Katie + Eden

Hello, I'm Katie Martinez, founder of Elegantees!  I didn't want to create a style blog just for the sake of it. Then I discovered something that would inspire me enough to post with passion and consistency. My 3-year-old loves dressing the same as me, and I love playing dress-up with her. So we're making it a weekly thing to match in Elegantees and her in our girls line Eden.  Follow along each Monday on Instagram @katieandeden or bookmark this page.

This outfit and photo shoot was not planned. My husband was taking her pictures next to this beautiful tree. It heard her laughing so I stepped out to watch the cuteness. When I realized the blue top I was wearing matched her bow, I jumped in the photo with her. We read her favorite book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"

Spontaneous moments like this are often a highlight of parenting. Especially when you get a hug and hear lovely words from their sweet voice. My heart is full. 

I am wearing the Brianna top and Eden is wearing the Emily dress

We are wearing a fun summery color called Cabana!

Ruffle action going on with the hem of my Abbi tee, and the shoulder of Eden's Gracie tank.

I love her imagination. When she finds things as simple as a stick and pretends she's conducting an orchestra. My earrings are from Purpose, and our necklaces from Starfish Project. 

Disciplining a three year old with love!? I finally understand that she isn't a baby anymore. Being a work-from-home mom, it's so tempting to let her do whatever she wants so I can get all the things done. But enabling things like painting her little brother with leftover pasta can no longer fly. I've become a tough mama lately, but she's receiving it well. I sense that she's wanted it all this time. Balance is necessary. 

I'm finding that disciplining is an honor. It's better for her to learn respect and appreciation now than possibly never. I fear if I don't teach her now, she may become materialistic and self-absorbed. Me disciplining her comes with dashes of impatience, not coming out so nicely, but grace is abundant. I keep looking to the Father who reaffirms "those who love their children discipline them." My hope in establishing rules and enforcing them will grow her into a woman one day who can stand on her own two feet with genuine kindness and gratitude.

I have no shame in being silly in public, especially when it makes her laugh.

This Cecilia style for Elegantees isn't even out yet! I rarely show off items before they are available, so enjoy this rare peek ;) Truth be told, my Eden is under the weather so we didn't dress up this weekend, and this style spread was all I had to post this Monday. I am happy to share these though, even ahead of schedule. We had fun taking them and laughed a lot.

I got her! 💕💕💕

I'm wearing the Cecilia top + Eden is wearing the Lilly dress in Grape.

We both are wearing necklaces from Starfish Project. Starfish is an accessory brand I love dearly. Not only is their quality and their style is on point, but they have an entire program in Asia that restores women rescued from trafficking. They also employ them to work making the jewelry. 

Summer white tees with pops of color in our necklaces.

My husband and photographer was holding our hungry son when he shot these, so we had less than two minutes. I was nervous the photos weren't going to be cute enough, until I saw this one.

I'm wearing the Donna tunic + Eden is wearing the Chelsea tee

Our first outfit series is a soft blend of ruffles, petal pink, light denim and nude shoes. This color combo is delightful and sweet. I think it'll be lovely on all skin colors.

I'm in the Kristina top + Eden is wearing the Gracie tank

I'm Katie Martinez, the Founder of Elegantees. It's common today for founders of brands to have their own blog and public social media account, but I didn't want to create one just for the sake of it. Until last month, my husband and I arranged a family photo and we wanted to color coordinate. We wore this outfit, and the fabric and color was an exact match. The styles were sweet and womanly for me, and sweet and girly for her. Then I discovered something that would inspire me enough to post with passion and consistency. My 3-year-old baby loved dressing the same as me and I loved playing dress-up with her. So we're going to make it a weekly thing. I can't wait to pair more outfits together to inspire other moms of toddlers to play dress up too. Follow along each Monday on Instagram @katieandeden

My sweet little delight, Eden. 💕

I love the design of this Gracie tank. Lightweight for the hot summer days, and super cute too.  

The men behind the camera: my husband and son. Thought this one was most fitting for an intro!

 We love him and how supportive he is! Before my first post, I asked him a few times if he loves the idea as much as me so we can pull off a post every Monday. He said yes each time. That officially makes him my #instagramhusband and her #instagramdaddy.

Thank you for reading and following along. Creating these fashion spreads brings me joy, and I'm thankful for you to read along each Monday! See you next week on Instagram @katieandeden 😉

I started Elegantees 7 years ago. At the time I didn't see myself making toddler girls clothing, let alone becoming a mother. After I got pregnant with our little Eden, everything started to change and she changed me. I think about fashion from a new perspective - dressing as practical as possible because I'm a busy mom who still wants to look put together. For Eden, it's about letting her sweetness shine in age-appropriate style.

Meet my little delight; my mini-me. Her middle name is Eden, and that's what we'll call her here. She inspired my husband and I to design toddler girls clothing together, and we're so excited about it!  We'd appreciate if you follow @eden_by_elegantees on Instagram and share about it.

I cannot tell you how pumped I am about the launch of Eden by Elegantees! My husband Izzy and I have been wanting to create the brand for years, but a lot of work goes into a brand and we put it on hold. Then one time Izzy went shopping and brought home a bag of adorable dresses for our baby girl. They were cute, and on clearance, so the look on his face was "You're proud of me, right?" But I felt so uneasy in my conscience. The brands of those clothing items are heavily rumored for sweatshops and slavery. I hate human trafficking and didn’t want to buy anything for our daughter that could have been made by someone else’s little daughter in exploited conditions. The very next day, I woke up with much fire in my belly to get Eden into motion.