blogoversary

did you know that Style at a Certain Age is turning two years old? well, technically we posted our first photo on Tumblr three years ago,  that changed the course of my life. the blog came into being a year later. in fact, here’s the first pic that mr. style took titled ‘step into spring.’

but how and why did i start this blog?  in all honesty, i started out as an aspiring writer. way back in 2012, i finished my first book and even snagged an agent from NYC to represent me. one of the first discussions we had centered around the fact that writers need a social media presence. and i only had five facebook friends! ‘go find some,’ he told me. harsh!  social media presence? how could i get one?  where to start?  where to begin? i had no idea what i was doing. but a seed was planted.

two years went by (sometimes i’m a little slow) until the light bulb finally switched on.  it started small and simple:  a woman complimented my outfit and asked if i were a stylist. ‘no,’ i answered. but right then and there i realized how to jumpstart my social media presence. ‘a blog,’ i thought. ‘i can post an outfit of the day. the 20-year-olds are doing it. why can’t  i?’ and that’s when i stumbled upon tumblr. there i could post a daily outfit photo with absolutely no technical skills. (‘cuz i certainly didn’t have a single one!)

things were a little rocky at first. my children pointed out that my photos weren’t quite up to snuff. in their opinion, well, the photots “sucked” to put it in their terms! so the kids banded together, pooled their resources, and bought mr. style a camera for his birthday.  that new canon rebel must have been the secret sauce. early in july, mr. style called and asked me if i’d was paying attention to the traffic on my tumblr account. i hadn’t been. but when i logged into my account, i discovered this lovely note:

this is the photo that started my new adventure and was plastered on the front page of tumblr between NBC Nightly News and Ellen DeGeneres. i have to laugh because my haircut in this photo is probably one of the worst i ever had. thinking back, i had been in between stylists, as mine had moved to new york. it just goes to show that you’re never really picture perfect or ready for the next step, but that should never stop you! sometimes you have to jump into the deep end and swim. (or at least tread water like i did.)

things finally did settle down on tumblr. but my search for a fab hairstylist continued until i met the amazing karmen buttler who quickly upped the style bar. isn’t she darling? after that first haircut, i breathed a sigh of relief, as i knew i was finally in good hands.

2014 quickly came to an end. and there was a new addition to our family. yes, oscar was the best christmas present ever!

even if mr. style didn’t agree from the get-go. he was still grieving the loss of our beloved english bulldog, buster.

2015 rolled into town and it was time to officially launch the blog into the blogsphere. there was still so much to learn. and i was hesitant to venture onto wordpress, as i had no idea what a link was let alone a plugin. but it was time to take the next step. and grow. and meet all sorts of new readers—like you.

i think you would agree that my hair looked pretty fabulous all year long. (i told you i was in good hands). thanks, karmen! and walking the hills of san francisco kept me somewhat in shape.

oscar grew by leaps and bounds all year long until he turned into a full grown canine.

and monday through friday i faithfully posted an ‘outfit of the day’ just like i did in the tumblr days. and all of you lovely readers kept tuning in day-by-day.

2015 came to a close with an amazing invitation to join chico’s on a photo shoot in january! what? me on a photo shoot? why not. so off i flew to santa monica in january 2016. what a way to start the year.

mr. style and i also decided to relocate our digs to athens, ga from san francisco, ca. it was time for us to put down some roots after moving around the world for some 30 odd years. ‘why athens?’ you ask. well, mr. style loves small towns and i love big cities. so if i’m going to live in a small town, it better have a university. years ago, my mother grew up in a university town and loved it. athens, ga kept coming up on our radar screen, and boy-oh-boy am i glad it did. what a fantastc city to call home. go dawgs!

but i was on the hunt for a new hairstylist again.

 mr. style and i made a few weekend trips. like savannah, ga and hilton head for his birthday. there’s nothing quite like an ocean view.

by the time my birthday rolled around, i knew it was time to get my fanny back in the gym. i no longer had all those hills to climb, and guess who likes to eat carbs and drink red wine? there’s nothing better than an hour of sweaty exercise for your body and soul!

this year, i’ve had the privilege to partner with great brands like christopher and banks. take a look.

2016 came to a close with mad dash to london. coty, one of the largest beauty professionals in the world, invited me to a brainstorming workshop centered around aging.

which brings us to 2017!  and guess what? i’m still posting an outfit of the day. and i’m lucky enough to have you lovely readers tune in. the past 3 years have been an incredible journey for me. one in which i have learned so many things like how to run a blog. or post an instagram photo. or share a style tip on video. or negotiate a contract. small things, i know. but with each opportunity came a new learning curve for me.

and i can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2017! in my heart of hearts, i think i will finally carve out some time and finish that dang second book that was shelved when the blog decided to take over. but i’m not sorry one bit that it did. take up every single spare moment that is. because if it hadn’t, i never would have met all of the amazing women i’ve had the privilege to meet these last three years. women like you that take time from their busy lives to cheer me on and leave a comment on the blog or facebook or share an anecdote with me. you have truly made my life brighter. and who knew what doors the blog would open for me. but isn’t that the way life goes? do we ever know what lies around the next bend in the road? i guess that’s what keeps us on our toes. but one thing i do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.

Beth Djalali

is the Founder and CEO of Style at a Certain Age. She writes Sundays-Fridays on all topics ranging from fashion, health, wellness, home design and more.

She’s 65, 5’8, and size 8.

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