ELEGANTEES JOANNA DRESS

Friends, I am back from a very long hiatus here to celebrate something very exciting!!!

Today is the LAUNCH DAY of a new Elegantees dress I designed for the Holidays! The Joanna Dress!

If you were following me a year ago, you probably remember that I had the incredible opportunity to design an entire Holiday collection for Elegantees last year. It was my design debut and a dream come true. I learned so much about the design process and I had so much fun! Thank you for all of your support during such an exciting time!

And so when Katie, founder of Elegantees, asked me to design another piece this year, it was a no-brainer. Of course! I knew instantly that I wanted to create a beautiful dress that would be versatile for everyday wear and Holiday soirées. And so the Joanna Dress came to life!

To give you a quick refresher about why I LOVE Elegantees so much...

Elegantees is near and dear to my heart because they not only create beautiful pieces of clothing, but their mission is so incredible! They partner with Our Daughters International, an organization working to rescue girls from the horrors of sex trafficking in Nepal. They not only save them, but also give these girls hope for a new life through counseling. Elegantees steps in by providing a hand up to these girls by giving them a job as seamstresses and pay them a fair wage. Also, the profits from each item you buy will help fund more rescue operations and bring hope to thousands of girls!

I hope you will consider supporting Elegantees' work by purchasing the Joanna Dress and any other items from the Elegantees shop! Plus, you can get 15% OFF your order with code GRACEINSTYLE!

The Joanna Dress went through a couple iterations before I felt it was perfect. From the start, I knew I wanted something a little more "grown up" from some of the more playful designs from my last collection. I also knew I wanted some kind of wrap design. And I'm so happy how the dress turned out! I'm obsessed with the beautiful tulip hemline, the draping of the wrap skirt and the bow-tie wrap details. Also, the slight puff of the shoulders adds more charm to the look.

The dress is available in 2 gorgeous colors: Burgundy and Teal Ocean!

For this post, I styled the dress three ways to give you an idea of how I imagine others styling it and how you can add this dress to your everyday and special occasion wardrobe.

STYLED FOR WORK: Pair the dress with a pair of leggings or opaque tights for a more conservative look for work. I am wearing black booties, but you can also wear pumps, flats, or knee boots for the work place setting. Warm up with your favorite peacoat or winter jacket, and you're good to go! Dresses are my favorite work wear because I don't have to stress about pairing a top and bottom when I'm running late or too tired.

STYLED FOR THE WEEKEND/CHURCH: Want to take the dress for a spin for a casual outing? You can also wear tights or leggings for these occasions, but you don't have to if the weather isn't freezing or if you want to wear your knee-high boots. You can even wear it with over-the-knee boots as well. I paired mine with my favorite ankle booties and a teddy coat.

STYLED FOR A HOLIDAY PARTY: I actually designed this dress with Holiday events and parties in mind. This dress can be worn for Thanksgiving because the fabric definitely has stretch to make room for a food baby and is comfortable enough to wear during your food coma nap. It would also be a perfect Holiday party dress and is simple to dress up with some statement jewelry, heels and a cute clutch!

I really hope you love this dress as much as I do! Let me know in the comments below! And don't forget to use code GRACEINSTYLE to get 15% off your orders :)

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Ayaka Sano

Grace in Style x Elegantees Winter 2018

Friends, I am beyond excited to be sharing my biggest and proudest work yet as a lifestyle blogger!!

If you have been following me over the past few years, you have likely heard about Elegantees, a brand I love and am always proud to collaborate with. Not only does the brand create beautifully-made clothing, but the mission behind the brand is incredible!

Elegantees hires women in Nepal rescued from human-trafficking so they can make a self-sustainable life for themselves and their families. And they also pay them fair wages compared to the many factories in Nepal. I love that by purchasing their products, we can directly provide hope to these women! You can read more about their mission here.

And GUESS WHAT? I was the given the incredible opportunity to design their Winter 2018 line and I am so proud of it. This has been a beautiful dream come true!

Just to give you some background, my love for fashion came from my late maternal grandmother. She was always up to date with the latest fashion and Audrey Hepburn was her fashion icon. Growing up, I would sketch outfits and make outfits for my dolls out of my mom's scarves. Designing a line of clothing has always been a far-fetched dream. Around this time last year, I was telling a friend of mine about this crazy dream I've never shared with anyone else because I just never thought it was possible.

