About

The Gathered Lady connects stylish, sophisticated, fashionistas from coast to coast with fabulous style inspirations.

Bree:

Bree is founder of The Gathered Lady.  By day, she is a clinical therapist who received her Master’s in Clinical Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. Born and raised in New Orleans, she is a southern belle at heart, but a Los Angeles fashionista and socialite by night.  Bree enjoys reading, dancing, traveling, swimming, and fine art. Happily using her psychology skills for self-analysis, Bree is admittedly addicted to fashion. With a knack for bargain shopping and vintage finds, Bree frequently adds to her jewelry menagerie and overstuffed impressive closet. Using these personal shopping talents, Bree is a personal stylist and offers closet consultations, assisted shopping, and full scale image consulting helping others "get gathered".

Heavily influenced by her psychology background and the cultural stimulation of New Orleans’ festive and international flavors, Bree values the power of  positive self- image and knowledge sharing. Bree wants to build social connection amongst gathered ladies and fashionistas from coast to coast.  

Describe your fashion style & influence: My style is versatile. I love to mix colors, prints, and feminine fabrics, add in flirty and sexy elements, and dash in some vintage funk. Looking at my closet, I’m definitely a woman’s woman. Lots of dresses, high heels, kitten heels, purses, scarves, sunglasses, and accessories galore. My style is heavy on accessorizing. I don’t ever not wear at least one piece of jewelry. When I dress, I always want the look to speak at least 3 of my favorite closet- power words “confident, feminine, unique, sexy, bold, sophisticated, artsy, expensive, gathered.”

 
Fun fashion fact: I had to go to home depot to design and build a store-size wall mounted display for all most of my jewelry. 

Charity:

Charity, editor of The Gathered Lady, is a writer and editor with a focus on online media. She has worked on partnerships for USAToday.com, Salon.com and National Geographic, is currently an editor for The Wall Street Journal, and is flirting with writing her first novel. Originally from Dayton, OH, Charity is a social butterfly, fashionista and world traveler. Having visited 15 countries already, she is always planning her next great adventure. Charity graduated from the University of Alabama in 2009 and she works, plays and shops in New York City.

Describe your fashion style & influence: My style is a mix of the timeless and the unexpected. I love structured, well-made clothes in classic silhouettes that are figured-flattering. I pair them with tall, funky-bad shoes and a statement piece in the form of a bracelet or necklace. I finish off with light makeup (unless I’m going out) and hair that is either an explosion of big curls or falling in a straight sheet down my back. I grew up stealing my mother’s copy of Vogue each month and voraciously pouring over each page, advertisements and all. I believe this is where my appreciation of careful tailoring and the little details that make a piece truly exceptional came from, as well as my realization about how expensive it can be to have a great closet! Fortunately, my mother has trained me well in the art of bargain-hunting and I have made some great finds over the years. When I dress well I feel confident, attractive and light-hearted. I think that's what fashion beyond the catwalk is all about; it should make you feel good, and it should be fun.

Fun fashion fact: Some of my best pieces have been “borrowed” from my mother. She’s my personal style icon. 

Danni:

Danni is the senior contributing writer and newest member of the The Gathered Lady team. Professionally, she is a technical consultant in the Oil and Gas Industry as well as a freelance writer. Incongruously, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from Stanford University and a Masters in Public Health from Tulane University. Be warned -  asking her about her career path or aspirations requires a drink and a clear schedule.  

A New Orleans native, born and raised, Danni loves to read, write, sing, dance, scrapbook, and is obsessed with Jane Austen, hair, Zumba, shoes, shoes, shoessss...ahem.  

Danni lives to prove that women are gorgeous and proud at any size, and loves bargain hunting and creatively styling with confidence. She enjoys not only wearing great fashion, but also collecting hats, gloves, fans, clutches, fine hosiery, and other finishing touches. Due to her 2012 marriage and home purchase, Danni lost the fabulous, organized, custom, bedroom-sized closet she once had to organize and display these treasures, a fact that she mourns copiously.

 
Describe your fashion style & Influence: My sister once described my style as “baja bohemian rocker”. Indeed, I have an eclectic style that represents my international travel, years as a Cali girl, working professional, and edgy southern hipster-cum-diva all at once. This means that I rock a lot of looks, and I frequently accent items and refresh clothes with accessories, and yes, even props. I am also a confident woman wearing larger sizes, which presents its own unique set of challenges and opportunities, all of which I’ve trained myself to unabashedly explore. A bargain hunter who loves a deal, I’m constantly browsing and reading fashion mags and blogs for inspiration. Did I mention my love of shoes? Me and shoes go way back to days of pigtails and tire swings. In fact, there’s a shoe organizer on the back of every side of the door in my bedroom and bathroom, and another two in the closet, and there’s still not enough room! I like to think my style says: confident, sexy, earthy, sophisticated, professional, womanly, dramatic, and alluring.  


Fun fashion fact: I own six wigs and counting, all of which I’ve named. When I wear one out for the evening, I answer to that name. 

Queen Aftan:

 Queen Aftan, freelance event reporter for The Gathered Lady, is a New Orleans born and raised, and now Atlanta breed powerhouse of charity, social connection, and mission. Founder of I Am A Queen Royalty Productions and current beauty pagent title holder for 2014 US United Ambassador, Aftan embodies the qualities of gatheredness. Her I Am A Queen non-profit hosts nemerous events for young girls and teens to teach invaluable and practical lessons about womanhood.  Queen Aftan is multi-talented, being from a long line of fasshionistas, she has a background in dance, acting, and singing. Armed with a degree in Mass Communications from Clark Atlanta University, Queen Aftan brings her charm and social prowress to The Gathered Lady by sharing the most fashionable experiences in Atlanta and around the country with our readers.