When it came to dressing for the Black and White Party, Jennifer Langford, 36, had not just one, but two personal stylists; her 9-year-old and 6-year-old sons.
"I bought another dress — a Trina Turk dress — to wear tonight. It had a satin bustier top and the bottom had tulle," she said, but her boys didn't like it, one of them going so far as to say, "That's just bad."
Good thing the Hunt Valley resident had, tucked away in her closet, a fun feathery frock she'd gotten three years ago. This time, she received two (or, four) thumbs up. So after her sons picked out the necklace to go with the dress, she and husband Morgan Gilligan, Stewart Title vice president, were off to the shindig that benefited children and teen programs at the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
The Realtor and co-owner of the Terre Group development company says she doesn't consider herself a fashionista. But she does like looking good.
"I never want to look back and say, Oh, I'm a mom of two, and I dress like the mom of two," she said.
HER STYLE: "Feminine, tailored. I like to wear dresses because I feel more sexy, more sophisticated in a dress. Day to day, I'm more conservative and feminine. [For going out at night,] I like to wear a little something racy if it's fitting for the occasion or if it pushes the envelope just a bit."
HER ENSEMBLE: Black leather-trimmed satin bustier top with black and white ostrich feather skirt from the Milly store in New York City. Black and gray pearl and crystal necklace and crystal earrings from the Kate Spade store in Las Vegas. Crystal flower embellished black T-strap stiletto sandals from the Betsey Johnson store in Las Vegas. Diane von Furstenberg crystal and silver garland-shaped bangle and crystal encrusted and black lacquer minaudiere.
SHOPPING GIVES HER THE SHUDDERS: "I'm not a shopper. I don't like shopping. I'll see it online and I'll [pick things out,] boom, boom, boom. To go into Nordstrom is painful for me. I'd rather have [the clothes] come to me."
WHY SHE LIKES CERTAIN LABELS: "I won't wear something simply because it's a [name designer]. Most of my shoes are Stuart Weitzman. I don't buy them because they're Stuart Weitzman. I buy them because I have really wide feet and they're comfortable. …For dresses, Diane von Furstenberg fits me well. So does Milly."