But then a few months later, I received an email from Katie, the owner of Elegantees, asking me if I was interested in designing the Winter 2018 line. I can't even put into words the excitement that rushed through me at that question. Was I dreaming? Nope! It was real and I am so excited to share the line with you!

I learned so much from the entire design process. My favorite part was probably the editing and problem-solving when Katie and I got to see the first batch of samples. And then getting to try on the final pieces was so much fun!

This line was inspired by my love of details that can make a statement and feminine lines that flatter different body types! You'll find boatneck necklines to ruffles to bow accents to buttons! But my FAVORITE detail are the pockets! All the dresses and skirts have pockets!!

Naming the pieces was also really special. I already knew I wanted to name three pieces after the 3 most influential women in my life. The Jane dress is named after my grandmother, the Julia top is named after my mom, and the Jessica dress is named after my sister. I would not be who I am without their influence and I'm always inspired and encouraged by their love for God and the way they have lived out that love in everything they do.

Without further ado, I present to you the Elegantees Chicago Edition! I hope you love it as much as I have loved the design process! Please let me know your thoughts!

AND if you decide to support Elegantees and purchase any of the pieces, be sure to use the code graceinstyle to get 15% OFF your purchase!!

Special thanks to my talented friend & photographer, Mike Fan Photo, for capturing the essence of this line so beautifully! See some of his photos below when I styled a few pieces from the line in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.

P.S. I hope this encourages you all to dream big! There is no such thing as the impossible!

P.P.S. Men, there's a line for you too! Check out the brand new Elegantees men's line, F.P.R.!

PHOTOGRAPHY: Mike Fan Photo

CULTURE OF KINDNESS (& GIVEAWAY!)

Create a culture of kindness.

We were created to create. I believe that the Creator created us in His good image, so what we create is for a greater and good purpose. This is why I love companies who create incredible products while doing good around the world. 

I've shared my love for Elegantees last Spring and I'm excited to keep the love fest going. If you don't remember, Elegantees is working to bring hope to women in Nepal who have been rescued from sex trafficking. 

We are joining up to give away this tee that was designed in collaboration with The Root Collective, a brand working towards ending gang violence in Guatemala. I love the message, "Create a culture of kindness." Can you imagine how amazing the world would be if everyone was kind to one another?

Entering the giveaway is simple:
1. Head over to Instagram
2. Follow me, @Joannamhui, and @Elegantees
3. Like the giveaway photo (first image below)
4. Leave a comment on Instagram and tag a few friends who you think would also want to join in on the giveaway.

That's it! The giveaway ends Friday, October 21st, 2016 at noon CST. One random winner will be announced after the giveaway ends on October 21st. Good luck!

Photographer: Peter Ho

SHOP MY LOOK:

Top: c/o Elegantees {Get 15% OFF purchases with code GRACEINSTYLE}

Jeans: Gap {Similar}

Jacket: Piperlime (old) {Similar}

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (old) {Similar}

Heels: Aldo (old) {Similar}

GIVE WITH GRACE: ELEGANTEES

HI FRIENDS!!

Wow, two months have flown by. While it's been quiet here, my life has been the opposite. Work and catching my patients' viral syndromes have been draining my energy and time. But I promise that I've also been working hard on Grace in Style! There is so much goodness coming your way. I'm so excited to share a few new collaborations with you guys, plus my brand new site is under construction! While most collaborations are still under wraps, I'm excited to share Elegantees with you today!

Elegantees is working to bring hope to women in Nepal who have been rescued from sex trafficking. This brand restores freedom into the lives of these women by giving them jobs to sew beautiful elegant tees! With a job, these women can have financial independence and confidence.

Each year, over 20,000 women and children are rescued from sex trafficking in Nepal alone! There is so much need in this country! Restoration is one way to help bring an end to sex trafficking.

So would you consider joining me to bring hope and restoration to these women? As William Wilberforce so truthfully wrote, "You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know."

Plus, you can get 15% OFF any purchase with code "graceinstyle"!

In these photos, I'm wearing my favorite Rebecca peplum top. It's so comfy, but can be dressed up or down.

SHOP MY LOOK:

Top: c/o Elegantees

Jeans: Banana Republic {Similar (on sale!)}

Heels: BCBG {Similar | Similar}

Clutch: Old Navy (on sale!)

Necklace: 31 Bits {Similar (on sale!)}