Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Bay Street Journal‘s blogger brunch, connecting female bloggers and lawyers. Ashlee Froese, a fashion and branding lawyer, hosted the brunch along with the mag, sharing her career journey and how she created her own opportunities at various leading Toronto Bay Street firms, before branching out on her own to form Froese Law. Froese has been a mentor to many in the legal and fashion industry. She mentioned her experience interacting with the older generation of female lawyers, and the lack of support, but she wants to change that. “Bay Street without the bullshit.”
It was incredible to connect with a group of women in my industry who all wanted a different career path than the often patriarchal, competitive confines of Bay Street big law. As a young lawyer who was called a few months ago, it’s inspiring to see other female lawyers who started their own firms early on in their careers, and are enjoying success and freedom. I’m grateful for all the guidance I’ve received and truly believe that women in male-dominated industries can achieve excellence when we work together. Whether that’s through mentorship, coffee dates or, in my case, even answering DM’s from law students, we all need to work together and support one another.
If your friend is defending their thesis, go out and cheer her on. If your sister is applying to law school, connect them with your friend in law school. If an acquaintance is moving to your old home city, connect them with other professionals. These are little things that take no effort, but can give someone a leg up to achieving their dreams. It’s also important to talk about issues affecting women in the workplace, and also include men in that discussion. Things will only move forward if the decision-makers are aware of these issues. Let’s all work together to change things, and pave the way for the next generation of female professionals.
Coincidentally, Ann Taylor, a brand I’ve loved wearing throughout my articles has a new fall campaign focused around this exact sentiment. This week has been especially heavy for womens’ voices and opinions, and it’s amazing to see a brand spread this message.
I wore a houndstooth square neck sheath dress, layered on a fringe tweed moto jacket, the comfiest Aiden suede tassel pumps all courtesy of Ann Taylor – where you can score $50 off dresses & shoes with code DRESSUP. For my bag, I wore my red suede Rebecca Minkove LOVE crossbody.
This look definitely has a bit of a 70s vibe to it, but I love the rich fall textures of the tweed paired with the office-appropriate houndstooth dress. I’m certain this tweed moto jacket will be on repeat with jeans on weekends too.
