Cristin Cooper is a wife, mom, stylist and the founder of The Southern Style Guide, a lifestyle blog for lovers of life and style in the South. In the fall of 2014, Cristin combined her professional experience in advertising and marketing with her love for fashion, beauty and travel. Through daily posts, she shares her personal style, shopping finds, beauty tips, and features on southern brands with her growing readership and social following. Cristin currently lives just north of the SC/NC state line in the beautiful mountain town of Flat Rock, NC with her husband and two girls.

 

 

I love watching my children grow and change and develop their unique personalities. It brings me so much joy!

 

 

It has definitely made me more selfless and caused me to settle down and stay home much more than my life pre-babies. Oh and it has seriously upped my Netflix game.

 

 

I have two beautiful baby girls born 20 months apart. Hayden is my oldest and will be turning 3 in November. She is a wild child, ridiculously athletic for her age and has a tender heart that could melt you in half. Caroline Scott is my baby and she is almost 1. We call her Scottie and she was the easiest baby. She is constantly smiling and giggling but is quickly getting a feisty little personality.

 

 

I did breast feed and I have so much respect for moms that rock it out because I pretty much hated it. My kids don’t sit still to this day so you can only imagine the struggle of keeping them under a blanket, wrap, shirt, etc. I think I breastfed once in public and was so sweaty and stressed after the experience I never did it again. For me breastfeeding was all about great nursing tanks under tops that were easy to remove so that I could slip off somewhere and have as few things as possible to take off.

 

 

If you would have told me 3 years ago that I would be a fierce advocate of high-waited jeans I would have laughed at you. Luckily for me they are in style right now because all I want is jeans that come up to my belly button. My #momstyle is definitely more modest clothing that allows me to move about and get on the floor with my kids without exposing myself but while still flattering the parts of my figure I like. I love stretchy denim, midi skirts with tops tucked in and a great dress. And I can’t even think about leaving the house without a crossbody for all of my mom gear.

 

 

Christa Coat

Long sleeve tee black-white stripe

The blazer 

The classic white 

Woven plaid shirt 

Paper floral print midi skirt - petal 

Bishop stripe sweater 

Amy bomber jacket

Jackie deep v dress - rust 

Katie white cotton tunic 

Shop Cristin's Taste maker Collection >

 

 

Every mom should have clothes in her closet that fit her well and make her feel great. For me that is a quality pair of jeans or two, v-neck tees, and great dresses that are easy to throw on and head out the door.

 

 

I was a new mom trying to find a dress to wear to a party and was just feeling really out of touch with where the great places to shop were and what was in style. I started looking for blogs that were regionally located to help me discover new boutiques but also fit my tastes and style and decided I should just create my own. My background is in marketing, advertising and as a project manager for creatives so I knew enough to be dangerous or at least get the ball rolling. I created my site on vacation one year and started blogging to share what I was learning about style, outfits I would put together and any sales I found. Since then The Southern Style Guide has evolved into a place where I share inspiration on style, shopping, beauty, travel and all of the best brands and shops in this lovely corner of the world I call home.

 

 

I love that style in the south is classic and timeless and that it’s acceptable to attempt to look stylish even when you are dressed casual. In the south it is normal to put just as much effort into looking chic for a weekend in the country as it is for putting on your best dress for an afternoon sip & see. For me fashion is a fun and frivolous part of life and I love that you can be quirky about what the appropriate dress is for the time of an event and what fabric should be worn based on the weather outside and nobody will think twice about it.

 

 

 

We live just north of Greenville, SC in the mountain town of Flat Rock, NC. I’m from SC and lived in Greenville before I got married so I’m constantly down to Greenville for my blog, church, to visit with friends and to shop or review properties, restaurants and shops.

 

 

In addition to being a wife, mom and blogger we also own a family business and I handle the marketing. With two jobs and two kids under three I don’t have a ton of free time. I don’t want to ever look back at the success of my blog and regret time I could have spent with my kids. For this reason I try to keep very good lists and stay organized about what I need to get done. If I’m organized then I can prioritize what is most important and what can wait for when I have spare time. I work on my blog during naps or at night if my husband is working late and I always try to remind myself that nobody is making me do this. There is always more that I could be doing and I don’t need to be too hard on myself. If a blog doesn’t get written write away it’s not the end of the world. I’m very driven so this is the hardest thing for me do – to relax and enjoy the season of life I am in right now.

 

 

Motherly to me means being involved and being present. I want to always know what my kids are feeling, thinking or going through and to have them know that I am always there for them be it to laugh or cry or snuggle.

 

 

 

mother: involved

wife: friend

Blogger: hustler

friend: fun

 

 

Bedtime Story: We love the Bible App for Kids Storybook Bible.

Lullaby: A You’re Adorable

Vacation Spot: Charleston, SC

Restaurant: Anywhere that served Mexican food + cheese dip.

Children’s Brands: Old Navy, Tucker & Tate, Crew Cuts

 

 

 

How much my kids can eat, drink, ruin and how many diapers they go through. I definitely should have started stockpiling years ago.

 

 

“ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.”

 

I love this verse from Lamentations in the bible. It helps me remember not to be too hard on myself for all the times I think I’m less than a perfect mother and that every morning brings new mercies.