Tea Time with Trina Means Dressing Creatively

Put the kettle on! It’s time to sit down over a lovely cup of tea and meet the woman behind the popular blog, Tea Time with Trina.

Trina Grandinetti is a 53- year-old style blogger from Salt Lake City, Utah with has a creative spirit and a passion for fashion. Readers love Trina’s eclectic wardrobe and her artistic approach to dressing that springs from a deep-rooted commitment to self-expression.

I recently got a chance to chat with Trina about her blog and her creative style. Here’s my interview with Trina, my latest Fabulous After 40 Styleblazer.

Deb: How would you describe your style?

Trina: That’s a really good question and honestly one that always throws me for a loop. My style is somewhat casual chic with some bohemian thrown in here and there.  My close friends and family call it “Trina” style so I must have some form of style.

Deb: You speak a lot about creativity on your blog. Why is it a priority for you to express your creativity in everything you do? 

Trina: Deborah, I’m so glad you asked this question because I’m truly passionate about sharing and being creative. I believe the desire to creative is rooted deep in everyone’s soul. No matter our individual gifts and talents, or education and ethnic backgrounds or abilities, everyone has some desire deep down to create something, something unique that did not exist before.

And every single person can be or learn to be creative.  You don’t need money or a position to be creative, you simply just need to act on your passions. I find when I’m creating something or using my creative energy, it brings the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment in life. It’s just pure joy. And the ultimate joy is when I get to share some of my creations with others.

Deb: How do you think your outfits express your sense of creativity?

Trina: Well, putting an outfit together, in my eyes, is a form of art. I love spending time mixing and matching items from my closets and seeing what fun creations (outfits) I can come up with. I also enjoy adding just an element of surprise here and there, which I guess is what makes it “Trina” style. I also believe an outfit is from head to toe and a lot of the times my outfits begin with the shoes.

Deb: Sunday’s are special style days for you. Why?

Trina: Sundays are my day to dress up.  I’m an old fashion church-going gal and was raised by a mother who taught us to dress our best for church service.  This is a habit I’ve kept and carried on to my children. I prefer skirts because you can still mix and match with them and also dress them down, but once in a while I’ll purchase a dress just for church use.

Deb: You’ve said that as we age, trends become less of a focus, but sometimes a trend comes around that strikes a chord. What trends are you currently loving?

Trina: Don’t get me wrong, I still love seeing and joining in on new trends, but I don’t live and die by them like I did in my twenty’s and thirty’s. I’m loving the open toed booties this season because they have a summer feel, but you still get some height with a comfy heel.

I’m also loving the bohemian trend because I seem to bring a bit of it with me whether it’s trending or not. I love the carefree yet still stylish and classic way this trend is being presented this time around.  The flowy shirts and dresses with all the beautiful embroidery are putting some big smiles on my face (kind of want to get my embroidery hoops out, haha)

Deb: You’ve mentioned that you’ve gotten “wiser” about shopping. How so?

Trina: Oh, I’m so much wiser with my age.  For starters, I know what I like and what I don’t like. I’ve also learned that you get what you pay for, so it’s worth having quality over quantity. I use to bring home items that I loved in the stores but were not building blocks in my wardrobe, so I just ended up with a big pile of stuff.  Very fun, stylish items but ones that I could only wear a few times.

When I learned to pick out the workhorse pieces that I truly loved and then build around them, my shopping becomes a whole different ball game.  Plus, I know my style a lot better now. And I have a rule of 3 when purchasing an item.  It has to make me happy, it has to be versatile enough to be worn three different ways, and it must match with at least three different items I already own.

Deb: You travel quite a bit. Any suggestions for the best pieces to pack and also, what is your ideal travel outfit?

Trina: Yes, I do travel quite a bit, and I never check luggage, never ever! I normally pack a pair of black leggings, a pair of skinny jeans (darker ones) and a black or gray skirt. For the tops, I’ll pack a few plain tee shirts (nice ones) in gray, black, white, tans, and possibly one or two oversized tunic blouses. I’ll also pack one cardigan that matches all the outfits (like gray or black) and either a denim jacket or a cargo jacket.  For shoes, a nice pair of flats, a pair of sneakers, and maybe a pair of heels or booties.

