Generally, when you think of Mothers and motherhood the words style, chic, fierce and fashion don't necessarily come to mind - unless of course we're speaking of my Mom, some other dope Moms I know AND Madame Candace Montgomery of Chic Busy Mom. I've had the pleasure of knowing this lovely lady for 5 years now - damn! I've never seen her 'off style,' or without something really cute on and as the Event Marketing Director at ESSENCE Magazine, I wouldn't expect anything less.

Candace oversees major red carpet events for the brand like Black Women in Hollywood, Black Women in Music and Best In Black Beauty Awards just to name a few all while producing her own platform Chic Busy Mom. At first glance, she doesn't look like a married Mom of three little beauties - which is what I admire most. Candace has been able to define her place as a Mom. She inspires other women to enjoy motherhood, enjoy marriage, stay true to self and more importantly look good doing it!

With all of that said, it was most crucial that I tipped over to Brooklyn to get a look into her shoe and fashion world. Please note, she played uber modest when it came to what we shot for the feature. She has more shoes {and clothes} than a little bit and as you'll soon find out in the interview, most of them are at the office! Ha!

Enjoy...

Put your ideal outfit together, where do you start and what are you wearing?

My ideal outfit has some sort of print in it. I love color, prints and patterns. It usually starts with the base i.e. pants, skirts, or a dress. Then I look at my shoes and figure out what I'm going to put on. I absolutely love prints. I love prints in my home. I love prints on my clothes. My shoes. Everywhere. My mother always wore prints and colors and I inherited that and I think my daughter has inherited it from me. I love Mara Hoffman and Stella Jean – when it comes to prints they’re it. I love Ankara and African prints. I also love what Reuben Reuel is doing. I purchased my first billowy Ankara print skirt from him.

What shoe designers do you feel speak most to your style and the way you would express yourself?

I do love Loeffler Randall and I have a fair amount of her shoes. I like that they are comfortable and they have a lot of prints and accoutrements. I do love Brother Vellies – I love that she’s a black designer and very creative. Her being black is just the cherry on top. But I love what she's doing with texture and fabrics like horse hair on the shoes. I do love Christian Louboutin, but my feet don’t love them. I've had two pair and had to return to them {ME: lets be truthful, no ones feet loves them. Girls are out here stuntin in these streets.} I need comfort. I want them to be chic, but I want them to be comfortable. I also love Proenza Schouler and Altuzarra.

Whose shoe closet would you love to raid?

I do love Kahlana Barfield’s shoe closet, Tracee Ellis Ross and I love Solange’s entire style. She speaks to me through her fashion with colors and prints. Its like myself realized in a more mainstream way. But Tracee would be my ideal.

Define your style in three words?

Mixed. Eclectic. Loud. My husband says when I get dressed in the morning I always look like I'm about to perform. In my brain, I don’t feel like I'm dressing for something – its just me. {ME: Listen, you have to be ready for the show. Life is a show.} Even though I work in a corporate environment, I've managed to bridge the gap between eclecticism and buttoned up. That’s what I love about working in media and magazines, you have the option to express yourself a little more.

If your shoes could talk, what would they say?

Take me out for a twirl. Take me out more. I actually keep a lot of my shoes at work because I don’t have space and since the company is moving I'm going to have to talk to my husband about building me a shoe shelving system in the bedroom - he doesn't know yet.

So you’re a shoe, what’s your style?

I might be a bright solid color on the top and then a pattern on the bottom and maybe a knot or some fabric on the top and I'm not more than three inches. {ME: that’s modest, but still a statement}. Exactly still making a statement, but I can get around in it.

If there were a law passed that prohibited women from wearing heels, what would you do?

You mean... would it just be for the state. {ME: No the country}. Oh my God. I would be apart of a major petition to stop that. That just can't be. It sounds sad and uninteresting. It’s a letter writing campaign. Listen, shoes make women happy! You may be feeling down or your outfit may just be ok, but you can put on your shoes and it changes everything. Shoes can make or break a situation. You can feel like this 'shit is fire', 'I’m doing it' with the right pair of shoes.

Earth has become unlivable, everyone is going to another planet, and you can only bring a carry-on – what’s in it?

Some pretty underwear because I might need to procreate. {ME: I completely burst into laughter - can you help me understand this. Am I missing something} You need to make sure your lingerie is on point too. Some good utilitarian basics – jeans, shirts and jackets. A good pair of boots I can roll down. A hat because I don't know what the elements are like and probably like 3 pairs of my light weight shoes.

Tell me about your brand. Chic Busy Mom what is that about. How have you come to epitomize a Chic Busy Mom?

It started out as just me and its grown into a platform where moms can talk about motherhood, beauty, lifestyle and work. Its about how you juggle your life, but still manage to present yourself in a way that you feel good about yourself. You can laugh with each other, have fun and laugh about motherhood. It represents busy moms in general.

Flash Round...

Pink or Purple? Pink

Sophia Webster or Charlotte Olympia? That’s tough ummm Sophia Webster

Fall or Summer? Fall

During our time together we broke out into a very interesting conversation about style. Here is a snippet:

Now check out the collection...

Kick in the door...

A shoe story...

Ordered steps...

From Jade...

Jumping the broom...

Walk the line...A series...

...

Walk the line...sparkle and shine...

