I met Andrea through Tieka, and both girls have become my online BFFs. Well, I guess real BFFs facilitated by the internet, haha. I was so excited to be able to stay with these two while we were in NYC for Fashion Week in February, it was truly a blast. Andrea's style is so striking and sophisticated. Stylewise, she's like my adult older sister who has her career on fast track and thrives on the city, whereas I'm the little girl running through the woods getting her dresses torn on rogue branches. I love her unique perspective and style, and DUH! Her hair! We were hair twinsies- ying and yang, when we were in New York. We almost even cut bangs in her hair! Mark my words, next time we're together, I'm bringing my scissors...
Without further adeiu.... Andrea from Blonde Bedhead!
DT: You've started your style blog pretty recently, what was it that inspired you to start one up?
Andrea: That last couple years I’ve used lookbook.nu and other sites to browse for inspiration and I’ve always wanted to share my personal style. Tieka of Selective Potential is who really inspired me to first take the plunge and sign up for these sites. She’s one of my best friends and she really helped guide me along the way. From getting involved with those sites, I wanted to take it further by starting my own blog citing the same reason as many people state-- a creative outlet. It’s no secret Michigan may not be the trendiest, most fashion forward state and it’s great to connect with like-minded individuals who share a similar interest and passion.
DT: What do you find is your inspiration for putting together outfits? Is there anything that you would say epitomizes your style?
A: I’m inspired by my parents partly and my background. All the clothing I owned growing up was out of utility—nothing fashionable, but very simple. I continue to wear simple silhouettes, muted colors and clothes out of pure comfort. I’m also inspired by my dad who is never without his leather vest, leather cuffs and motorcycle boots. Like my dad, I love wearing leather and cotton. I don’t wear very much color or pretty, whimsical things—just isn’t me. I refer to Lookbook and Chictopia for help with styling outfits.
DT: What do you like doing outside of your interest in fashion?
Hobbies, etc?
A: Outside of fashion, I’m interested in photography, music, writing and getting involved in fun side projects and
organizations. I absolutely love photographing people. I shoot weddings, but I also love shooting candid portraits—particularly of close friends. I also enjoy being busy with different projects so I’m usually working on different community events or attending various networking groups in my town. I still love going to shows to see some of my favorite bands. Especially with camera in tow, I can practice my photography and document the night. I enjoy constantly challenging myself, meeting new people and getting involved in a variety of projects involving talent retention, art and music.
DT: What is your current job entail? What would you say is your dream job?
A: I am the Assistant Communications Officer at Capital Area Michigan Works!, a government workforce development agency. I do public relations and marketing which entails a lot of writing, photography, event planning and assisting in strategic planning. I’m an associate photographer for Jason Aten Photography, a boutique wedding photography studio. I’m also a freelance writer. I write stories, photograph and cover events for a couple different publications. My grad school courses feel like a job as well. I started my masters in journalism in Fall 2009 and have been taking classes as a part-time student.
My dream job—wow I don’t even know. I love working in public relations. I’m almost certain I have ADD so I like doing a variety of things and I get bored easily, so public relations is a great fit for me. I think a career in fashion public relations would be perfect the perfect career and I’d love to continue in wedding photography. Eventually, I’d love to be more entrepreneurial and start my own business. A long-term goal of mine is to earn my PhD. and teach any sort of visual communications/photography-type courses at the collegiate level.
DT: Do you like living in Michigan? What about it is good/bad?
A: I do enjoy living in Michigan. The cost of living is inexpensive and it’s nice having four seasons—although I prefer not to live in Michigan during the winter. I absolutely hate snow so half the time I’m cursing at the state and its climate. I love so many of the cities in the state including Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit. I’m not an outdoorsy girl even though I was raised that way and I prefer to live in any downtown core. I like living in Lansing because it’s the capital city and it’s a close-knit community. I feel very connected and I like that.
DT: If you could move to or visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I honestly haven’t done much traveling. I went to Niagara Falls once in fifth grade and that’s the extent of my international travel. I’d love to visit anywhere. I’m interested in visiting Tokyo and shopping and sightseeing in the Harajuku district. I love people watching and I think I would be just fascinated there. I’d also love to visit a couple European cities like London, Paris and Milan. I love learning about history and I think I would be captivated by the history and culture throughout Europe.
DT: What are your favorite blogs?
A: My favorite blog is Caroline.feber.se. Her style is quite similar to mine, except she’s a much bigger risk taker so I like to see what she does and draw inspiration from it. Her life seems so much more interesting than mine so I enjoy living vicariously through her travels and fashion shows. I also love Crowded Closet! The blog is ran by two friends in two different cities with different styles and the blog posts always involve interesting pictures, solid writing and lovely, inspiring styles.
DT: I had the pleasure of hanging out with you and Tieka during NYFW, what was your favorite part of being at NYFW?
A: I loved every moment of being in New York City and participating in NYFW festivities, but my absolute favorite was attending the fashion show with you. I was in awe the entire time. I felt like that’s where I belong. I was so inspired by the fashion, hair and make up of the actual show and then the
people surrounding the event. Just being in the vicinity was enough excitement for me. Walking up to Bryant Park and looking around, I was surrounded by inspiration. I also loved meeting so many great girls, especially during the Girls Night Out sponsored by Dove and organized by Jessica of What I Wore. I have so many guy friends and it was nice to be with ladies for once who shared similar interests.
DT: When did you become interested in style/fashion? Was there something that sparked your interest?
A: I’ve always been interested in style and fashion for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I was more into painting, sculpture and drawing. While my skill and talent in those areas never evolved, I developed an interest in different areas of art such as fashion, music and writing.
I grew up in a small, rural town and so I didn’t really learn anything about fashion until I went to Michigan State University where cultural diversity, independence and artistic expression reign. I got a taste of various styles of fashion, art and culture. Once I graduated college, I started making the extra effort to not live in sweatshirts like I did through undergrad and finally becoming more confident in trying new things.
DT: Describe your dream house.
A: My dream house would actually be a loft or condominium in a more urban area. I’m not big on yards so I’d be able to make those sacrifices to have a modern home in the city. I love natural light so huge windows and an open floor plan would be most desired. Mainly, I would love to be just steps away from shops and restaurants. I love the atmosphere in cities and would like to immerse myself in a downtown area where I could enjoy those amenities.
DT: In 5 years, where do you see yourself?
A: In five years I see myself finished with my masters, in a leadership position with some sort of public relations agency or private company. It’s funny because whenever I think of these questions all I can think of is where I will be professionally. I don’t think I’ll be married and I definitely won’t have kids. That has never been a priority for me and I’ve been quite satisfied with focusing on advancing my career and making new friends.
DT: What would you say has been the best part of blogging so far?
A: The best part of blogging so far is having a way to connect with other people from all over the world. I would have never gone to NYC if it weren’t for blogging and I met some amazing people. I’ve also been able to connect with other people in my city who share similar interests. My community is so supportive of my blog and I’ve been connected with other initiatives, ideas and events because people are learning more about me and my passion for art.
Find Andrea at her blog Blonde Bedhead, as well as her Chictopia and Lookbook or follow her with Bloglovin'!
