The Featured Frockstar™ Name: Jody DeFord
Age: 41
Location: I live on a lake in a small rural community about an hour west of Indianapolis, but I work in downtown Indianapolis
Online homes: Red’s Shoe Diaries, on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest
What are your everyday, must-reads, online or off? I love checking out the latest local interest stories from journalist Leslie Bailey at the Indianapolis Star.
What’s your most recent awesome accomplishment?
I was asked to chair a fundraising event for the Indianapolis Museum of Art and we are on track to more than triple the net proceeds of last year’s event! It gives me so much satisfaction to make a positive contribution to the community that I love, and since party planning is one of my passions, organizing this hat and heels themed luncheon is also a lot of fun. I am also honored to be have been recently featured in our Indianapolis newspaper as one of seven local fashion bloggers with style.
Who is your hero?
My grandmother, Dorothy Coy. She passed away twenty years ago, but we were very close. She was graceful and kind toward everyone she met; She was tenacious in the face of adversities like breast cancer; and she know how to make her loved ones feel confident in their own abilities. She never graduated high school, but was smart as a whip and even had her own US patent on a sewing invention in the 1950s. She is my role model – kind but fastidious; strong but feminine. I miss her dearly.
Who are your style inspirations?
My grandmother, Dorothy, is not just my hero, but my style inspiration. In fact, my most prized possession is her 1940s chocolate brown cropped leather jacket. In her youth, she wore it with jodhpurs and boots to accompany my grandfather to the motorcycle races on Friday nights. As with everything she owned, she cared for it meticulously and it is still in mint condition. It fits me perfectly and still looks modern today. Every time I wear it, I feel like she’s giving me a hug.
Why is it important to love our bodies?
Loving and accepting our bodies allows us to be less self-conscious about appearance so that we can focus on more important things, like helping others, making friends, speaking our minds, and enjoying all that life has to offer. It’s hard to truly engage in the moment when you’re concentrating on what you perceive to be physical flaws. Of course, loving and accepting our bodies is easier said than done, particularly when society places so much emphasis on physical beauty. I’ve found that sometimes it’s helpful to focus on what my body can do, rather than what it looks like – it’s hard not to appreciate something that has let me experience the exhilaration of hiking in the Grand Tetons and riding a bicycle more than 500 miles in a seven day trip.
If you could give your 16 year old self advice, what would you say?
Try not to compare yourself to others. The only person you need to be better than is the person you were the day before. I’m incredibly competitive by nature, and it’s taken me a long time to learn that winning at life is about being the best “me” that I can be, without regard to what someone else has, thinks, or looks like (though I still always try to win at sports and board games). This advice to my 16 year old self is advice that I’m still trying to take to heart in the present. Just last week, I did a photo shoot with a newspaper doing a feature story on local bloggers. I felt great walking into the shoot, but when I left I ran into the next photo subject and immediately thought, “Wow, wish I could wear that outfit.” I had to remind myself that she and I are built completely different and that I do actually like the way I look. I still have to actively quash negative self-talk. I recently saw the following quote on Instagram, which really struck a nerve: “If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?”
Do you have a favorite quote? If so, what is it?
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” –John Wooden
How did you discover Karina Dresses?
A friend of mine whose personal style I admire, and who looks fantastic in her Karina dresses! They’re very flattering.
Your perfect day. What would it look like?
No day can be perfect, but all of my best days involve bringing joy to others. Planning and executing a party where people truly enjoy themselves and the experience gives me both pleasure and satisfaction. The perfect “day after” is relaxing in our hammock by the lake and reading a book.