*Photos by Jen Lozano
This is such a bittersweet post to write. I’m already so emotional over here but I am beyond humbled to be able to honor our dear friend, Mallory Sauer in a way that I know would have meant the world to her. For those who don’t know, Mallory was the Denver fashion blogger behind Sweet and Sauer, who lost her battle with cancer in June. Mallory’s battle was an incredible one and the fight she put up was like nothing I had ever witnessed. If you are interested in Mallory’s story you can read about it here, but this post is not about her Crohns Disease or her Melanoma. This post is about her life, our bond and carrying on her legacy in the most fashionable way possible.
For starters, I just want to say I am so grateful to have these three incredible women to do this post with. Carolina from Chic Talk, Desire from Darling Be Daring and Alena from Moda Prints. Each of them inspire me everyday and I wouldn’t have been able to get through any of this without them. Their hearts are as beautiful as their faces and God is good for bringing us together. Each of our outfits were directly inspired by Mallory’s amazing sense of style. You can read their posts about Mallory and how she inspired them on their blogs. 
I first moved back to Denver in 2014 and was trying to figure out the small but mighty fashion scene out here, as well as try to make new friends. I remember looking up Denver Bloggers on Instagram and coming across Mallory’s photo at the Denver Fashion Week event. She had on this amazing, chic Diane Von Furstenburg jumpsuit and looked SO fabulous. I thought to myself, “Dang! This is the most stylish Denver girl I’ve seen to date!”. Mal and I didn’t meet at the event or anytime soon after that but as I started making friends in Denver and told them about my blog I often got, “Oh you blog? Do you know Mallory Sauer?”. It felt like everyone knew and adored Mal, which speaks to her character. After I replied “Not yet.” They usually followed with “You kinda remind me of her” or “You guys kinda look alike” foreshadowing to us clicking immediately when we finally met.
Mallory LOVED fashion. If I could describe her style in one word it would be cool. She was just the coolest chick with the coolest style. Her blog was so near and dear to her that even when she didn’t feel good, even when things were hard or she had no energy, she got up, got dressed and took pictures for content. Mallory was effortless in the way that she put things together, she would have an outfit in mind and then decide to throw on something spunky to make it her own. Each of us bloggers have such unique senses of style but we still are influenced by Mal’s.
Desire loves classic, quality basics and feminine silhouettes with pretty details. This look was inspired by this look of Mal’s and that spunky piece, the felt hat that Mallory always knew how to rock.
Carolina knows how to take a simple look and elevate it like no one I’ve ever seen. Her attention to detail and the way she layers her accessories is impeccable. Carolina was inspired by this look of Mal’s.
Alena has the ability to carry off pretty much anything and pair items together in a way most would never think of. She is always breaking the “rules” of fashion and making her own and I LOVE that about her style. Alena was inspired by one of Mal’s NYFW looks.
It’s funny how we all have the same or similar items in our closets and style them in such different ways. Mallory loved sticking with a neutral color palate, as do I. A watch was a staple and this gold statement necklace was her absolute favorite. I wasn’t fully inspired by any particular look, I just felt like this was a very Mallory look but this skirt can be seen on her here.
Mal and I started flowing each other on Instagram and socially supporting each other, we occasionally saw each other at events but never really got a chance to really connect. Finally, one night us bloggers randomly got together. Mallory had just gotten her ostomy bag and was finally feeling up for going out for the first time in 10 months. We had a girl’s dinner and just had an effortless connection. We chatted about everything as though we had known each other for years. I was in awe of Mal’s positive outlook about her bag, who she affectionately named “Gurtrude”, because the truth was she wasn’t happy about it, but she didn’t let it keep her down. She made the decision to show it off and talk about it in hopes of empowering others. And she did. The amount of messages Mallory received thanking her always surprised her, she was just doing what she was called to do.
After dinner we went to get a couple drinks and next thing I know the three of them who had been planning on going to NYFW convince me to buy a ticket and go with them. That was one of the best decisions of my life.
Put four bloggers, with multiple suitcases in a tiny NY hotel room and if you manage to not kill each other you will be bonded for life. I promise you. Running around New York, attending Fashion Week shows, going to cool parties in awesome event spaces and rooftops was something we had all fantasized about and having it come to life with girls that you just adore made it the trip of a lifetime.
I could go on and on and on about all the little memories that were made on that trip but there is so much more to cover about Mal.
After NY, we went back to our regular busy lives, all running in different directions but we always made sure we got together to take pics for our blogs or to just hang out as much as possible. Mallory was never one to play up her illness, in fact it was the opposite. Her strength and tenacity will never leave my mind. The way she lived her life, not letting anything keep her down, pushing through even when it was hard was awe-inspiring. Even though she never let her illness define her or what the doctor’s said limit her, I think we all realized deep down that time with her was precious because we just didn’t know what the future held. Each day is precious and I will always carry on knowing that because of Mallory.
Everyone looked to Mal for style inspo but one of the most amazing things that came from her blog was the support she shared with her readers through her health battle. They connected with her in such an intimate way because she was vulnerable in a way that most people wouldn’t have been able to be. No question was off limits, no detail spared and this helped all kinds of people going through the same or similar situations. I admired her so much for that and am so thankful she was strong enough to share her strength with so many.
One thing I cannot leave this post without mentioning is Mallory’s sense of humor. Her battle was nothing short of brutal and yet she continued to laugh her way through life and always found a way to make others laugh with her. I can still picture her funny facial expressions when something crazy happens, or her little sayings that always landed with perfect timing. She was very sarcastic and even when we would cry with her, she would turn it around with a joke, even if it felt inappropriate. I loved that about her.
Mallory proved to me that friendship is not measured in time. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known someone, it’s about how much support you feel from them, how open you can be with them, how much love you give to each other. We were so lucky to have her as our friend for the short time that we did. Our lives will never be the same without her and we miss her every. single. day. But one thing I know for sure, I will carry on through my life with her positive outlook, never give up attitude, wicked sense of humor in mind and always add a little Mal to my outfit. <3
Always,
Amber
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