As somewhat of a blogging newbie, I hadn’t heard about the Liebster Awards until very recently, when the lovely Lindsey of Have Clothes, Will Travel nominated me! It was pretty flattering – and rather circular, given that Lindsey is a huge part of the reason I started blogging in the first place. At the start of this year, she asked me to be her Featured Fashionista for February – in answering her interview questions, I really verbalized my style philosophy in a way I hadn’t before. Long story short, it crystallized the idea that had been brewing forever – to start a blog – and here we are!
So, what is the Liebster Award? If I’ve learned anything from my research into this thing, it’s that the rules are somewhat variable. However, the bottom line is that the Liebster was created to recognize and/or discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere – and who doesn’t love that? I felt instantly welcomed by the blogging community, and really love nothing more than supporting an amazing community of people who share their passions and insights with the world.
Given that today marks my 100th blog post (!), I thought it was the perfect time to throw my hat in the ring and get on with this Liebster business. I’ve decided to follow the major common thread in the rules for this award, which is to list 11 random facts about myself, answer the 11 questions that Lindsey answered in her post, and then nominate 11 other bloggers I find inspiring. Brace yourself folks. I am not known for my brevity…
Shoes: Betsey Johnson (similar)
11 Random facts about me
1 I’m a marine neuroscientist. I study & work with sharks every day (no really, I’m serious). More specifically, I study their brains, which is admittedly weird but completely fascinating. I’ve even appeared in several documentaries for my research for Shark Week (and still cringe when I watch myself). Despite the stereotype for what a scientist “should” wear, I wear a dress to the lab nearly every day. If I’m wearing trousers, you can assume I’m either (a) traveling, (b) in the field getting covered in shark goo, or (c) it’s a Dark Day. If it’s (c), best to hand me a cup of coffee and let me be.
2 I hate HATE bananas. Serious hate. I hate the way they taste, smell, and the way it sounds when someone is chewing them. My allergist has informed me that such hatred is classified as an allergy, as every part of my being rejects them. I have a sneaking suspicion Mr. Dressed used to think I was exaggerating, until one evening in our early dating adventures we were planning a feast of BBQ ribs and cornbread. (I was stupid excited, as you can imagine). I chomped gleefully into a cornbread muffin we had bought earlier that day, and before the information could even reach my brain, that muffin was splattered along the wall of the kitchen like a crime scene. Turns out they were mislabeled banana muffins. I don’t think he questions my hatred of bananas anymore. As a result, Mr. Dressed is probably sorely Potassium deficient because they can’t enter our house and I won’t kiss him if he’s eaten one (He had one while at a conference in San Francisco once in the last 8 years. I wonder if it tasted better because it has the juices of rebellion running through it).
Shoes: Seychelles (similar)
4 I have a relationship with coffee – it actually makes me sad when we’re apart. I tried to give it up once and I swear the world suffered for it. Best to just let our love run free.
5 I have one sister who is my very best friend & we have matching tattoos to remind us we always have each other’s backs. Although she lives on the other side of the world, we’re still oddly connected and I can always sense when something is amiss back home. We also look freakishly alike from certain angles. So much so that I was able to convince a hotel clerk to let me into her room once so I could get up to sneaky decorating shenanigans. She said it was strictly against policy, but considering I was her doppelgänger she let it slide.
6 I nerdily love making & giving Powerpoint presentations. It’s seriously my favorite thing. There are so few opportunities in science to get to be creative, that I usually burst out in a choir of angels and confetti when it’s time to prep for a conference. I think my joy is evident in my talks though – I’ve even won some awards for my Powerpoint making!
