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Fashion Phases & Fulltime Blogging: An Interview with Erika of Fashion Chalet

Today we’re both lucky and excited to introduce Erika Marie of Fashion Chalet. Erika has grown Fashion Chalet from a simple outfit-a-day blog in high school to one of the most influential personal fashion blogs in the country. Recently we sat down to learn more about Erika, her role in the fashion world, and ambitions for the future. Keep in mind this was just before she jetted off to NYFW, she’s a very busy fashionista. 

SS: When did you fall in love with fashion and how has your personal style evolved along the way?

FC: I’ve always remembered keeping up with trends. When I was only 4 I knew that denim jackets were on trend and I begged my mom to get me one from Bloomingdales. Knowing I would outgrow it far too quickly, she found a cheaper alternative, which pleased me just as much. Throughout school my style went through many phases. From drawing on sneakers and wearing boyfriend jeans in middle school to punk rock early in high school. Towards the end of high school my style became more girly and conservative. Today it’s more of an edgy, street style. As Rachel Bilson said in an interview, “some phases are bad but you learn from all of them.” 

SS: When and how did Fashion Chalet come about during your fashion evolution?

FC: For most of my life I lived in Miami. During high school I started to take daily pictures of my outfits and post them to Flickr or Myspace. I discovered fashion blogs through The Fashion Spot and that’s when I decided to create my own site. Fashion Chalet officially started in 2008. 

SS: Fashion Chalet seems to be a big part of your life. What role does blogging play in your life today?

FC: Blogging has become my career. As my blog has grown into a fulltime job I find myself spending much more time working on the photo shoots. I’m constantly writing, styling shoots, scouting locations, and researching trends and ideas. I even scout locations for photo shoots before I go on vacation.

SS: We have friends that have been reading your blog for quite some time. You must run into readers all over the place. Can you tell us what that’s like?

FC: I’m still quite shy when meeting readers but I do love to meet them. While in New York I was in a hotel lobby when Rihanna walked through. A group of teenage girls ran up to take pictures and get autographs. After Rihanna left one of the girls came over and asked if I was Erika of Fashion Chalet. I was a little caught off guard but it felt great to connect with one of my readers. 

SS: With the success of Fashion Chalet you must have big ambitions for your future. Where do you hope these experiences will take you?

FC: I want to keep growing my readership. The reason I started blogging in the first place was my initial passion to share. My ultimate dream is styling. Everything from catalogs for brands, shoots for designers, and editorials for magazines. Of course it would be great to keep some of the clothing afterwards too. 

We want to give Erika a huge thank you for taking the time to share with the StyleSays community. Be sure to check out all the Featured Styles she has created for us. We wish her the best of luck with her future in the fashion world!

xo,

StyleSays

Filed under Fashion Chalet Fashion Fashion Blog Interview

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We’re all about the interviews this week. Today we’re introducing not one, but two very special young ladies that are behind the blog 10K10Q and go by the signatures ‘D.’ and ‘T.’ They’re fashion bloggers, Featured Stylists, and accountants?!?! You heard right. These fashionistas are recent grads that are taking on the world of finance. We’re keeping their real identities on the DL so they’ve provided us with some amazing street style photos from NYFW. Without further bragging here are D. and T. of 10K10Q.   

SS: Since 10K10Q displays street style of both NYC and LA we’re curious to know if you both prefer one over other? How do the styles differ on levels more than just the weather?

10K10Q: Hmmm… we would say that LA’s fashion and NYC’s fashion are completely different in a way that NYC fashionistas are more editorial. It’s definitely not because of the weather. We believe that since NYC is a fashion capital, there are more people in the city who can appreciate what “fashion” really is. It’s not always about what brands you are wearing, but how you would style yourself in your clothes. Let’s take the NYFW Streetstylers for example. All of them looked stunning and some of them did not even use any designer labels to achieve a great look. They may have worn h&m or ZARA from head to toe. But, they could pull it off and stood out from the crowd. In LA, people are usually more laid back. Usually, we would spot our fashionistas wearing common brands such as Urban Outfitter, Brandi Melville, H&M, Forever 21, and Jeffrey Campbell. And, we could guess it right away. But in NYC, the stake is different. We would spot varieties of brands from the unknown to the vintage or to the common ones. Definitely, NYC has more to offer :)

SS: How did you two decide to start a fashion blog? Not many fashion blogs are written by two people. 

10K10Q: Last semester, we took a fraud accounting class together. One lunch after another, we started talking about fashion blogs out there and our aspirations of making one ourself. Inspired by the Sartorialist, we know that we want to capture what people on the street wears and what were their inspirations. We started by taking daily pictures of USC students and then turned out that we began to take more pictures of streetstyle fashionistas. Therefore, on the weekends, we were often hanging out at popular spots in LA to spot other fashionistas outside school. From then on, we started to do a mixture of streetstyle fashion along with style suggestions for “budget fashionistas”.

