C.C.S. - Paperphlox

Content Creator Spotlight

Why Them?
I randomly came upon their Instagram account and was instantly drawn by their minimalist, chic style. Which of course, made me go through their Instagram feed for several more minutes than intended. I noticed they were from the Bay and even had a Youtube channel, which was even more exciting, so of course I checked it out. Wow. Chantel and Elisa seem to put together basic pieces for their outfit lookbooks  but have elevated the minimalist look to compete with the chic and the fashionable. Or maybe their style is what I've been into lately - minimalistic, basic pieces, neutral color palette, effortlessly chic. Nonetheless, they are quite the fashionable and creative duo, and their friendship is great to witness on screen. Oh, and their thrift finds? ABSOLUTELY ADORE AND ENVY. 

Click the button to read on. 

Check 'em out in my interview below and get to know the duo known as PaperPhlox. 

I.B.O.T.M. Laureen Uy

Inspirational Blogger of the Moment

Why her?

Laureen Uy is a designer-fashion-blogger-turned-actress. Laureen's fresh, bright, and ever-changing style has kept me coming back to her blog. I love the way she is so confident and experimental with her outfit choices. She is probably one of the main influencers who made me want to start wearing jewelry and became aware of how it can alter the look of an outfit. Laureen taught me that every part, every detail that goes into an outfit makes or breaks it and can give it a different look depending on what you change. Whether you go for a natural look, smokey eye, pop of color, studded jewelry, sneakers, or heels, an outfit can always be changed up or down. When she shares her travel expeditions as well as her moments in show business, it creates a deeper bond between her and her readers. She allows us to delve into her life, which shows us that she is more than what meets the eye.

Name: Laureen Uy

Blog: http://www.breakmystyle.com

Job: Designer, Fashion Blogger, Actress

Country: Philippines

1. What made you decide to showcase your love of fashion with the rest of the world by creating a fashion blog?

It was actually a birthday gift for myself and also I wanted to have a visual diary so every if 5 years from now, I'd still get to see what I wore back then.

2. Who are your main fashion influences/role models?

- my mom and my sister

3. Any tips or advice on becoming a fashionista without breaking the bank?

- ukay ukay!

4. How has the experience of being an actress been?

-really good. it's another industry i'm now part of- and im lucky and blessed!

5. Any advice on those starting out their blogging careers?

- always be unique and never be lazy to post content

6. What are your favorite go-to beauty products?

- mac lipsticks

7. What can you say to those who are bullied and made fun of for having their own amazing, eccentric, and unique sense of style which is not understood by their peers?

- never let them get to you. the most eccentric people are the ones who make a change in the world.

8. What are you future goals, dreams, and aspirations, whether fashion-related or not?

- to learn how to play the violin and speak french

9. Thoughts on the importance of being educated as well as being fashionable? Can only be one or the other? Important to be both?

- how you dress is how you are. it reflects your personality as well, so it's very important.

10. For the youth of today who have lost their self esteem and confidence, either from physical appearances, financial reasons, academics, etc., what encouraging words do you have for them?

- never let anyone bring you down.

I.B.O.T.M. Bianca Venerayan

Inspirational Blogger of the Moment

Why her?
Bianca, along with her friend Dani Roche, have worked together to maintain a fashion blog and online store. Their passion for fashion and friendship since grade ten have led them to create what is now their blog and brand Kastor and Pollux. Ever since I stumbled upon their lookbook.nu accounts, online art portfolios, and previous online business (Plastic Skyline) during my sophomore year in high school, I have been inspired to dress outside of my comfort zone and experiment with different pieces of clothing. Bianca was also probably one of the first fashion bloggers to introduce me to the world of "thrifting". The way she explained how thrift shopping was not a dirty, boring job but an exciting, thrilling treasure hunt for amazing bargains made me excited to go out and try thrifting myself. As I continue to follow Bianca through her fashion endeveours, her eccentric outfits and witty blog posts never cease to amaze, influence, and inspire me.

Name: Bianca Venerayan

Nickname: I don't have any!

Blog: http://blog.kastorandpollux.com

My portfolio - biancavenerayan.com

My online shop - kastorandpollux.com

Age: 20

College: Ryerson University School of Fashion

Job: Blogger/Freelance writer/Jewelry designer

Country: Canada

1. What made you decide to showcase your love of fashion with the rest of the world by creating a fashion blog?

 Kastor & Pollux was the motivation for starting my blog alongside Danielle Roche. The business and the blogs go hand-inhand because we believe it to be really important for people to connect with us, and sort of know our personalities.

