I don't remember when it happened exactly. There was no big moment in front of the mirror, getting ready in the morning. But at some point over the last couple of years, I stopped needing to wear the same styles over and over to feel good in my clothes and body. 

If you've been here for a while, you know that our old Becca Top was everything to me — the one top I trusted to make me feel good, no matter how I was feeling about my body. And she still holds that place in my heart. But these days, I find myself reaching for other tops more. And one that's been on repeat recently is the Ava Top. 

I even surprised myself with this one. Ava sits shorter than anything I used to wear, and old me would've talked myself out of even trying it on. I remember saying to myself that I'd "never wear shorter tops" because of how self-conscious I was about my stomach and lower pooch. So when the team asked me to try the Ava Top, there was a lot of hesitation — could I actually wear this and be okay? Like wear something shorter, the whole day without tugging at the hem, and hating that my rolls and creases were showing? 

Turns out, yes. And it's not because I suddenly stopped caring how I look. It's because Ava was designed around the Rule of Thirds — a styling concept where your outfit balances by breaking your body into thirds instead of halves. And by doing this, your outfit, your body automatically looks good. The shorter length that used to scare me stopped feeling exposing because the rest of the outfit was already doing the balancing for me. 

I love and appreciate that Allison takes the time to create styles that work for you. So I have the chance to try new things, challenge the way I see myself, all while feeling comfortable. Ava's design details answers all those questions that come up — does this cling here, is it gonna ride up and show too much, am I going to be adjusting the top all day long. So I can feel at home in my body. 

I still love Becca. She'll always have her spot in my outfit rotation. But if Becca was the top that taught me how to be kind to myself, Ava is the top that let's me try something new and actually enjoy it. So here's to trying the thing you thought you couldn't, and finding out you can. 

- Ashley