Being an accounting student, we know that it’ll be almost impossible to keep up with classes, do internship and manage 10k10q on our own. With that reason, we decided to collaborate, divide and conquer each coast. 

SS: Who are your current biggest fashion crushes?

D.’s : The Stockholm Streetstyles, BryanBoy, Hanneli Mustaparta, Elin Kling, Olivia Palermo, and Coco Rocha

T.’s : Rumi Neely, BryanBoy

SS: If you could each add one item to your closet what would it be? 

10K10Q: Hmm…We both LOVE shoes… so any pieces on our SHOE CLOSET on StyleSays can definitely be added to our closet :) 

Link to our shoe closet: http://www.stylesays.com/#!/10k10q/board/68373/ 

SS: How do you see the future of 10K10Q as you both take on careers in finance? 

10K10Q: The way we look at it, finance is something that we majored and graduated with. We know that it’ll give us great career stability. On the other hand fashion has always been our aspiration. With that being said, they’re both equally important for us. We know that it’ll be a little harder managing 10K10Q with work, we’ll try the best we can to capture more people and improve the content quality of our blog. Again, if we can do a lot of multitasking as accounting students, then we will have no problem in expanding 10K10Q :)

Thank you to D. and T. We’re wishing them the best of luck with 10K10Q and their futures in business! Be sure to check out their StyleSays page to see what they’re lusting for at the moment. 

xo,

StyleSays 

Filed under fashion street style satorialist NYFW

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Today we’re excited to bring you an interview with January’s Featured Stylist of the Month! Peonie is the whimsical creative behind the fashion+food blog Cupcake Peonie! Whether she’s piecing together colorful outfits or constructing amazing recipes it’s evident that this young lady is talented. Alright, alright we’ll stop gushing and let you get to know her for yourself.

SS: When did you first become interested in fashion and when did this interest bloom into an actual blog?

Peonie: Since the day I could dress myself, I have always been my own muse when it comes to fashion. I never stuck with the trends and I always wore what I wanted. Honestly, the blog began as a personal diary to myself. The outfit posts actually began as sort of a joke. My first outfit post was titled “An ode to the fashion bloggers” and it got such a great response that I continued to do them! 

SS: The name Cupcake Peonie makes me curious…Which do you love more, food or fashion? 

Peonie: I love eating almost as much as I love shopping, but I have to say that shopping and fashion takes the cake! 

SS: Who are you current biggest fashion crushes?

Peonie: Julie Sarinana of Sincerely Jules, Aimee Song of Song of Style and Wendy of Wendy’s Lookbook are my fashion blogger crushes of the moment. They have such amazing style! Everyday, they inspire me to stand out from the crowd! I love seeing each and everyone one of their personal styles. Sometimes when I’m shopping, I’ll say to myself, “This is something (insert fashion blogger name here) would wear!” It’s just so fun to discover people who have the same interests as I do!

SS: If you could add one item to your closest what would it be? 

Peonie: A pair of Christian Louboutin shoes! A classic pair like these (http://www.stylesays.com/#!/cupcakepeonie/126835/) would be the perfect addition to any outfit! Plus, who could resist a pair of those red soles?!

SS: What are your biggest hopes for your blog in 2012? 

Peonie: To become more fashion oriented because it is my passion. I love to hear and see when I inspire other people to discover something new about themselves through my blog. I only hope to continue the trend and inspire other people to push the limits of their own style.

A huge thanks to Peonie for taking the time to share her life with us. Check out Peonie’s StyleSays page to see her top fashion picks. Until next time :)

xo,

StyleSays 

Filed under fashion interview style

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We’re partnering with Messes of Dresses to reward one stylish person with a $50 giftcard. They offer some of the hottest brands like BB Dakota and Motel Rocks. It’s super easy to enter.1. Create a StyleSays Collection with the title “Messes of Dresses” and add your favorite items from their store.2. Like the Messes Of Dresses Facebook page. We’ll announce the winner on Monday March 5th. Email contact@stylesays.com with questions. Good luck!  xo, StyleSays

We’re partnering with Messes of Dresses to reward one stylish person with a $50 giftcard. They offer some of the hottest brands like BB Dakota and Motel Rocks. It’s super easy to enter.

