Featured Blogger: Seventh Edition!
For my summer featured blogger, meet Eleanor of Bonjour Bbydoll... if you haven't already, of course. I absolutely adore Eleanor. She's the sweetest friend ever and blogging wouldn't be the same without her. She has incredible style (she's my style twin!) and we are constantly swapping each other's clothes even though we live on opposite ends of the world. Be sure to check out her blog... and her interview questions! You'll love her! Promise!
1. What made you decide to start a fashion blog?
I've thought about this for a long time and I can quite honestly say - you! When I first started my blog, it had no direction and I had no idea what I was doing. Then I stumbled across Selective Potential and had a little 'aha!' moment - this was what I wanted to do! I read your whole blog within a few days, was completely inspired by you, subscribed to a million other style blogs and quickly started posting my own outfits. It's taken me a long time to find my feet and I still feel like a total newbie (after a year!) but I'm so happy I started fashion blogging.
2. What is another passion of yours besides style/fashion?
Food! I haven't had much time for it lately, but I love cooking, baking and most of all - eating. It started when I became a vegetarian nearly four years ago and has definitely become one of my biggest passions. I love finding fun new recipes, tackling new baking projects - like macaroons! - reading food blogs and watching cooking shows. Especially Nigella Lawson, who I have a serious lady-crush on!
3. What are you studying at university?
I'm studying English, History and French under a Bachelor of Arts. What I actually study is different each semester, but I love it. I just finished a comedy paper in which we were studying TV shows like Friends and Black Books, and next semester I'm looking forward to a food writing paper. My study is a whole world away from my style blog, apart from the writing aspect - and the French in my blog name! ;)
4. Tell us about Morne!
Morne is my amazing, kind, fun, funny, wonderful boyfriend! (He told me to write that.) Haha! It's true though. We've been together for nearly three years now and go to university together, where he's a psychology student. He's a big gaming nerd and also my awesome outfit photographer! He was never interested in photography before I asked him to take pictures for me, but he is really supportive of my blog and does such a good job.
5. What are some of your favorite blogs?
Apart from your blog, I absolutely love M Loves M, Postcards From, Orchid Grey, Here Comes the Sun and Tick Tock Vintage.
6. Where do you get your inspiration?
Mostly from style blogs, of course! I read close to one hundred, eek. I also get a lot of inspiration from magazines like Frankie and my favourite TV shows - I want the style of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl crossed with Rachel Berry from Glee, haha! Lately I've also been inspired by stylish girls I see in real life. If I see someone at university or out shopping in an amazing outfit, I always make a little mental note for later on!
7. What do you love most about living in New Zealand?
There is a lot to love about living in New Zealand and I actually think I've taken it for granted for a long time, because I'm always wishing we weren't so far away from everywhere. But this is part of why we are so unique and cool. We are still influenced by the US and Europe for sure, but New Zealand has got its own little thing going on. I love our music and our fashion designers and our beautiful beaches and our food. We've got the Naked and Famous, Karen Walker and pavlova! And even though I've been pining for a white Christmas ever since I was a kid... I love having Christmas in the summertime.
8. What are your career dream goals?
Becoming a magazine journalist has been a dream of mine since I was ten. I visited the offices of my favourite teen girl magazine when I was 14, read Teen Vogue religiously up until very recently and still love taking in each and every page of my favourite magazines - no matter how many blogs I read online. I can't wait to finally pursue a career in it after I finish my postgraduate studies!
9. What's your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
Typically I work most of the weekend - I have a part time job at an awesome stationary store called kikki.K. But when I have free time I love going on fun little dates with Morne. I'm happy if we just see a movie, stuff ourselves with popcorn and frozen cokes, and peruse our favourite shops, where I'll convince Morne not to buy the expensive comic book or Xbox game and he'll talk me out of buying more shoes! Haha! If all that happens, my weekend is made. I'm also very much a homebody so at some point my weekend involves hanging out at home with baking, good TV and my laptop!
10. Any new tips for bloggers you'd recommend?
Blog because you love it, not because you want followers or tons of comments. It's easy to become competitive and unfairly compare your blog to all of the other amazing blogs out there. But blogging should be something that you enjoy and that makes you happy - not something that makes you feel bad about yourself! I had to think about that a lot when I first started out. Also - make friends! I love that blogging lets you connect with like-minded, stylish young women on the other side of the world that you might not have had the opportunity to get to know otherwise! If you really love somebody's blog, email them and tell them. That's how my friendship got started with you, Tieka, after all!
I hope you all enjoyed learning about Eleanor! I loved reading all of her answers... seriously. Sweetest girl. Be sure to head over to her blog and follow along! You can also follow her on Twitter! And if you're curious, you can check out my first six featured bloggers!