Every morning, Jeanelle Teves’s six-year-old daughter watches her get dressed for work and then goes to pick out her own outfit. “When my daughter shows me what she’s wearing, I’m conscious of how I talk to her,” Jeanelle says. “Instead of saying ‘You look pretty,’ I ask her, ‘Do you feel confident?’ which is a question I ask myself before walking out the door.” Jeanelle is the Chief Commercial Officer for Bugaboo. She lives in New York City with her husband and two kids, but travels a lot for work. Here, she chats about meaningful jewelry and heels that are actually comfy…
Pants: Farm Rio. Bodysuit: Amazon. Blazer: vintage, similar.
“My team of 30 is spread out across the U.S. and Canada, but once a year, we all come together. For our last meet-up, I wanted to wear something fun, so during my lunch break, I went down to Anthropologie and found these pink pants. I love the wide-legged trouser silhouette, and they fit my length perfectly. At 5’3”, that doesn’t always happen. They were meant to be.”
“I love blazers. They instantly make me feel put together. Sometimes they’ll even have shoulder pads, which can help you take up a bit more space. I also like Amazon bodysuits. They’re great layering pieces — and cheaper than SKIMS.”
Skirt: Club Monaco, no longer available, similar. Shirt: Mother Oxford. Sneakers: Nike Air Max 200 Command Force, similar.
“While taking these photos, I felt like I was in a New York movie montage. Cab drivers were leaning out their windows going ‘Woo hoo!’ I’m a small-town girl from near Sacramento. In that moment, I felt like, Oh my gosh, what is my life?!”
“My parents modeled hard work for me. They came to America from the Philippines. They didn’t have any connections or financial support. My mom decided that she was going to open a business and I watched her do that. When I was a kid, I decided I wanted to be a business woman and fly to Europe. We’d never been to Europe. Now I fly there for work. Wearing a crisp pleated skirt makes me feel like I’m living out my childhood dream.”
“My brother actually designed these Nike shoes after winning a contest, and they produced 30 pairs for him. He gave one pair to me and one pair to my mom and then a bunch to his sneakerhead friends. I like to wear sneakers with something flowy, like this midi skirt.”
Blazer: vintage, similar. Pants: Modern Citizen. Turtleneck: Tercette, “it’s a female founded brand!” Heels: M.M.LaFleur.
“I often do presentations over Zoom, and I think through every detail. I won’t wear prints because the camera can make them look distorted. I also don’t wear loud jewelry, because I want them to focus on what I’m saying, not what my necklace says. I’ll put on a bit more makeup because Zoom can wash you out, and I also keep my background clear. I’ve been in Zoom calls where I find myself looking at the vacuum behind someone and wondering what kind it is. That’s not what you want.”
“I sometimes add pops of color because they make me happy. But mostly, my closet sticks to a pretty tight color range – blacks, creams, browns. I don’t have a lot of time to get ready in the morning, so a limited palette helps since everything works together.”
Tank: COS, similar. Button up: Toteme, similar. Draped sweater: Modern Citizen, “it keeps me warm, but also adds a layer and softness,” similar. Pants: Club Monaco, no longer available, similar. Sneakers: Ronnie Fieg for ASICS.
“My husband is Dutch, and I’m influenced by how my mother-in-law and sister-in-law dress in the Netherlands. They are really good at tonal dressing, and their clothes rarely have visible brand names. Uniqlo and COS are good for that, but with COS I tend to size-down since their pieces are often oversized to begin with.”
“I wear the same jewelry every day. My watch was my grandmother’s and then my mom’s. I wear a gold bracelet that my mom bought herself with her first big paycheck in the U.S. If I’m having a challenging day, I look at these pieces and feel secure and connected to this lineage of women who love me. I also wear my grandmother’s ring. She was 4’11” and very feisty, and I try to channel her firecracker spirit.”
Midi skirt: “My mom’s! I love to shop her closet,” similar. Blouse: Arket. Heels: M.M.LaFleur.
“My advice to young women is that you offer a unique perspective in the room. Nobody has your combination of upbringing, learned experiences, and mindset. Much of business success is finding your voice and being an active participant.”
“If you looked at the bottom of those heels, you’d see they are well loved. I’ve worn them for every major meeting over the last five years, since I can be on my feet all day long without pain. They’re heels you can walk miles in — and I definitely have.”
Thank you so much, Jeanelle!
P.S. More women share their weeks of outfits, including a stripe-loving marketing director and a journalist mom with green-blue hair.
(Photos by Julia Robbs for Cup of Jo.)
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