Watermelon...

Chic Busy Mom...

Cocaina...

Reflections...

True Blue...

Knock and the door shall be opened...

Jett Jett...

What's Eating Gilbert Grape...

Prints and patterns...

Chic Busy Mom rocking Chic Busy Mom's...Aunt Viv & Claire

Keep up with Candace AKA Chic Busy Mom on her site - named of course Chic Busy Mom, Instagram and twitter pages @chicbusymom and out and about being cute, spreading her black girl magic.

Hey lovas we're back with another installment of Shoe Stories and this time, we sat down with Dana B. Johnson, Co-Founder of DoBrasil, Marketing Extraordinaire, Essence.com Talk Show Host, sometime break out in the middle of the sidewalk dance poser (Dana started dancing at the age of 3) and all around superstar! Dana is a lover of fashion, style and eclecticism. Not one to put herself in a box, Dana has traversed the globe - she literally just got back from Copenhagen - and embraces her free spirit. She's held stints everywhere from A&E TV to VOGUE Magazine, has served as Red Carpet host at ESSENCE Festival and even interviewed mama Jimmy Choo aka Tamara Mellon.

Dana hails from Alexandria, Louisiana and is quite possibly one of the funniest people I know. Her energy is so intense you have no choice but to feel alive when she's in the room. With a personality that can be seen through a brick wall, you'd have to imagine that her closet is full of loads of fun - and it is. From plaid capes to tutus to checkered leather skirts and spiked heels. From Aldo to Prada to Jimmy Choo, Dana's closet is a genuine reflection of self; if she loves it she buys it.

Here's what she had to say about shoes and more....

Put your ideal outfit together, where do you start and what are you wearing?

I start with whether or not I'm having a fat day or skinny day (I completely roll my eyes she's about a good 2!) to decide if I'm going tight or loose, but it really starts with my hair (she has a Caesar btw!). If I need a haircut then I feel like I need to be more polished from the neck down. If I have a fresh haircut I can be more lenient, I feel more fierce. My perfect outfit would start with a really great super fitted pair of jeans to make my butt look like Serena Williams (I literally burst into laughter), a simple top probably black and a sky high pair of shoes paired with a great lip! That’s the outfit I would feel best in.

Name your top 5 fav shoe designers?

*Gasp* I don’t even know if I have a top 5. I love Jimmy Choo because I got to interview Tamara Mellon when I was at VOGUE. It was Jimmy Choo's 15th anniversary and I loved her spirit. I love a good stomping boot like a Timberland - you may find yourself in a situation I don't know, I'm just saying. I like Brian Atwood quite a bit. I like Christian Louboutin, but he's not necessarily my top 5. I thoroughly enjoy Nicholas Kirkwood. Overall I'm attracted to shoes with a unique point of view. Each shoe speaks to me differently. I own everything from Aldo to Prada and half the time I forget what shoes I have until I remember how they make me feel and then I say oh I can wear this today. Its kinda weird, but whatevs.

Whose shoe closet would you love to raid?

*HUGE Gasp* June Ambrose because she appreciates a sky high heel and a really sexy oxford. She's really playful in spirit so she has an entire range of shoes for any occasion or moment. I love her spirit and point of view and I would definitely want her closet ASAP Rocky.

Define your style in three words?

Quirky. DJ: How do you say in one word if you look at the way I dress you can tell how I'm feeling? – ME: Emotional DJ: Yes emotional and MINE.

If your shoes could talk, what would they say?

"Owwww stop walking" – cause ill wear the same pair of high heels when I leave the house in the morning at 7:30 or whatever time it is. I’ll stay in my shoes all day. I don’t carry flip flops, in fact I don’t even own a pair of flip flops! I don’t carry flats in my bag - I'm NOT that girl - I want to stomp all day. And yes, sometimes my feet do hurt and sometimes I do make trips to Dr. Scholls at Duane reed, but they're gonna say "oww stop walking" because I will WALK in my shoes.

So you’re a shoe, what’s your style?

If I were a shoe I would be a reallllyyy high heel. Not stiletto and not round, but just in the middle. In addition, I would be a mood shoe that changed color based on how I feel. They'd make me look tall and they won't give me bunions.

How important is it to have a great pair of shoes?

I think its important to have great shoes, a great coat, and a great bag. I don’t think you should spend a lot of money on trendy things. Spend a lot of money on a pair of black classic pumps, nude pumps or oxfords. Not on the neon shimmy-shimmy fringe boots. Its nothing wrong with a neon shimmy shimmy, but you won't get the wear out of your investment. If you invest in shoes take care of them. Take them to the shoe maker, get them resoled, get the heels fixed et al. You'll be happy inside.

If you were stranded on an island, what three things must be with you?

UHH WINE! Or Crown Royal, pictures of my family and music. I love to dance. I think that if I were alone I could dance through that.

ME: It's time for the Flash Round – DJ: I ain't never scared

Glossy or Matte? Matte

Backpack or Bucket bag? Bucket

Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt? Brad Pitt and I say that with base and here's why. Along with aging really well and not going through the scary pirate phase (LOL), he’s done a lot for the rebuilding efforts of New Orleans Louisiana (my home state).

P.S. This interview was so funny, I may post an excerpt to the site later in the week.

Have a peek into Dana's closet....