How to Dress Up a Graphic Tee: Part 2

If you want to hear the basics of dressing up a Graphic Tee, see part 1 here. Otherwise, lets jump right in. This t-shirt is special for a couple reasons. One, it represents a new friendship. Two, it supports women who have suffered, struggled, and overcome- whether your cross has been to lose a baby or a friend or you struggle with a mental disorder, this shirt is for you mama. Third, all proceeds from this shirt go to support an awesome cause (I’ll get into that later but you can read all about it here). 

The Who behind the Shirt: I met Ashleigh of Hudson Lillian Designs when she agreed to participate in my “We are the face of Motherhood” campaign. Then, she gave me a sneak peek at the shirt for a cause that she was working on and I about died. It’s beautiful from the message to the execution. The idea of reward after pain and struggle is beautiful. The rainbow design is a metallic screen print and even more beautiful in person. What I love about HDL is that it’s a mom run company. So when I buy a tee from her, I’m not lining the pockets of some CEO, I’m supporting a fellow mom and a small business. 

The Cause: The proceeds of the shirt are going to the Always with Me Foundation. The non-profit orginization focuses on supporting postpartum mamas physically and emotionally with doulas and PPD education. One in seven women struggles after birth with some sort of postpartum mental health disorder. Organizations like this are helping spread awareness and end the stigma associated with postpartum Depression, anxiety, and psychosis. 

The Style: Without further ado, here’s the scoop on styling a graphic tee with a Maxi skirt. Step one, pick a basic neutral for your skirt as a base. When you’re going graphic on top, you don’t want to go super loud on bottom (well, unless that’s the look you’re going for, in which case- do it!). For me, I wanted to emphasize this shirt, I wanted to keep it elegant. I know, I know, you don’t think elegant when you see a Graphic Tee but that’s just what you get when you pair two neutral bases with a beautiful message. 

Because the maxi is long, I wanted to give my short legs a boost. These wedge sandals by Dansko are perfect for that (to be honest, you’re going to see them a lot- they’re perfect with everything). Another great thing about these shoes is that they’re scotch guarded. Even after a good soak in the rain, they still look brand new. 

The last element I added was gold jewelry, focusing on the gorgeous waterfall-esque earrings. They looked like rain to me and coincidentally matched the weather front that rolled in as we closed our photo shoot. 

Life is made up of our own unique set of storms. Not everyone’s comes in the form of PPD/PPA but everyone has them. Just remember, at the end of every storm there is a rainbow and the beauty is worth the struggle. 

If you’re looking for a Graphic Tee with a cause please visit, Hudson Lillian Designs to purchase this design. Or, I’m giving away one “I am the face of Motherhood, PPD Awareness” shirt. Please see my Instagram account for more information.