Blogger Interview With FashionSheSays.com

 A few weeks ago we featured a great fashion blogger, Becca from Fashionshesays.com.  Her blog features her amazing fashion style and vintage vibe and she's been noticed by Glamour, Chicisimo and Who What Wear Style Stalker.  I loved discovering her blog and decided to contact her for an interview.  I adore this girl's fearless style. She cites Audrey Hepburn as one of her style icons and prefers vintage for everything.

When did you fall in love with fashion?

I was born with a love for fashion – it’s probably embedded in my DNA (some of my earliest memories with my mom are shopping/lunching together at Bergdorf Goodman).  My favorite fashion power is the ability to try on someone new everyday: Bohemian Gypsy, Park Ave Princess, Downtown Waif… Most people make a hobby of collecting something; mine is clothes: mostly dresses, vintage costume jewelry & handbags.

Where do you think personal style comes from?

Everyone has personal style – those who do it best remain faithful to what they like while constantly evolving.  I’d classify my style as Victorian Girl Gone Bohemian; I’m inspired by the arts (books, magazines, film) & other people (on the street, fashion shows, style blogs).  Personal style icons help hone one’s look; mine include Edie Sedgwick, Audrey Hepburn & Kate Hudson’s character from the movie Almost Famous.

What is your opinion on fashion bloggers becoming more of an influence in the fashion world?

I love that style bloggers are becoming more influential in the fashion world… It’s analogous to how trends used to trickle down from fashion shows to the street; then it was the reverse (street style influenced what came down the runway); now style is a mishmash of high/low influences – a cycle that enables everyone to hold the key to their own sartorial destiny.  While it’s refreshing to follow style bloggers for their unbiased coverage, I would never neglect the bona fide fashion insiders (designers, editors, critics).

Who is your favorite handbag designer?

My favorite handbag designer is Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel – a curator of personal style.  I love how he revamps certain classic shapes each season (the ‘2.55’ & ‘Maxi’) with different colors/material along with creating new ones (pre-fall 2009 greeted the ‘Matrioshka Russian Doll’, while spring 2010 beckons with ‘Coco Country’).  Carrying a piece of Chanel arm-candy inspires confidence – Chanel adapts to everyone’s look.

What do you look for in a handbag?

I look for the same characteristics in a handbag as I do in all my sartorial purchases (albeit with a more classic bent as bags should have a longer lifespan than clothes) fine craftsmanship is particularly important as I wear my purses hard.  I gravitate toward big bags, the better to hold my water-bottle, book & other smaller essentials.  My clothing tends to be colorful, so most of my bags are neutral-colored (I prefer brown to black leather as it seems softer/more natural).  For late nights, I prefer a tiny jewel-box of a bag that fits in my hand or tucks under my arm.

I see you have many vintage pieces; do you prefer vintage handbags as well?

I prefer vintage everything!  I love its history – I like to imagine who owned the piece before me & what happened to them when they wore it.  I appreciate both vintage craftsmanship (an item is inherently well-made if it lived so long) & uniqueness (it’s unlikely someone else will own it).  Even vintage versions of designer handbags still made today can be more valuable than their modern counterparts (as they may have been crafted from special materials or in limited editions), but I also have some beautiful vintage “no name” skin, needlepoint & embellished purses.

What is your favorite bag that you own & what is one bag that you wish you could own?

My favorite bag I own is my Chloé ‘Edith’ purse – my first Chloé purchase.  I like its vintage silhouette (it reminds me of a 1970s photographer bag) & versatility (large enough for day & neutral brown leather fades into night).

I aspire to own the Hermès ‘Birkin’ bag – the Holy Grail of handbags.  Rich in pop culture history, the Birkin was legendarily named after Jane Birkin in the 1970s; its mystique is such that’s it’s been a plot point for multiple books/films.  I’d start my collection with the classic black leather Birkin & add the pink crocodile & blue ostrich ones as I go along.

For fun, what is the one item in your handbag you can't live without?

Chap-stick – strawberry Lip Smackers!  I keep a tube in every handbag to ensure I’m never without one in case I don’t transfer all my belongings to a new purse.

We love a girl who aspires to own a Birkin and loves Chanel (don't we all).  Visit Becca's blog at fashionshesays.com