#teamjeuneotte: Beach Day Blessings
As summer fades into fall, we hit the beach with Collection II
We love autumn but when it’s cool and crisp one minute and sunny the next, it can be hard to dress for the weather. That’s why Collection II was made with materials and a color palette that transcend the in-between times. This fall is particularly in-between for entrepreneur Amy Blessing and her daughter India (age 9) who are currently quarantining with family in Michigan, away from their Los Angeles home. We talked to mother and daughter about autumn, school, and silver linings.
Jeune Otte: What’s your favorite part about the transition between summer and fall?
INDIA: I like to watch the leaves turn color. I live in LA and I've never seen a Fall.AMY: This is my first fall in 20 years! I want to do all the things: bake a pie, take long walks with leaves crunching under my feet, wear huge sweaters , apple picking–what else??JO: What’s your favorite thing right now?
INDIA: I like listening to the “Land of Stories” series and my mom’s new kids needlepoint kits! It is a series of 9 and I am on my third. I’m getting better!JO: Of the clothes featured, which was your favorite and why? How did it make you feel?
INDIA: I loved the long dress!* It made me comfortable.AMY: I love the dress that India loves.* It looks like her, it made her so happy! She really needs to feel comfortable and not too confined, that dress checked all the boxes. *[JO: Metallic Stripe Birkin Dress, featured above]
JO: When you’re buying clothes for your daughter, what are you looking for?
AMY: I want her to feel like herself. She won’t wear jeans and I get bummed about that but at the end of the day I want her to be her. JO: How do you and your daughter negotiate/interact when picking out clothes? If there is a struggle, how do you compromise?
AMY: As a mother I got to choose her clothes for so long. It surprised me how much I liked dressing her up. It was a big transition for me when she took over the task herself. I try to let her do her own thing, but it’s hard sometimes! She indulges me when it counts (Holidays, Birthdays etc). JO: Do you have any pointers for navigating school and creating special experiences for India (and yourself) during this unusual, socially distanced time?
AMY: We are fortunate to be living with family, I generally live so far from them all and am trying to see this as a silver lining. I love doing projects with India: cooking, knitting, foraging and making. I feel super lucky India is the age she is during the quarantine, she still loves to be with us but is also independent. It’s a perfect balance. 
Thank you Amy + India! See more pieces from Jeune Otte's Collection II here. And for those of you following along who are interested in an addictive and comforting craft project for the chillier months ahead, click on to find out more about Loop Canvas!