2. How did you start and what made you decide to create a co-partner fashion blog/store?

Danielle and I met on music website Last.fm and after realizing we had way too much in common (including attending the same high school), we met up and immediately came up with the idea of starting a business together. It only made sense because our talents compared and contrasted - she's a whiz in graphic design, I'm HTML-savvy, and we're both interested in fashion. We ran a very kitschy and youthful website called Plastic Skyline for two years until we moved on to Kastor & Pollux. It was a necessary change as we grew older and our target market shifted.

3. Any tips or advice on becoming a fashionista without breaking the bank?

I have so many! I can be so stingy sometimes! My first and foremost tip is THRIFT STORE (almost) EVERYTHING. If you want something cool, unique, and - most importantly - cheap, sift through the stinky racks. It's worth it. I would say a good 25% of my wardrobe is thrifted.

My second tip is buy local! Not only are you supporting your city's economy and general social health, it's bound to be something designed by a super awesome yet overlooked designer/god resulting in a (hopefully) lower price point. You might also want to try your luck with local vintage or consignment shops - vintage (especially designer vintage) is almost always cheaper than contemporary styles.

My last tip is to buy on sale. I'm lucky because I like silly-looking things like sequin bodysuits and iridescent spandex booty shorts, so I always find these types of clothes rejected by the masses in the sale section. I'm always like, "WHOA THIS IS SO FUN. AND IT'S 50% OFF?! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER."

Of course, being frugal has a time and a place. I'll splurge on shoes and great basics because I know I'll wear them a ton of times. Being conservative with your shopping money only makes sense when you're buying a totally weird season trend as opposed to a closet staple.

4. What are your opinions on the growing trend of “thrifting” ?

All for it! It makes each look more diverse. I also love hearing people say "I GOT IT AT A THRIFT STORE FOR $2.99!!!"

It's so refreshing to see people gloating about cheap finds rather than their shiny, boring Michael Kors watch.

5. Any advice on those starting out their blogging careers?

My first tip is obviously to wear and write whatever you want. Find your own voice to set yourself apart from everybody else. My next few tips are strictly technical: 1) Update regularly. You might need a boyfriend or your mom every few days to take your pictures (assuming you're starting a style blog). 2) Network. Meet other bloggers, hand out business cards, etc. 3) Have a good, clean layout that's easy to navigate and read through.

6. What are your favorite go-to beauty products?

Moisturizer is my best friend!!! I use Lancome's Multi-Vital SPF 30. I also recently bought NARS blush in Orgasm and I'm in love. Finally, it's weird, but Vasaline petroleum jelly. I'm allergic to pretty much all types of lip balm so it's the only thing that keeps my lips soft.

7. What can you say to those who are bullied and made fun of for having their own amazing, eccentric, and unique sense of style which is not understood by their peers?

I still often get teased and laughed at by strangers for how I dress. I'll be sad for like ten minutes and move on with my life. That's what everyone should do! Look back on what people have said or done to you, consider why they've decided to say or do that to you, ask yourself if it's worth it to change your ways and/or fight said people, and then just be like, "SCREW IT, I DO WHAT I WANT!!!" and walk away really sassy.

8. What are your future goals, dreams, and aspirations, whether fashion-related or not?

I just really want to have a nice condo with wood floors with my boyfriend. I want to decorate it with sporadic dangling lightbulbs and faux fur rugs. To achieve this goal, I will co-own a brick-and-mortar boutique in Toronto with Danielle, with Kastor & Pollux on the storefront and maybe a water bowl for dogs in the summer. I want two sons so that I can dress them like Alexander Wang dresses his niece. And I want shoes. And ample closet space to store said shoes.

9. Thoughts on the importance of being educated as well as being fashionable? Can only be one or the other? Important to be both?

Of course it'd be nice to be both, but the two are irrelevant to one another. You don't need an education to be fashionable the same way you don't need to be fashionable if you're educated. Even in situations where you're trying to make a living off fashion, education is only second to passion. 

I.B.O.T.M. Yanin Namasonthi

       

      

Inspirational Blogger of the Moment

Why her?