7 I used to write plays all the time. Like all the time. I minored in theatre at Uni and have performed in a number of shows. I once even sang a solo in Pirates of Penzance (my first operetta – both terrifying & exhilarating). Theatre and performance will always be a part of my soul. And though its distance to my immediate circle of activity varies, I still sing very VERY loudly in the car every chance I get. Usually Broadway musicals. If you’re driving past, I may wink at you, but I sure won’t stop my singing…
8 I fell through a glass door playing hide-and-seek when I was little & have a pretty gnarly scar on my wrist from the stitches. I usually tell people I got into a fight with a croc (and you should see the croc…)
9 I’ve lived in three countries thus far, all driven my my career. I grew up in the States, and then move to New Zealand to do my PhD. I moved to San Diego from there for my first post doc (acquired a cat, a husband, and a dog – in that order), and then moved the whole lot of them over to Perth, Australia. I’ve learned that large-scale moves are great for feng shui-ing life. I still marvel at how much someone can acquire in a short span of only a few years…
10 I am paler than white bread and never tan (my freckles make a concerted effort to ban together occasionally and look tan, but it’s all for show). When I was young, my mom and sister would bake in the sun with coconut oil, while I would sit under the umbrella in 50 SPF and a sunhat. They’d be golden brown by the end of the day and I’d still be a lobster. Ohhh the injustice!
A deep secret? Sometimes I even write things down I’ve already done just so I can cross them off…
12 (Cause why not make it an even dozen?) My collection of vintage has become so all-encompassing that my amazing and understanding husband has let me commandeer an entire room of our house to turn into my boudoir. The racks are organized by color with an entire wall of handbags and a red velvet sofa. Forget Disneyland, my closet is the happiest place on earth.
Phew, That’s a lot of random. When I sat down to write those, I didn’t realize quite how quirky I really was. Ah who am I kidding – let that freak flag fly!
Next up, I was tasked to answer 11 questions about this whole blogging malarky and really get into the sharing thing – I will admit, some of these questions I definitely found harder than others.
Q: What inspired you to start your blog?
This blog was definitely brewing for a very long time before I took the plunge. I had read and loved fashion blogs for years – but it was almost a secret passion. My profession is full of self-proclaimed nerds and bookworms (I wear those titles proudly). But in my world, an interest in fashion is stereotypically seen as a shallow pursuit, and if you care about your outward appearance, you must be incredibly vain (and probably not all that smart).
But it’s nearly impossible to ignore the things you’re passionate about, and over time I found myself incorporating more and more of what I love into my daily life. Though I resisted it for awhile, I joined Instagram (well, really, we started it for my husband’s app Dressed, but I’ve commandeered it and he’s never getting it back). I was always resistant to social media and putting myself out there, but found that posting my daily outfits and connecting with women all around the world who shared my love of vintage was like discovering long lost family I never knew I had.
So, I sat down one rainy Saturday and my computer whiz husband set me up a domain and gave me a rundown of the basics of HTML. And I literally attacked the project – in a day I had a skeleton for the blog and within two weeks I was ready to take the plunge. True to it’s name, The Dressed Aesthetic gave me the freedom to verbalize my aesthetic and also made me realize how much I really love sharing my vintage finds and offering up style tips and an overall message of body positivity, regardless of age, gender, profession, or our current self-flagellation-of-the-hour.
I try to use my blog to show women that we place a lot of restrictions on ourselves to do what others expect – time to break those rules and go rogue!
Shoe clips: La Belle Vintage
Q: Who is your favorite style icon?
That’s actually a really hard question for me to answer. I love Chanel for her simplicity. Audrey Hepburn for her classic, timeless silhouettes. But truthfully, I get less inspired by someone’s particular style and more inspired by their vibe – even if someone’s style is completely different from mine, I’m inspired by women I pass every day who are clearly dressing to please themselves and feeling amazing. I love unexpected combinations and unabashed style choices. Unapologetic women (and men) who are just “doing them” and shining from within.