For accessories, I pack scarves that jazz up the outfits and one statement necklace.  The best item I’ve invested in for travel is a foldable hat. My ideal travel outfit is a pair of black leggings, with an oversize tunic (either a tee shirt style or blouse) and a cardigan over it that you can easily take on and off due to the air on the plain.  I also wear a pair of slip-on shoes (flats) for the plane because you’re usually doing a lot of walking and then I slip them off after take off and put on some warm, cozy socks I’ve put in my tote.

Deb: You showcase a variety of styles on your blog. Which style is your favorite?

Trina: My favorite way to dress would definitely be to throw on a casual, chic dress. One that can be dressed up or down but preferably down for the day with either sneakers or booties or a pair of fun flats.  I love throwing on a hat for that added accessory and just them the right amount of jewelry; I tend to keep it simple.  I like to look all put together but also look like I’m ready to take on the day and have some fun.

Deb: Any items in your closet can you not live without?

Trina: Not really, I seriously don’t get attached to material things.  If my daughter were to come and take a handful home and kind of forget to return them, well I would be Ok with it.  Although I couldn’t go a day without my Nike free runs, I do work out every single day, and it’s for my mind as well as my body, so I guess that’s the one item I couldn’t live without.

Deb: You talk about enjoying giving others the gift of time over tea. Can you tell us more about this? 

Trina: Yes, giving the gift of time is seriously the greatest gift you can give to others. With our crazy lifestyles TIME is a valuable thing nowadays, and when you give it freely to others, it’s a very special gift.  But I have found I’m on the receiving end just as much as they are.

It’s easy to go and buy and gift and drop it off to a friend or loved one, but to bring them into your home for a sit-down lunch or to have some tea with treats or a dinner, you get to enjoy this person and gain even more of a friendship.  That’s the main reason I throw my tea parties; I get to bring my friends into my home for a few hours and simply listen to them laugh and cry and build one another’s friendship bonds.

Deb: If you sat down to tea with a reader who wanted to talk fashion, what would you chat about?

Trina: I would chat about how beautiful every single woman is!  How truly special every single woman can be!  And how important it is to find the inner beauty inside them and then let it shine for all the world to see. When a woman knows and understands how truly special and beautiful she really is, just the way she is, then the fashion and style just falls into place.

Deb: Your soft, wavy blonde hair is lovely. How do you take care of it and style it?

Trina: First off, thank you! I think taking care of our hair is in our daily diet and mine is all about eating healthy.  I’ve never been on a so called diet; I just eat healthy like fresh fruits and vegi’s and drink lots of water (with some lemon in it).

I wash my hair when it’s dirty, so maybe every other or every third day and then let it mostly air dry.  I actually have naturally straight hair, so when you see the wave, it’s from a flat iron or a big curling iron.  I like to try different styles and have always enjoyed playing around with hairstyles.

Deb: You have some photographs of you and your lovely daughter on the blog. How are your styles the same or different and 2) what is the most important style lesson you have taught her or she has taught you?

Trina: Our styles are so much alike, it’s scary and at times funny.  If we’re shopping together and go about looking in a store, we usually end up bring the exact items into the dressing rooms.  There have been countless times we have bought the exact outfits head to toe while living miles away from one another.  The best part is when our husbands want to buy us a surprise outfit; they know who to turn to.  Tori (my daughter) said our styles differ with her being more simple; she would never wear some of my hats or funky jewelry.

She said the one important lesson I’ve taught her about style is that anyone can pull off wearing anything they want as long as you do it with confidence.  She says that girls will always tell her, “I wish I could look good in that.” And she always responds, “Why can’t you?”

The most important lesson she has taught me is to continue to just be myself and to love and embrace every age that my body decides it’s going to be.

Deb: What have you learned about yourself and/or your style from writing this blog?

Trina: The first thing I learned when I began blogging is that I hadn’t been in front of a camera for ages, I was always the one taking the pictures, therefore it was a huge stretch for me to get in front of the camera and then brave enough to post them for the world to see.  I’ve learned that it’s Ok to share style and creativity with others as long as its a way to spread joy into their lives.  I’ve also learned to never ever compare yourself to others, the blogging and Instagram world is all about sharing, embracing and building others.

Deb: Anything else you would like to add Trina?

Trina: Just a huge thank you for letting me share a little Trina with others.  Wish we could just all sit down for a fun tea party.

Deb: Me too! Let’s do it sometime. Thank you, Trina, for sharing your creative personality and outlook on fashion with us. Ladies, be sure to drop by Trina’s blog, Tea Time With Trina where you will see Trina’s daily outfits and can read her inspirational posts.