Yanin Namasonthi may be young, but her raw fashion sense and unique style has garnered her fans on tumblr as well as blogspot. When I stumbled upon her tumblr last year, I was drawn in by her simplicity yet sense of elegance. Her maturity and poise at the tender age of eighteen impressed me and made me believe she would be going somewhere in the fashion industry. I always look forward to her sleek, funky, or charming outfit posts and am always inspired to push myself to dress out of my comfort zone and just experiment.

Name: Yanin Namasonthi

Nickname(s): Baitong, Bee & Prettysickly
Blog: www.idressmyselff.blogspot.com
Other sites: www.prettysickly.tumblr.com  
www.idressmyselff.tumblr.com 

Age: 18

Job: I work for myself, mostly designing 

and promoting
Country: England

1. What made you decide to showcase your love of fashion with the rest of the world by creating a fashion blog?

It actually started out as an online scrap book of my outfits to help me choose what to wear for school and events I had to go to cause I had no time and was always in a rush to go to school in the morning.

2. Who are your main fashion influences/role models?

Yoon from AMBUSH designs and Jesse Jo Stark

3. Any tips or advice on becoming a fashionista without breaking the bank?
Charity shops and ebay will or should become your bestfriend. You'll find incredible pieces at low prices on/in there!

4. Any advice on those starting out their blogging careers?
Just make your blog personal and showcase all the things you are great at. Dont let others influence you.

                                                                             

5. What are your favorite go-to beauty products?

Hmmm.... probably any MAC lipstick and bronzer.

6. What are you future goals, dreams, and aspirations, whether fashion-related or not?

Well I want to do a lot of things before I get married. Travel the world, do some kick ass project work and collaborations with other designers or bloggers, learn how to DJ and throw 

awesome parties for charity.

7. Thoughts on the importance of being educated as well as being fashionable? Can only be one or the other? Important to be both?

  I mean to everyone they would say education i the most important thing. To me, its how you learn and everyone has a different way. I just dropped out of college cause I wasnt learning what I wanted to learn and it was restricting my creativity and I would always be going to fashion events and shoots and learning what really interested me. It was something college wasn't giving me. I think if you can balance education with being fashionable thats great, but for me, it wasn't the case.

8. Message to your followers?

Stay positive and express yourself as much as possible. Life is short, live it loud.

9. Where do you usually go to shop for clothes, accessories, purses, shoes, etc?

I mostly do everything online now, so ebay, urban outfitters or ZARA are my main squeeze ;)

10. Please describe your style.

Its been through alot but now I've settled on minimal, modern and simple.

                       

I.B.O.T.M. Ayana Giann Carlos

Inspirational Blogger of the Moment

Why her?
Ayana Giann Carlos is my first I.B.O.T.M. for several reasons. She and I share several things in common, which made the reader-blogger bond more special to me. She is a Filipina, a devout Catholic, thrifter, as well as a lover of all things fashion-related. Her main blog, The Secret Vent Sessions, is something of eye candy for me. I anticipate what she will post next and am excited for her savings when I see her thrifty finds. I also love her dedication to her goals in the fashion working world as well as her passion towards her religion and relations with her family and friends. Without a doubt, Ayana is one of the reasons why I wanted to start my own fashion blog myself and after 2 years, I finally did it. So thank you Ayana, and please don't stop until your readers/fans see you rise to the top of the fashion industry.

Name: Ayana Giann Carlos
Nickname(s): “G”/Gee
Blog: (via Tumblr)
-The Secret Vent Sessions
Other sites: (also via Tumblr)
-A Chain of Charming Things
-To Be Seen & Heard
-Recycled Treasure
-Prayers of His People
 Age: 19
College: The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
Job: Currently Unemployed
State: Northern California
Country: United States


1. What made you decide to showcase your love of fashion with the rest of the world by creating a fashion blog?
-Well I actually started my blog with the intention to have it solely be for my rants and writing, then after going on a trip to the Philippines and coming home with so many pictures, it became an archive for my photography as well. From there I realized that my blog could act as so much more than what I was using it for, so I added my love of fashion to mix and started incorporating personal style posts.

