Remember last week I said I had another new idea for my blog? Probably not! Anyway my new feature is Spotlight On where I will be spotlighting some of my favourite bloggers.
First up, The Joy of Fashion.
Marie’s blog is pretty new, but I am already impressed. Between her colourful outfits, pretty theme and bubbly personality it makes for a lovely read.
1. Name, occupation, location:
My name is Marie McGrath and I’m a college student in the US. I’m originally from Panama in Central America, but I decided to get my college degree in the US, so here I am!
2. What goes through your head when you put together an outfit?
I usually plan my outfits ahead of time. This is what me and my mom commonly call “Doing a fashion show”. What this consists of is making outfits, trying them on, and then taking pictures of them. The benefit of making outfits ahead of time is that I don’t have to make one up in the morning when I am in “Zombie mode”… lol. Instead, I check what the weather is going to be and based on that I just pick from a list of already-made outfits! It makes it much easier and faster to get dressed in the morning.
3. What is you favorite item in your closet?
Wao, thats a toughy! I think my favorite items in general are dresses. I looooooove dresses, no matter what season it is. I can wear them by themselves with some cute flats for summer as well as with a chunky knit sweater, tights, and boots for winter. They are just so easy to wear and I always feel so feminine and girlie wearing them.
4. What is your earliest clothing / fashion memory?
That one is easy! When I was a little girl, I would love to rate my sister’s closet and wear her fancy clothes. My favorite outfit was to wear one of her red glamorous dresses with a pair of red high heels that were way too big for me. To top it off, I would “put makeup on” which ended up being all over the place, and I let me hair down. I felt so beautiful strutting around the house in my sister’s fancy clothes and shoes, I knew I would love fashion forever.
5. Designer or second hand/vintage?
I would have to say neither. I don’t own almost any designer clothes, and my family really hasn’t given me second hand clothes in years. I believe in buying affordable fashion and playing it up so it looks spectacular. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on clothes in order to look good, all you need is a little creativity. So I try to buy affordable pieces of clothing, and then mix them up with inexpensive accessories in order to make them look special.
6. How did you get into blogging / online fashion communities?
I have always been inspired by others when it comes to fashion. I believe in having a personal style, but I also believe that looking at others for inspiration gets you far. It all began one day that I just wanted to get my fix of fashion inspiration, but didn’t know where to look. I tried “google-ing” (is that a word?!) daily outfits or something like that, and to my surprise I discovered that there was a world of fashion blogs and communities that I had never known about. I didn’t even know that blogs existed, much less fashion blogs! I was so excited that I spent hours looking through different blogs, and now I have a list of my favorites (This little piggie being one of them of course!).
7. You mix colors so well! Do you have any tips or rules you stick to?
Thanks! that’s very nice of you to say! I would say its more of a trial and error experience. Since I make my outfits before hand (as I mentioned earlier), I pick a piece of clothing I would like to wear (such as a skirt) and then I pick maybe 5 different tops in different colors to see how they look together. Many times I come to discover color combos I would have never thought of before and I finish loving them. Once I discover a color combo I like, I quickly write it down before I forget. That way I can use this same color combo later (so yes, I keep a list of colors that look good together… jeje). A few of my recent favorites are: purple and mustard, blue & purple, and my all new discovery: light blue and coral. Again, its all about taking a risk and trying out a mix of colors you never even considered before.
8. What new items are you on the look out for right now?
Now that its fall, I am really looking for some neutral colored pumps that would look fashionable and still keep my “warm”. Since I’m from Panama where the weather is warm all year round, I have lots of sandals but not too many closed toe shoes. My ideal would be to find a beige toned pump that would go with everything. If not, I always find a way to work what I have. Its all about appreciating and being creative with the things you own instead of always looking for new things to add to your wardrobe.
I hope you enjoyed reading about Marie’s style. You can check out more of her on her blog, The Joy of Fashion and on Weardrobe!