1. Create a StyleSays Collection with the title “Messes of Dresses” and add your favorite items from their store.

2. Like the Messes Of Dresses Facebook page. 

We’ll announce the winner on Monday March 5th. Email contact@stylesays.com with questions. Good luck! 

xo,

StyleSays

Filed under giveaway contest fashion dresses

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Recently we had the pleasure of getting to know one of our Featured Stylists a little better. We’re proud to introduce Natalie Janfaza of Boxer’s Adventures. Natalie is well travelled and well versed in fashion. We adore her classic style and her affinity for the rare and unique. Time for us to let Natalie take over and be sure to visit her StyleSays page.  SS: What/who inspired you to start a fashion blog? NJ: Since I am a huge traveler, originally from Los Angeles, attending university in Boston, and living abroad for a year in Italy, a blog struck me as the perfect way to document my travels within fashion across the world, for the world. SS: Your blog also focuses on travel. What are your top 3 favorite cities to visit and have their style influenced you? NJ: My top three favorite cities from a fashion stance would have to be Los Angeles, Milan, and Bari. Milan is so incredibly classic and elegant. As a naturally classic-style dresser, I think Milan really reinforced my tastes in this style genre. Los Angeles, on the other hand, fits no criteria and jumps from any and all boundaries of style conformism. I love that you can find this liberation of style and expression in a place that really celebrates it. Bari is a smaller yet highly fashion-forward city in southern Italy. The style scene here is incredible and classy, polished and fixed to the T. The city is like one big Vogue magazine, without the toots and the horns of being a central fashion spot like Milan or New York. SS: We have to ask, what does your style say about you? NJ: My take on style is that it’s not the clothes that carry you, it’s you who carries the clothes. Fashion sense isn’t a rule or a guidebook, it’s an expression that lays in your hands to mold. My naturally classic yet distinct style I think paints a picture to the world of how I choose to express myself — never blatantly flashy but instead with subtle tones of shimmer — and the attention I put towards that expression.  SS: Valentine’s Day is coming up. What are your plans? What will you wear? NJ: As a lover of softer looks, I think there’s no better way than to celebrate the day with a pastel pink ballerina skirt, red lips, and a white lace top. SS: What is your current most craved item?  NJ: I am going absolutely goo-goo-ga-ga over Tokyo D-frame metal and acetate optical glasses by Prism. Find them on StyleSays. Will be grabbing a pair soon! Thank you to Natalie for taking the time to answer our questions! much love, SS If you are interested in being featured please email jess@stylesays.com 

Recently we had the pleasure of getting to know one of our Featured Stylists a little better. We’re proud to introduce Natalie Janfaza of Boxer’s Adventures. Natalie is well travelled and well versed in fashion. We adore her classic style and her affinity for the rare and unique. Time for us to let Natalie take over and be sure to visit her StyleSays page. 

SS: What/who inspired you to start a fashion blog?

NJ: Since I am a huge traveler, originally from Los Angeles, attending university in Boston, and living abroad for a year in Italy, a blog struck me as the perfect way to document my travels within fashion across the world, for the world.

SS: Your blog also focuses on travel. What are your top 3 favorite cities to visit and have their style influenced you?

NJ: My top three favorite cities from a fashion stance would have to be Los Angeles, Milan, and Bari. Milan is so incredibly classic and elegant. As a naturally classic-style dresser, I think Milan really reinforced my tastes in this style genre. Los Angeles, on the other hand, fits no criteria and jumps from any and all boundaries of style conformism. I love that you can find this liberation of style and expression in a place that really celebrates it. Bari is a smaller yet highly fashion-forward city in southern Italy. The style scene here is incredible and classy, polished and fixed to the T. The city is like one big Vogue magazine, without the toots and the horns of being a central fashion spot like Milan or New York.

SS: We have to ask, what does your style say about you?

NJ: My take on style is that it’s not the clothes that carry you, it’s you who carries the clothes. Fashion sense isn’t a rule or a guidebook, it’s an expression that lays in your hands to mold. My naturally classic yet distinct style I think paints a picture to the world of how I choose to express myself — never blatantly flashy but instead with subtle tones of shimmer — and the attention I put towards that expression. 

SS: Valentine’s Day is coming up. What are your plans? What will you wear?

NJ: As a lover of softer looks, I think there’s no better way than to celebrate the day with a pastel pink ballerina skirt, red lips, and a white lace top.

SS: What is your current most craved item? 

NJ: I am going absolutely goo-goo-ga-ga over Tokyo D-frame metal and acetate optical glasses by Prism. Find them on StyleSays. Will be grabbing a pair soon!

Thank you to Natalie for taking the time to answer our questions!

much love,

SS

If you are interested in being featured please email jess@stylesays.com 

Filed under fashion interview style

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Congrats to Peonie! January’s top Featured Stylist. Check out her Featured Styles. Each week we will announce a top Featured Stylist. Then at the end of the month we will award one person as the top Featured Stylist. To achieve this title we will post specific criteria that must be completed. This will include themed outfit contests for big events, brands, and styling clothing around individual items.  much love, SS

Congrats to Peonie! January’s top Featured Stylist. Check out her Featured Styles.

