My City May 2023

include smocking (defines the torso), accented by ruffled sleeves (creates the illusion of slim shoulders) and tiered hemlines below the bodice. Tiers accentuated with a little ruffle or unique stitch detail provide dra matic lengthening to the legs while “dressing up” a great maxi with visual interest so it's not a long, boring frock. Even shirts and jumpsuits are borrowing these gorgeous sleeve details and stitching that create a slimming bodice. Lastly, May brings so many celebratory events! Quick week end vacations, graduations, spring parties, weddings and more – these functions call for great gifts. Even the smallest gift shows a gesture of appreciation to a hostess or the cele brant and doesn’t need to be lavish. Fun napkins or wine markers paired with a great bottle of wine or bub bly, a beautiful cutting board paired

with a local cheese from the Farmers’ Market or The Cheese Lady, a hilarious and witty dishtowel paired with a small cookbook or fun servingware are all great gift ideas. Don’t forget end-of-year teacher appreciation gifts, as well – because, well, we SO appreciate teachers giving of their time, talent, patience and sanity to teach our children all year long. Yeti®-style custom insulated tumblers with cute sayings or silicone wine glasses that can easily be thrown into a beach bag make great gifts that are surely more fun than an apple or a plant!

SHIFT in Flint has all of this and more – don’t forget to shop local and support small businesses this May!

Shannon White is an architect, designer and fashionista – a small but mighty cheerleader of all things Flint! Holding both Bachelor of Science and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Michigan, she is the founder of the FUNchi tecture design firm and co-founder of she-powered Downtown Flint retail business, SHIFT.

39