This week on our podcast, we're diving deep into the transformative world of fashion representation with Britney Wittes, a trailblazing short model who's challenging industry standards and creating space for diverse body types. From her early start in commercial modeling to founding Why Not Petites, Britney's story is a powerful narrative about resilience, inclusivity, and redefining beauty standards.

Our conversation explores the complex intersection of fashion, economics, and mental health through the lens of model representation. We'll unpack how Gen Z is reimagining industry norms, pushing for sustainability, and demanding more authentic representation. Britney shares her personal journey of pivoting when traditional modeling pathways closed, ultimately creating her own platform that nurtures and empowers shorter models who have been historically overlooked.

Listeners will get an intimate look into the inner workings of the modeling industry, the challenges of breaking traditional height barriers, and how one person's vision can spark meaningful change. From her work with major brands like American Girl and McDonalds to her mission of creating a supportive community for petite models, Britney's story is both inspiring and eye-opening.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram:⁠ ⁠@teddilovesfashion⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠@the.melissa.fierce⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠@getdressedfordinner⁠

Follow Briteny on Instagram: @whynotpetites

Join your favorite style-obsessed besties this week:

• Teddi (The Instagram Queen & Fresh FGI Rising Star)
• Melissa (Tech Entrepreneur & Documentary Maven)

This episode is PACKED with Chicago Fashion Week tales!

Episode Highlights:

• Teddi snags the FGI/Chicago Rising Star Award (Yes, Melissa's heard about it a thousand times... and counting!)
• Behind the scenes of Teddi's debut on Daytime Chicago, strutting for the incredible Dana Asady
• Our deep dive into the eternal question: Why do we keep buying black everything?
• The mysterious allure of oversized glasses on women (We have THOUGHTS!)

Meet Your Hosts:

• Teddi (@teddilovesfashion): Style icon extraordinaire with 80K+ followers and collabs with 50+ brands
• Melissa (@the.melissa.fierce): The branding brains behind some of the most successful Chicago fashion start-ups and creator of "Life in Perpetual Beta." Currently producing a doc about computing pioneer Grace Hopper!

Designer Love Notes (because Teddi's brain went a bit fuzzy during recording):

• @seresfootwear
• @carol_kennelly
• @margojewelry_

Catch us on the 'gram: @teddilovesfashion @getdressedfordinner @the.melissa.fierce

Disclaimer: This episode may contain excessive excitement about fashion awards and an unreasonable amount of black clothing appreciation

Jess Crane is a multidisciplinary artist and business consultant whose expertise spans the realms of fashion, music, and creative entrepreneurship. As the founder of Jess Crane Design, she’s been a driving force in product development and concept design for both major corporations and up-and-coming brands. In addition, Jess has impacted the fashion industry with her work on the board of AIBI Chicago and currently chairs the Nominations Committee for FGI Chicago. Her passion for preserving and celebrating local fashion history shines through in her ongoing research project on Chicago’s rich fashion legacy.Jess has a BFA in fashion Design from the Illinois Institute of Art Chicago and an MS in Recreation sports and Tourism from the University of Illinois Urbana Champagne.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram:⁠ ⁠@teddilovesfashion⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠@the.melissa.fierce⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠@getdressedfordinner⁠

Follow Jess on Instagram: @jesscranedesign

Bella Abel is an accomplished Polish-American photographer and former FORD Model, who has been a significant presence in the fashion and beauty industry for over a decade. As the founder of Belamatrix, a Visual Productions Company, Bella specializes in fashion, portraiture, and personal branding.

For the past five years, she has dedicated her craft to empowering models, everyday women, business owners and entrepreneurs, helping them assert their identity and visibility through the transformative power of photography. Bella Abel has also worked with brands such as L'Oréal and Ulta Beauty.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram:⁠ ⁠@teddilovesfashion⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠@the.melissa.fierce⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠@getdressedfordinner⁠

Follow Bella on Instragram: ⁠@bellamatrix ⁠

Get to know Teddi Krochman, “Senior Style Icon," and Melissa Pierce, "a curious Jill of all trades", as we talk about what's new in our fashion life including A LOT about the 90s, Jackie Kennedy's melon head, a fair bit of laughing, and some deep insight into the psychology of getting dressed.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram: @teddiilovesfashion, @the.melissa.fierce, @getdressedfordinner

Nikki Chachere is a top Chicago-based model whose career took some interesting twists and turns to get where it is today. Nikki enlisted in the Air Force in 2004 and served for 10 years as a “cop.”

Including an early station in Iraq (thank you for your service). At the beginning of Nikki’s military career, she was spotted by a model recruiter at a local mall. She was selected from over 150 other contenders to go to Dallas to start a modeling career.

