Casually Classic Mom on the Street: Courtney Watkinson
Whether she’s volunteering at her daughter’s school or cheering them on from the sidelines, Casually Classic Mom on the Street Courtney Watkinson has fun and gorgeous style.
Meet Courtney
I grew up in Virginia Beach and reside in Raleigh, NC with my husband, Brad, two daughters, Anne Bradley and Molly, our dog, Raleigh, and our newly acquired kitten, Wynnie. I am a proud graduate of Sweet Briar College where I received a Bachelor’s degree in Government and a minor in Law in Society. After college, I was a staff assistant for Rep. Bob Goodlatte on Capitol Hill. I volunteered with a program called Everyone Wins! DC reading to local elementary students. That reignited my passion for education and transitioned my move closer to home to finish my teaching degree. I taught in Richmond, VA, where I met my husband and gave birth to our oldest daughter before our move to North Carolina.
I am now a stay-at-home mom that spends most of my free time volunteering in my daughters’ school as a board member for our school’s foundation, as a study buddy, and as a substitute teacher, when time permits. As a former teacher, the halls of the school will always lure me in! I love spending time adventuring with our girls, including day trips to the beach, biking Raleigh’s extensive Greenways, or just hanging out at local kid-friendly breweries with family and friends. We spend many weekends on the sports fields cheering the girls on in soccer and lacrosse. In my (limited) free time I can be found enjoying Bible Study, shuffling the girls to ALL of their activities, reading, exercising, or cooking. Dance parties in the kitchen while I am cooking dinner are my favorite.
Casually Classic Style
Which three words best describe your style? Casually Classic with a pop of fun! (I know that’s more than three, ha!)
What are your favorite places to shop? J. Crew, Amazon, Target, Nordstrom
Who’s your favorite style icon? My mother. Her closet is a color-coordinated dream. She has always been perfectly dressed for whatever occasion arises. She even looks good while getting her nails dirty in the garden, with her old green Hunter boots that were well-loved way before any of us dreamed they would be in style one day! I loved watching her get dressed for evenings out when I was a little girl. She has an uncanny way of making whatever she has on look super stylish, age-appropriate, and fabulously funky!
What’s your best style advice? Wear what makes you feel confident and beautiful on the inside and out! Invest in classic pieces and accessorize with the fads.
What article of clothing/accessory would you not want to live without? Besides my wedding rings, a great pair of jeans and a neutral pashmina.
Which trend would you want to see make a comeback? I tend to like classic pieces and hang onto too many pieces that I continue to wear while waiting on their ‘comeback’.
What should NEVER make a comeback? Ultra-Low Rise Jeans
What fashion/style did you love at the time, but now cringe when you see old photos? Printed leggings
What’s your best style secret? My natural lashes are so blonde that you’ll rarely catch me without mascara on.
Stilettos or flats? I’d love to say stilettos… but my reality is flats.
Casually Classic Family
What’s your favorite way to spend time with your family? On the beach or a family dinner on our screened porch in early spring or in the cooler fall.What’s been your best family vacation? Fairhope, AL was a great road trip last Spring Break to visit our dear friends. Our girls are finally getting to the age where we WANT to travel all over with them!Best parenting advice: Pray for your children before you get out of bed each morning. Also “they” didn’t lie when they said the days are long and the years are short. My babies didn’t keep for some reason. Embrace the mess.Parenting true confession: My husband does most of the bedtime routine. It’s my least favorite (until kisses and prayers time). They are SO SLOW during the process and I am so ready to tag-out by that point of the day…What’s your go-to family dinner? My favorite to make is ground chicken tacos. The girls love to help prepare this one and everyone eats them without complaining!What’s your favorite family restaurant? We love Cowfish here in Raleigh for fun family nights out!
Casually Classic Life
What’s your favorite show to binge-watch? I don’t watch much TV, but I loved Downton Abbey and Homeland if I had to pick. Sports are always on the TV around here.
If you could pick anyone to star as you in a movie based on your life, who would it be? Reese Witherspoon, I love her.
What’s your favorite beach read? Anything Pat Conroy or Dorothea Benton Frank. Mr. Savage sparked my love for Southern Literature during my senior year at Norfolk Academy and I haven’t quit since!
What’s the best song to dance to when nobody’s watching? Whatever the girls are loving. Currently the ‘clean’ edit of Lizzo “Truth Hurts” has been the kitchen dancing song of choice.
If you could go shopping with anyone from history, living or deceased, who would it be? With my Nana. We wouldn’t necessarily shop but we would get some good coffee and laughs in. I miss her.
What’s at the top of your travel bucket list? A dude ranch out west with the family. Italy with my husband. If you ask my 8-year-old, Molly, she would tell you Paris.
What’s your favorite way to unwind at the end of a long day? Cooking dinner, helping with homework, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It helps with the unwinding part after helping with homework.
Your Casually Classic Style
Courtney makes it look so easy to look classically stylish! We love the way that she mixes up her classic pieces with those fabulous pops of fun! We also love the way that style runs in her whole family– as her mom has been such a great style influence, and now Courtney’s passing that down to her daughters.
For more fun and stylish moms, be sure to check out FamilyApp’s Mom on the Street channel!
