I started taking photos of my outfit every day on my iPhone out of pure laziness and lack of creativity. I read lots of other fashion blogs, but before pinterest, it was hard to get allof them in one place, so I figured I'd be my own blog. It allowed me to remember what I’d worn in the past so that I could lay in bed until the last possible minute in the morning without having to come up with an outfit – I could simply look through past photos and modify little things to make each day unique.
I started blogging because Ash, my photographer from 2012, really pushed me to try it. She knew I took photos every day myself to remember my outfits, and she liked what I was wearing, so she was the one who gave me the encouragement. I’m pretty thankful for it now.
Which blogs do you read every day?
Oh gosh. Too many, and they actually change based on how much time I have during little breaks at work. My recent favorites are Twelve by Six, Professionally Petite, Sam Ipsa Loquitor, The Perpetual Student’s Wife, Along the Lines of Style and of course Franish! I read WAY more than that, though, and I comment and pin outfits often! Reading blogs provides such great inspiration!!
Who takes your pictures? What camera and lens do you use? Have you ever been caught in the act of taking these?
I used to have a great photographer in my co-worker Ash, but she’s off traveling in Asia on a bit of a sabbatical right now. When she was taking my photos, all the pics were simply on my iPhone. We usually went up on the roof of our parking garage, and we got caught once by a co-worker…it was definitely awkward. Now that Ash is off exploring, I have set up a tripod for my simple point-and-shoot camera. I hope to upgrade soon!
Do people in real life know about your blog? What were their reactions when they found out about your blog?
Yes, they do now. At first I kept it a huge secret, but slowly but surely it leaked out. Most of my close girlfriends and female family members read it now, which I love. And of course the boyfriend knows it exists, but he doesn’t read it very often, as far as I know. I thought I’d hate real life friends knowing about it, but it actually provides lots of support and encouragement.
Your blog often features what you wear at work (many of you pictures are even taken at work!). What restrictions does work put on your wardrobe, and how do you work within those confines?
My work is awesome. For those of you not already following the blog, I work for a super-nerdy technology startup based in Seattle. In fact, I’d say that being in Seattle puts more restrictions on my outfits than my work does. At work, we have people wearing suits, and others wearing shorts & t-shirts (even in winter), and I dress somewhere in the middle. If I’m meeting with customers or partners, I try to stay in slacks or skirts, and when I’ll be in the office all day, I’m often in jeans. But Seattle, especially in the winter, makes it challenging. You’ve probably heard it rains here, and if you haven’t, how’s that rock you’re living under? But seriously, dealing with the rain every day puts quite a restriction on how I dress myself.
Many fashion bloggers hop from one trend to the next. How do you manage to stay on trend without breaking the bank and just blindly following each trend?
Thank goodness I’m pretty strict with myself when it comes to a shopping budget. In fact, I’m paying even more attention in 2013 and will be linking up for Budgeting Bloggers right here every month with Franziska! In addition to a tight budget, I often have a hard time trusting the trends until they have stuck around for a bit. So I’m rarely an early adopter, to borrow a term from marketing, and more often wait until the trend has some lasting potential.
Putting yourself on the internet comes with the expectation that not everyone will always love what you are wearing and writing. Have you encountered any oft hese criticisms, and if so, how do you handle it?
I have been SO lucky! I think that with more readers will come more criticism, so I guess I should be ready for that, but so far I’ve had the most supportive and complimentary readers and followers so far. I love getting comments each day and I hope I never get to a point where I’m afraid to read them because they may carry some critique or criticism. Maybe I need to be more daring so that people have stronger opinions about what I’m wearing!
What has been the best thing to come out of blogging?
Can there be two bests? I love the community out here! The other blogs to read and comment on, the readers and commenters of my blog, the collaboration that comes through linkups and features like this. It’s amazing. Also, I love that I’ve become more creative with my closet. I’m wearing things in ways I wouldn’t have before. I’m challenging myself. And I love that the pieces of my closet now go farther than they did pre-blogging.
When it comes to promotion of your blog, what methods do you use? Do you spend a lot of time commenting on other blogs, pinning your looks, doing link ups?
I’m definitely not consistent in this area. I travel at least a week each month, and so I have a hard enough time simply putting up outfits at least 3 days a week. I definitely comment on other blogs, but I did that even before I had a blog, so I don’t actually use it for promotion. I pin my looks sometimes, and I do linkups sometimes and I tell people in person sometimes. One of my goals in 2013 is to really figure out what I want to do to promote, if I even do. I love the organic growth I’ve gotten so far and I would love to see it grow even more inthe future.
What tips or suggestions do you have for your fellow bloggers?
I think the biggest thing I recommend is to do it for yourself more than for anyone else, and have fun! Blog when you feel like blogging, and take a break when you need one. Don’t let guilt play a role in your blogging—instead, keep it positive and make friends in the blogging community. Make your blog a place you enjoy coming to every day. I think it’s as simple as that!
Thank you, Bri! Make sure you go visit Work Clothes, I Suppose!