Maybe deep down I don’t really believe in icons because I would never be confident emulating someone else’s style – it’s all about finding my own aesthetic. Fulfilling my own expectations. If you love jeans and t-shirts, wear the most amazing ones you can find. If you love gingham dresses and motorcycle boots, I’ll be the first to tell you that you look fabulous when you walk past. If you love vintage dresses, seek them out and spend your days twirling in the streets. If you have a passion for body art, vintage updos, kitsch cat figurines – hunt them down and display them proudly and make yourself happy every day by embracing them. To me – it’s more the attitude than personal style that makes someone an Icon and it’s that air of being completely comfortable in your own skin that’s something to aspire to.
Q: Can you name two of your favorite bloggers and explain why they are your favorites?
Ohhh I have way too many too name. Seriously. Blogging has always felt like this publically-private, wonderful world where we share in the joy that fashion and self-expression gives. And everyone is so unique and amazing in their own way – asking me to pick two is literally like asking me to choose amongst my shoes (Seriously. Too. Hard. Could you do it?). But, I have an ever growing Blogroll of the amazing blogs I read regularly and hope you find as much inspiration in those ladies that I do!
Q: What’s the one wardrobe essential you can’t live without?
That’s easy – Dressed! Seriously – this app has changed my life and changed the way I organize my wardrobe. Plus, being able to ‘try on’ outfits in bed, on the bus, in my hammock sipping a cocktail is a major win. It’s incredible to see something go from an idea I had to organize my overflowing wardrobe to an actual amazing, fun, whimsical app that my husband brought to life. I couldn’t get Dressed without it (pun very much intended!)
Second essential: Self-confidence. Much like the app, that one is many years in the making and ever growing!
It doesn’t matter how much you’ve spent, what label sits inside of what you’re wearing, or if it fits within the confines of what’s currently ‘on trend’ – confidence is all about how you feel in your own skin in an outfit. For me, an amazing vintage dress and heels makes me feel like the best version of myself. It inspires me. It reminds me I’m always worth it. It makes me hold my head a bit higher and walk into that meeting with a bit more confidence. It tells me that my husband is amazing, my friends are incredible, and I love my job. But first and foremost, I love me. And that this day may be full of stress and confrontation, tight deadlines and rude, undercaffienated people behind me in line, but that no matter what, I started the day putting myself first. And then I slip on that gorgeous dress and am ready to take on the world.
Shoes: Made for me! See tutorial here.
Bag: Vintage (same one here!) // Shoes: Beverly Feldman (similar)
Q: How would you describe your blogging style?
Ramblings, musings, things that make me happy. When I step back and look at how I structure my posts, I suppose I do have a ‘style,’ which is to tell a story. Try to describe the feelings that a certain outfit evokes or articulate where my mind is at any given point. But the playwright in me always needs an introduction, a middle, and a resolution (or perchance a cliff hanger).
Photos are also really important to me – they do say a picture is worth a thousand words. In particular, I like to try different things with my outfit shots: unique angles, fun action shots. I love incorporating movement and a bit of silliness, never afraid to try something new (it’s all just fodder for the blooper reel).
I tend to write the way I speak, which is why my posts don’t necessarily have textbook sentence structure. I abuse ellipses… Appreciate a good sentence fragment. I like to write in a way that hopefully connects with readers the same way I connect with my friends. Which is sort of breathless, fizzy, bubbling over with excitement meets thoughtful, introspective and just a bit self-deprecating. I treat the blog like a best friend, confidante, and safe-keeper of my secrets.
Q: What was the last book you read?
On our recent trip to Fiji I wanted a really long book to carry me through the trip (I read ridiculously fast – before the advent of the iPad, I used to come home from a trip laden with 5-6 books in my bag). So this trip I opted to re-read the Hunger Games Trilogy. Still compelling. And disturbing.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?
At this point, I’d actually like to stay in one place for awhile! I travel a LOT for work, which is very exciting but also really exhausting. My husband and I also try to travel back and forth to the States as much as possible to visit our families, so staying put is actually blissful luxury sometimes.