Each week we will announce a top Featured Stylist. Then at the end of the month we will award one person as the top Featured Stylist. To achieve this title we will post specific criteria that must be completed. This will include themed outfit contests for big events, brands, and styling clothing around individual items. 

much love,

SS

Filed under fashion contest stylist

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More Than Outfit: an interview with Alison Messinger of ECLECTIC À LA MODE

We’re back with our blogger spotlight! This week we’re proud to introduce you to one of our very own Featured Stylists who also founded the blog ECLECTIC À LA MODE, Alison Messinger. Originally from California, Alison has walked the concrete runways of Europe while continually evolving her personal style and story. What we appreciate most about Alison is her deep exploration of fashion beyond the racks and outfits. She creates context around which clothes exist. Check out EÀLM to fully experience her style. 

SS: It seems your life and fashion are very much intertwined. When did you first realize that this was one of your biggest passions?

A: I feel as though it has always been with me in some part. I went to a private school as a child — and I HATED the uniforms, I didn’t like being confined to the norm. Even since I was very small I’ve felt a want to be expressive with my surroundings, and I think that grew with age into my love for fashion. The turning point may have been the third or fourth person who told me I should go into fashion. 

SS: I know that you’ve lived in some very cool places. Can you tell me a little about the different cities you’ve lived in and how the fashion of those places has influenced your personal style?

A: I’ve set down in London, Paris, and California’s wine country. London was very architecturally enticing to me, I liked seeing the drab neutral palettes around town (and I actually really enjoyed the rain) the mute colors have definitely made way into some of my daily ensembles. 

Paris was a city that made me feel alive with passions; passion for art, for fashion, for the style of the city in general. There were days when I could find inspirational people on the streets across from a dingy laundromat or strutting through the upscale Latin Quartier. That was something I loved seeing most about life there; people were dressed up whether they were going out to do their wash or to rendezvous at the best night spots. It’s safe to say that the lifestyle of Paris has very much inspired and saturated my closet with easy-yet-oh-so-chic pieces. Paris taught me how to shop. 

The wine country here in California has lent itself to bits of my weekend wardrobe. Though I passionately love travel and hope to root down again in Europe someday, I will always have a California girl edge about me. The wine country is about the ease of slowing down and imbibing in nature’s bounty. When I go up for a visit I make sure to pack a big cozy sweater for bonfires, a bikini for the river, and a picnic outfit for wine tasting and bocce.
SS: ECLECTIC À LA MODE seems like much more than an outfit-a-day type of fashion blog. How would you best describe it in your own words?

A: EÀLM is edited as if it were a magazine. I run interviews, events, runway commentaries, season trends, new icons in art, music and video, and while I regularly include outfit shoots (a style blogger’s cornerstone), they are meant to encapsulate more of an editorial or a dream rather than an-outfit-a-day. I love seeing how people decide to put their outfits together, but I’m the kind of person who wants to do things a bit over the top… hence an outfit becomes a look and the look turns to an idea which becomes an all out fashion story with my photographer. It’s always a fun project to do a shoot.

SS: For StyleSays a large part of fashion is about inspiration. Inspiring people to explore their own style and discover something new. Who are your current fashion inspirations?

A: I look to a lot of designers’ works for inspiration. This season it’s pieces from Albino, Pedro Lourenço, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Markus Lupfer, Ports 1961 — a menagerie of colours, textures and layered sheers. And there are the people who I feel always look well pulled together; Charlotte Gainsbourg, Ashley Olson, Kate Lanphear, and Marc Jacobs. I also like to see what other bloggers are currently into, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that I follow the blogger trends, I try to stick to my instincts.

SS: What are you looking forward to most in 2012? Both for EÀLM and for yourself. 

A: I look forward to 2012 bringing in new possibilities for EÀLM, I want to explore more ventures with bigger names and companies. I would love to be a part of an advertising campaign, commercial or something of the like! For myself, I look forward to moving into a new apartment that I get to decorate. I have so many ideas that need more space.

SS: Given our name we have to know, what does your style say about you?

A: I’d say my style is eclectic (name game again), a little dabble into everything that inspires me. It says I’m multi-faceted, “a chameleon” as my friend and hair stylist has told me, layered and a little textured around the edges.

Thank you to Alison for taking the time to give us insight into her world. Check out her StyleSays profile to see what she’s shopping at the moment. 

Have a great weekend!
SS

Filed under fashion interview street style