“My husband teases me that I’m terrified of looking ‘schlumpy,’” my friend Alison Piepmeyer told me, which is funny because she always looks so polished and bright. Here, the marketing exec and mother of two shares her secrets, including the best balloon pants, thrifting hacks and her beautiful advice on grieving…

“I work at Color Factory, and I feel like part of my job as CMO is to look the part. For that reason, a section of my wardrobe is very bright and happy. I love a maxi dress, and I love stripes, so when I saw this dress, it was a fit. I’ll wear when I’m giving a tour at work or meeting with investors, and I’ll wear it on date nights with my husband.”

“Honestly, I’m a very phase-y person with my wardrobe. When we lived in San Francisco, I called my style ‘French Fisherman’ and wore beanies and canvas pants. Then there was a season when I traveled to Tokyo, got into Japanese style and bought all my clothes from Muji. Nowadays, I’m inspired by Sienna Miller‘s minimal style and Meg Ryan’s ’90s looks.”

“For regular stores, Alex Mill makes cute classics. I turn to COS for sculptural shapes, like the balloon-y pants I’m wearing here. And all my basics are from Uniqlo because their stuff lasts forever.”

“My four-year-old son Linus tells EVERYONE. His conversation starter at the playground is, ‘My grandpa died!’ But I get it. When someone asks me how my summer was, I can’t help saying, ‘Well, my dad died in June.’ It makes me feel better getting it out there. It’s like a mosquito bite that you want to scratch — it hurts but it feels good. It’s a pain that I want. It hurts so good, is that the phrase?”

“Things that make me feel better: Abbott Elementary is so cute and well done. My son loves Harry Styles, so we listen to his songs mixed with spooky Halloween music. And you just have to wake up and get dressed and go outside. Then I like when people give me a big hug and say, ‘I’m so sorry, this sucks, I love you, and I’m here.’”