Goodbye For Now

Not many people know this, but in 2014, my best friend lost her life to domestic violence. She was 27 years old. She was smart, funny, hardworking and my partner in crime. We shared a love for fashion, style and shopping and had a knack for having the best time together. Losing her was one of life’s cruel tricks but I was determined to learn from it. Her passing made me realize how quickly life can change. Her life changed in an instant. On that day, I decided I wasn’t going to wait to take chances, that I was going to say YES whenever I could, and that I wasn’t going to miss out on any opportunities. I was going to do the things she couldn’t or never had the chance to do. 

A few months later, I started dabbling in fashion blogging just for fun. Blogging is what it used to be called, anyway. My dream was to become a personal stylist and own my own business. I wanted to bring confidence and joy to people through personal style; I just didn’t know exactly how I was going to make it work. After I left Nordstrom, I worked for a company that wasn’t a great fit. I knew I was meant to do something else, and I wasn’t going to sit around and hope for the best. I needed a plan. I started reaching out to people through social media. I attended networking events and women’s entrepreneurial luncheons, and I met lots of creatives for coffee. Anytime someone asked me to go somewhere, I said yes. I met some amazing people that I still call my friends today. 

One of my new friends reached out to see if I was interested in writing a fashion blog for HERLIFE Magazine. I was intrigued. I had always loved writing and what could be better than writing about something I love? I said yes. She introduced me to the publisher and editor-in-chief, who just happened to be an old coworker from Nordstrom that I had loved working with. The match was instant and in 2015 I was given my own two pages in HERLIFE Magazine to write about anything I wanted. And every month for the next eight years, that is exactly what I did. I wrote about everything from styling tricks to how to find the perfect bra. It was fun and also gave me an outlet to showcase my talents and connect with women all over the city.

Along the way, I had the opportunity to style editorial shoots, work with amazing photographers and attend nonprofit events such as SAFE HOME that spoke to my heart. Being a contributor to HERLIFE was not just about submitting an article. It was about being a part of a group of strong women who supported each other. I will never forget the experiences or the connections that I made because of them. I will never regret saying yes to this opportunity so many years ago because I know in my heart it was something that helped me achieve my dream of being a stylist. 

Over the past eight years, I am proud to say that I have grown my business to the point that it is now time to pass the baton to someone else to have their very own fashion blog. I will miss having a place to write my thoughts in print, but I know that it’s time to move forward. 

I want to give a very special thank you to Tammy McDonald. Tammy, you have a knack for building confidence in women and you were one of my number one supporters from the very beginning. I am so unbelievably grateful that you took a chance on me and that you gave me the creative freedom to make this blog my very own. 

And thanks to all of you for sticking with me and stopping by my little corner of style for the last eight years. I am so grateful for my readers and all the connections I made because of this magazine. You can always catch up with me at abbywoodwear.com or through Instagram.

Remember that old Steve Winwood song, “While You See A Chance”? The entire song has so much meaning to me but my favorite part says, “While you see a chance, take it, find romance, fake it, because it’s all on you.” Catching dreams does not just happen; you are the only one that can make them come true. Don’t be afraid of saying yes. Go out and make things happen for yourself, because you never know what will to happen if you do.

Cheers,

Abby Wood

Written by: Abby Wood

Abby Wood is a wardrobe stylist and style blogger in Kansas City, and her education in design plus retail experience make her an expert in fit, fabric, style and trends. Her professional experience in fashion began with an apprenticeship with a bridal designer, shifted to creating and showing her  own line, moving up to management and training at a retail level and now professional styling as an independent consultant. Abby loves to help individuals develop and evolve their own sense of style. 

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