Elsie Gray comes from my two great grandmothers on my mom’s side who have inspired my family’s fashion for years. Carrie Gray was a professional seamstress and sewed for several department store lines for several decades. She made most of her own clothes for herself, and for my mom when she was a little girl. She was in her late 80s when I was born and was not sewing as much then, but was always interested in what my sister and I were wearing. She sewed clothes for our dolls and she was so excited when I started to sew clothes for my dolls too. I would always bring my most recent projects to show her when we visited in the nursing home.

I never met my other great grandmother Elsie, but her fashion influence lives on in our family as well. She believed that every day you should be dressed and looking your best for whatever the day may hold. She passed this on to her four daughters, one being my grandmother, who passed this belief to my mom, who then passed it to me. This quote from Barbara Walters sums up my family’s philosophy the best, “The way you dress is the billboard that tells perceptive people how you feel about yourself.”

I was born with a closet full of clothes, my sister and I wore matching smocked dresses for years, and one of my favorite things to this day is putting together outfits – picking out the perfect clothes, shoes, and accessories. When I decided to start this blog and share my love of fashion, I wanted to honor the two women who started it all.