On the bucket list, though, is Antarctica – Mr. Dressed and I have a goal to step on every continent.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Given the somewhat fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants nature to our lives, it’s really hard to say where we’ll be geographically in 5 years! Regardless, 5-years from now will include my my wonderful husband and rather quirky furry companions, Willie and Finn. I will definitely be in marine science, but I hope to have secured a tenure track position by then, where I can start to build and grow my research group. What country or city that ends up to be is still a bit of a mystery, but we definitely have many adventures left in us (though wherever we end up, we’re going to need a rather large shipping container to house all of my vintage!)
As for the future of the blog, I’m very excited to see it grow and change as the next few years move on. It’s come a long way in such a short amount of time and I have no doubt it’ll take me to all sorts of new and exciting places. Truly, across all aspects of my life the future feels wide open, which I always think it exactly as it should be.
Q: What was the first movie or book that made an impact on your life?
Umm…probably the movie Jaws – but for the exact opposite reason that it did for most people.
Q: What advice would you give someone who just started blogging?
First and foremost: Just do you. In the best way you can. Don’t compare yourself to other blogs or try to fulfill what a ‘successful’ blog should be – it really isn’t productive. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that nothing is as long-lasting as something genuine and true to you. Maybe robots are going to become the next big thing and if I write about robots, I’ll have a sudden surge in readers. But, writing about something I’m not passionate about isn’t sustainable in the long term, and I firmly believe that it’s very transparent when you aren’t being honest with your audience and writing about something simply for the sake of notoriety.
Just remember that for every blogger that you see and covet where they are, there’s another newbie blogger coveting where you are. All you can do is support other bloggers wherever possible – and remember that you have a unique, powerful voice that the world needs to hear.
Second: Stay organized. It’s true of life and true of blogging. Personally, blogging is a lot harder than I realized it would be – I would read blogs and only see the finished product, not realizing how much went into styling, taking the photos, editing the photos, writing the post – it’s a lot of work and can very quickly get overwhelming if you aren’t organized. There are a ton of awesome tools out there to help with managing social media and streamlining links (Buffer, Iconosquare, and Bit.ly are personal favorites) and a blog calendar is essential to keep you on track (true to Random Fact #11 above, I have a printout calendar that I scribble all over. Very satisfying). A friend also bought me a small notebook that I carry around with me and jot ideas in whenever inspiration strikes – it definitely helps to capitalize on fleeting thoughts that actually turn into really great posts down the track.
Parasol: On loan from Mo-Mo’s (similar)
Bottom line, your blog is your platform, your artwork, your heart. Occasionally your soapbox. Although we obviously write a blog to share our ideas and passions with the world, ultimately it is and will forever be more about you than the 10s or 100s or 1000s of readers you may eventually acquire. Stay true to what makes you, you.
And never, ever apologize for your particular brand of fabulous.
Although that was one heck of a stream of consciousness session, I was beyond honored to be asked to partake in this blogging endeavor and really had fun with it. True to form, I will share the love and pass on the task to other blogs I read and love and would love to know more about – Join in the chain mail fun for the next generation! I really didn’t stick with the whole “nominate blogs that have under XX numbers of followers” thing, cause who really knows those stats? Plus, I like the idea of introducing you all to new and established blogs you may not have even discovered yet!
A LOT of people had been nominated already, so if you’re not on this list, know I still love ya (11 is way too few in my opinion).
Here are my 11 nominees:
Lauren Blair of Prefer to Be Demure
Amy of Miss Amy May
Annika from The Pineneedle Collective
Katie of Buddle and Squeak
Heather of The Arbitrary Fox
Sarah of AskSarah
Sammi of The Soubrette Brunette
Ellen of A Wild Tea Party
Kayla of Gracefully Vintage
Jessica of Pinup Persuasion
Busola of The Fashion Stir Fry
I have said it before, but thanks for following along with my corner of the blogging universe. 100 posts – that’s just crazy! But, I owe you all a lot of thanks – I couldn’t do it without you.
xoxo
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