Class, style, and tons of sophistication. What’s not to love, right? This week I am very happy to have Kristina of Pretty Shiny Sparkly as my guest for Fashionista Friday. She’s a fantastic blogger, a bonafide style maven and if you get to know a little bit about her personally – you’ll find very admirable surprises. Besides adoring her blog, we have a lot in common. 1) We’re both named Christina (or in her case “Kristina”). 2) We’re fellow H-town (that’s Houston to y’all) girls and 3) we both face the challenge of fashion blogging when our career paths are nowhere in the same realm. Kristina is actually really close to getting her M.D. (like I said, admirable!).
Anyway, in the face of those similarities and also because I just flat out adore Pretty Shiny Sparkly, Kristina and I chatted about the triumphs and challenges of personal style, balancing it all and the importance of networking.
I love your sense of style, pairing basic pieces with killer accessories. Do you have a specific process when putting together an outfit?
Oh my gosh if you guys only knew. <laughs> Basically I open the door to my teeny tiny cupboard-slash-closet, and I pick *one* thing that I want to wear that day. Then I just start pulling other things to go with it, and keep adding and adding until I have achieved some semblance of a layered look. But picking one piece and using that as the anchor, or foundation, sets the tone for my outfit. It’s especially helpful since I have the attention span of a flea. And I love what you said about basic pieces with great accessories: if you’re on a budget, spend your money on accessories, not clothes! I can’t wear my $160 pair of jeans every day (well…sometimes I do) but I can definitely sport my Michael Kors watch, vintage bangles, and studded bag every day for weeks and not get tired of it! It’s all about cost per wear–AKA, the fashionista’s rationalization theory.
I’m a fellow Houston girl and so I know that in this town as well as in other parts of the country, we’d roast in a fall wardrobe this time of year. Do you have any fashion secrets for keeping up with the changing seasons and still beating the heat?
I’m probably not the best person to ask this question because…well, I live in jeans. Yeah, pretty much year-round. I’m not a huge fan of my legs, so I prefer to keep them shuttered away as much as possible, but I’m also just a de facto jeans girl. That being said, in summer times and 100+ degree heat, I will wear what I want but alter the texture and color. I’ll go for lightweight fabrics, less layering, and lighter and brighter colors. Wearing black in the sun can make you feel like an ant under a magnifying glass–so I will wear things like white shorts, gauzy tops, etc.
One of the things I really respect about you as a blogger is your ability to balance a LOT. I know you are about to receive your MD – huge achievement, congrats by the way. How do you set aside time for your blog and still stay motivated?
First of all, thank you very much! It’s been a long time coming, I swear. I’ve always been a very dichotomous person. When I did some pre-college testing in high school, my results were never before seen: exactly 50% creative, 50% logical. They shrugged their shoulders and said, “It’s up to you.” That was, suffice it to say, not very helpful at the time. But now it totally makes sense. I’ve always been a blogger, even before Pretty Shiny Sparkly, and a photographer, so I have always had a passion for this industry. I think when you are passionate about something: whether it’s reading, yoga, movies, shopping…you make the time for things you love. I spend countless hours on both medical school and blogging, because both make me equally happy.
I know you recently attended NYFW. What tips can you share based on your experience networking with other bloggers in person?
First of all: don’t be shy! I’ve been to a handful of conferences (IFB Feb & Sep, Lucky Fabb Feb & Sep, Blogger Brilliance, Texas Style Council) and I’m still so terrible when it comes to meeting new people, and even worse when it comes to meeting people I know online but have never met in real life. But all I can say is: bring your business cards, take a deep breath, suck it up, and go introduce yourself. Having been on both sides of these introductions, it never feels *bad* to have a reader or a fan introduce themselves. It always feels good, so march up there knowing that you are going to make that person’s day!
Where do you draw inspiration from for your personal style?
I try to keep a lot of essentials in my closet. You will not find a skirt in the same style in five different colors. You will find basics, essentials, that are easily mixed and matched. This helps with my budget and my closet space. I am constantly inspired by style blogs, my peers, and to a lesser extent then before, magazines. But I’ve never really felt the urge to go out and replicate a look. I think I would find it nearly impossible. I will try any trend once (except harem pants). But ultimately I’ve always just dressed myself–sometimes it’s a fail, sometimes it’s a win. But if you never try, you’ll never know! I also get inspiration from Bloggers Do It Better. Nothing like your fellow peers to get you motivated to try a new trend!
Your blog is one of my all time favorites. What blogs do you love and like to stay current on?
Aw, thank you Christina, you are too sweet. I’m always catching up on my friends’ blogs like Grit & Glamour, Eat Sleep Wear,Sterling Style, and The Pioneer Woman. But I also really into Park & Cube (new fave!), The Coveteur, design*sponge, Atlantic-Pacific, and Cupcakes & Cashmere for inspiration and closet coveting.
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