2. What are your favorite go-to accessories or timeless articles of clothing?
- It’s funny that you asked that because as I’ve gotten older, so have my preferences. When It came to accessories, I went through an earring phase, then a ring phase, then a bracelet phase, but now I absolutely cannot leave the house without a statement necklace.
-In terms of timeless clothing, I would have to say blazers. I wear them year round, wool, silk, lightweight and thick. They make any outfit look sophisticated and professional, which is very important because you never know who you’re going to run into when you’re walking around the city.

















3. Any tips or advice on becoming a fashionista without breaking the bank?
-First thing to come to mind: THRIFTING. Don’t be afraid to leave the trendy malls and department stores for some good old treasure hunting instead. People don’t realize that we as the consumer, dictate the trends. Designers look to US for what’s becoming popular and being widely appreciated. Plus, trends always come full circle in terms of era. We’re lucky to be in an era where there’s no boundary you can’t break. Start some “DIY (do it yourself)” Projects! Make things that you love, wear things that YOU love. It’ll make it a lot easier to find it at a price you’d prefer. Trust me.

4. What are your opinions on the growing trend of “thrifting?”
- As much as I hate to say it, I think it’s good for our generation. For a while, (starting in the 90’s) we young people were trending toward a state where we’d use our parents’ money excessively for our own pleasures. Although we still do that today, it’s not at as greater of a price as it was before. People are starting to be more smart with how they spend their money and where they spend it, and I commend them for it. If young people are going to be spending, let it be in a range that they themselves can afford.

5. Who are your fashion influences? Any fashion bloggers included? 
-Aside from my mom and the big fashion capitols (Paris, New York, London, LA.. & yes San Francisco), I would probably say off duty models (like Agyness Deyn), Bianca & Dani from Kastor & Pollux, everyone I see on The SF Style Blog, & my peers at school. I love seeing creative people, even if I may never wear what they’re wearing, they inspire me all the same.

6. What can you say to those who are bullied and made fun of for having their own amazing, eccentric, and unique sense of style which is not understood by their peers?
- I say, keep doing YOUR thing, like I said, wear what YOU love because if you ever find yourself getting hurt from harsh words, your skin may be tattered and torn, but you’ll still be a gem on the inside. Stay true to yourself. I know, extremely cliché, but I cannot stress enough how important you are to society just by being someone who has vowed to be real with who they are. There would be no such thing as trend setting, or different genre’s of style without people like you. Keep strong, keep confidence, and keep faith. You were blessed with a unique eye because only YOU can share what YOU have with the world.

7. What are you future goals, dreams, and aspirations, whether fashion-related or not?
-I hope to continue to travel the world. Immersing myself in different cultures, whether they’re a city or a continent away, has always been vital to keeping my creativity and love for life alive.
-I hope to become someone who is constantly invited to either work backstage or attend runway shows because they’re honestly my favorite thing to do.
& finally
-I hope to have a family of my own to share all of my success with.

8. Thoughts on the importance of being educated as well as being fashionable? Can only be one or the other? Important to be both?
-In order to be fashionable, one MUST be educated. I mean, to be fashionable means to KNOW what you like, KNOW where and why the trend started, and KNOW how to work it! People are dubbed “fashionable” based on their credibility. And those 3 things are what determine that.
-The fashion industry and business is tricky because it is both a creative and rational atmosphere. You must not only be keen and innovative, but look the part as well. Professional, yet exciting! Sexy yet sophisticated. You need to know the numbers, be able to keep track of the finances, and yet still  find a way to wow people and showcase your personality. It’s very demanding & in need of educated people.

9. For the youth of today who have lost their self esteem and confidence, either due to physical appearances, financial reasons, academics, etc. what encouraging words do you have for them?
- Work with what you got. It doesn’t take a lot to know how to work it. Trust me. Models have been born because they were spoted strutting on a sidewalk in nothing but a t-shirt & jeans. Singers/Stars were born while doing janitorial tasks & humming tunes in hallways. Some triathletes were born because their doctors told them that they would possibly die of diabetes or weight issues. Many entrepreneurs got to where they were with an almost empty bank account and a leap of faith. WORK WITH WHAT YOU GOT. Think about it. No two lives are the same. Many people posses similarities with one another, but no two people were born the same into the same circumstances. You were blessed with what you have because you’re the only one who would be capable of creating something amazing with it. Don’t pity yourselves for what you don’t have, or for what you still catch yourself desiring. Be thankful for what you do have, trust me. It’s enough to go places.

*All pictures taken from The Secret Vent Sessions Ayana Giann ©