Fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette know Emily Maynard as the blonde bombshell who won hearts and roses. But now that her stints on the wildly popular ABC franchises are over, Maynard is ready for the next chapter in her life, which includes an adorable young daughter, a gorgeous Towne & Reese jewelry line, and a fashion blog that’s chock full of style-savvy advice. We chatted with her about life after The Bachelorette, the baubles she can’t quite get enough of, and what every girl needs in her purse.
Betty Confidential: How are you spending your time after The Bachelorette?
Emily Maynard: Honestly, after The Bachelorette, I wanted to get back to normal as soon as possible, to just go back to being a mom. Anyone who has kids knows that things go back to normal pretty quickly.
BC: Do you have any regrets?
EM: You know, I really don’t. I know that’s such a cliché thing to say, but I wouldn’t change anything I did. I might not have used as many cuss words, but other than that I’m really proud of the way I handled myself and I’m really happy with the way things turned out.
BC: We’ve checked out your fabulous new jewelry line and were wondering: How involved were you in the design process?
EM: I think it’s really important for people to know that this isn’t something I just threw my name on and walked away. I was really involved in every single step of the design process; there was really so much more that went into it than I ever could have imagined. I thought it was going to be like ‘Oh, let’s design some pretty jewelry,’ but it was not that way at all. Everything from the hangtags to the logo to the website and little things like ‘How big do you want this chain?’ It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.
BC: What were your inspirations?
EM: I got a lot of inspiration from just traveling. We tried to use a lot of African-inspired beads. One of the pieces is based off a necklace I found in an old antique shop in Croatia. I also got tons of inspiration by just going through my mom’s old jewelry box, magazines, and I’ve gone to a lot of antique shows. The Ellie necklace, the pendant on there, is based off of an old drawer pull I found at an antique show.
BC: Do you have any personal favorite pieces from the line?
EM: Honestly, that’s such a hard question. I really love them all. There are certain pieces I wear more than others, but I couldn’t pick just one favorite. I really love all the bracelets. The Scarlett bracelet, Bethany, the Susie bracelet –I stack all those and I wear them pretty much all the time. Those would be up there for sure.
BC: We know you have a young daughter. Is she a fan of the line?
EM: Oh yeah, she’s really excited. We went through and named all of the pieces after her friends from school. She’s really proud of me. She wore one of the bracelets to school one day and took it off and put it back on so many times that it came back and was in a shape that I had never seen metal bent into. She was so excited to show everybody what her mom had made.
BC: Which pieces are perfect for women on the go?
EM: That’s what I love about jewelry! You can dress up an outfit everyone has in a million different ways just by the necklace or stack of bracelets you wear. I love the Carly necklaces just because they’re big and chunky and you can throw it on over a V-neck T-shirt and run out the door. I also love the beaded bracelets because you can mix those and they can totally turn an outfit in a different direction.
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BC: Do you think you’ll do a full fashion line in the future?
EM: You know, I’m just trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m doing a jewelry line. This has been such a blessing. I’m just so grateful for this and anything that comes beyond this would be an added bonus.
BC: We adore your personal style. Who are your style icons?
EM: My style is so all over the place. Monday I’ll wear leggings and combat boots and the next day I’ll wear heels and a full skirt. I’m all over the place. I love Blake Lively, Kate Hudson, and I love Jillian Harris, who was on The Bachelorette a few years ago. I love her style. Everything she wears, I’m like, ‘How do I buy that?’
BC: What are a few summer fashion trends you love?
EM: Gosh, I’m really bad at keeping up with what’s trendy and all of that. I wear what I like. In summertime, it’s so hot in Charlotte, so I wear a lot of maxi dresses and I wear a lot of cutoffs and T-shirts to be honest. Just running around with Ricki all day, a lot of the time I don’t have time to put together crazy outfits. I just grab and go.
BC: Do you have any style tips for women with young children?
EM: I’d say be comfortable for starters. I think that’s the first thing on every mom’s checklist. I like to keep the things I wear the most at the front of my closet so I can just grab it and go. Simple things like maxi dresses, that you can throw on and not worry about matching pieces. You can just throw on a maxi dress, sandals, some bracelets, and run off to work looking cute.
BC: What are the top items you always need in your purse?
EM: I keep a little spray bottle of the Oribe dry texturizing spray, Benefit concealer –I use that pretty much all over my face—and I love the beautyblender sponge. I keep one of those in my bag all the time. Whenever you’re going through the day and your makeup gets a little smudged, your first reaction is usually ‘Let me put more makeup on’. But when you’re carrying this little sponge, you can smooth it all out.
BC: Where do you see yourself in five to 10 years?
EM: You know, that’s something I think about all the time. If you’d asked me five years ago where I thought I’d be now, I would have never have guessed I’d have been on The Bachelorette and launching a jewelry line. I would have never guessed that my life would have taken me here, but I’m so grateful that it has and I’m so grateful for the experiences. I can’t really even begin to wrap my head around where I’ll be in five years, much less 10, but after taking it day by day, I’m just grateful for every opportunity that has come my way.
Diana Denza is BettyConfidential’s contributing editor.
Photos courtesy of Thien La and Becca Bond Photography