However, since she was in the military, her modeling career had to wait until she retired from the Air Force in 2014. She then went on to receive a B.A. in legal studies from Penn State University and a B.S. in criminal justice from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Today, Nikki is a highly successful model, having graced the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as numerous runways and photoshoots. Her journey from the military to the fashion world is a testament to her talent and determination. In addition to her modeling career, she has also ventured into entrepreneurship, owning a new cognac brand called Epochal.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram: ⁠@teddilovesfashion⁠, ⁠@the.melissa.fierce⁠, ⁠@getdressedfordinner

Follow Nikki on Instagram: @mizznik and Epochal cognac @epochalcognac

Scottie Eskelund has a master’s degree in psychology. They are currently a Licensed Professional Counselor working with polyamory, queer, and trans folks as they navigate life transitions, neurodivergence, and anxiety/depression.

Scottie began their fashion career in 2022 when they were walking through a thrift store and stumbled upon a slew of crochet blankets. They were immediately inspired by their intricate designs. Scottie transformed those blankets into wearable art, and since then, their fashion brand, Scottie by Design, has prioritized using unconventional materials and textiles to inspire their designs.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram: @teddiilovesfashion, @the.melissa.fierce, @getdressedfordinner

Follow Scottie on Instagram: @scottie.bydesign

This week hosts Theodora Krochman and Melissa Pierce welcome Johanna Grange to their podcast. Johanna, a University of Iowa graduate with a double major in journalism and English and a minor in performing arts, is the co-owner of Oak Street Social, a digital and social marketing agency. She's also a social media influencer with over 70,000 Instagram followers. In this episode, we discuss whether style is innate or learned, Johanna's favorite fashion eras, and how she describes her personal style. The conversation delves into whether Johanna dresses to blend in or stand out and whether society has lost its desire for glamour. We also delve into how fashion has changed over the decades and whether or not shapewear effected Teddi's mother's sex life. Never a dull moment, we tell you.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram:⁠ ⁠@teddilovesfashion⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠@the.melissa.fierce⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠@getdressedfordinner⁠

Follow Johanna on Instagram:⁠ @jogrange⁠

Stylist Ray Jeremiah's winding professional journey is a testament to the phrase, "Life is a journey, not a destination." With an undergraduate degree in digital media and a master's in marketing, one might expect him to have pursued a creative field immediately after college. Instead, he spent nearly a decade in the financial services industry before taking a bold step in 2020 to found Styles by Ray Jeremiah, a venture that has since gained recognition in the high-fashion industry.

This unconventional path, however, has proved to be a blessing in disguise. Ray's creative spark, which may have taken the long way around to finding its expression, has now blossomed into a thriving career in the world of fashion. His portfolio includes collaborations with renowned names such as Dana Asady, Express, K. Daniels, Jeremy Virago, Stevie Edwards, and rap star, Shawna. Moreover, his styling has been featured in the prestigious Harper's Bazaar, a testament to his exceptional talent and industry recognition.

The lesson to be learned from Ray's journey is that sometimes the winding road can lead to the most fulfilling destinations. By allowing his passion for creativity to find its way, even if it took a circuitous route, Ray has emerged as a rising figure in the high-fashion world, inspiring others to embrace the unexpected and trust the process of their own personal journeys.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram: ⁠@teddiilovesfashion⁠, ⁠@the.melissa.fierce⁠, ⁠@getdressedfordinner

Follow Ray on Instagram: @_ray.jeremiah

Get to know Teddi Krochman, “Senior Style Icon, “and Melissa Pierce, entrepreneur and documentarian, as we begin our journey with our new podcast “Why Don’t We Dress for Dinner Anymore.” We will tell you a bit about our professional careers and how we came together—just two women from two different generations navigating life and trying to decipher the psychological impact of the way we dress past and present.

About Teddi Krochman:

Teddi has been a behavioral health professional for 30 years. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social work. Teddi is a licensed therapist but has spent much of her career on the business and administrative side of behavioral health, running a hospital department and then a community substance use disorder clinic.

Teddi’s fascination with fashion and style has been a lifelong passion since she opened the annual Fall Sears catalog at the tender age of 5. She would tear out pictures of outfits she thought her beautiful mother should wear; the rest is history.

In this episode, Teddi is wearing:

Stirrup Suede Necklace from NYET jewelry (https://nyetjewelry.com/products/stirrup-suede-necklace)

Gold Chunky Bracelet, Divine Wrist Cuff from Its All Culture Jewelry (https://www.etsy.com/listing/1278614099/gold-chunky-bracelet-devine-wrist-cuff)

About Melissa Pierce:

Melissa has spent most of her career as the” jill of all trades,” including life as a marketing agency owner, start-up C-suite, life coach for entrepreneurs, tech consultant, and documentarian.

Melissa’s first documentary, “Life in Perpetual Beta,” was spawned as social media platforms took off, and Melissa’s curiosity about human behavior hasn’t slowed down since.

She was a co-founder and the COO of startup company Everpurse, a handbag with a charger sewn in the lining that charged phones as they were carried. During her time in this endeavor, she even got to ring the NASDAQ bell!

Currently, Melissa consults as a Fractional CMO for small businesses and is producing a documentary about the life of Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, one of the first computer programmers.

Melissa has an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Communication.

Melissa’s love of all things fashion began in the 2nd grade when she refused to wear any color but yellow for three years running.

Follow Teddi, Melissa, and the show on Instagram: @teddiilovesfashion, @the.melissa.fierce, @getdressedfordinner