Style Sample Magazine Issue 3

A new magazine about fashion bloggers

wwwStyleSampleMagcom

AUGUSTSEPTEMBER 2009

Back to School TrendsHOT FOR TEACHER

Talking Business withWENDYBRANDESBehind the Scenes ofNINIrsquoS STYLE

EMERGINGDESIGNERLori of Cha Cha

HOW-TOCreate Your Own

BLOG THEME

MAKE MONEYwith Affiliate Advertising

PLUSNews

Blogs to WatchOne Question

Three Bloggers

Karen Blanchardrsquos

and she shares her style tips

2 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

Because yoursquore worth it

FROM THE editor

Publishing and editing a magazine is hard work yrsquoall There are plen-

ty of late nights spent putting together page layouts learning how to use com-plicated new software a serious lack of the time (and desktop space) needed to get everything done by deadline--itrsquos crazy Itrsquos also incredibly reward-ing especially when the stunning pho-tos well-written articles and brilliant ideas come barrelling into my inbox as the deadline draws near

Thatrsquos where Irsquom at as I write this and you should know that I get positively giggle-out-loud giddy about the amaz-ing words and images you see in each issue none of which would be pos-sible without all of the lovely bloggers who contribute Flip through and take a look at what happens when a pas-sionate and crazy-stylish community collaborates to create something for everyone

STYLE SAMPLE

Editor-in-Chief

Tamia Stinsontamiathestylesamplecom

Contributors

Ashe MischiefKathleen FloodAnna Yanofsky

CathyCrystal Hunter

Michelle NickolaisenAJ Pangilinan

To subscribe visitwwwstylesamplemagcomFor information regarding

permissions and advertising contact magazinethestylesamplecom

Published byTheStyleSamplecom

Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Irsquom always interested in what you want to seesayread so feel free to drop me a note at magazinethe-stylesamplecom and donrsquot forget to subscribe at wwwstylesamplemagcom to keep up and stay in touch

TheStyleSamplecom

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 3

Ashe MischiefDramatis PersonaeAshe Mischief inspires men amp women to explore the many facets of their personality amp style in a most theatrical manner She also designs glam-ourous headpieces for her Mischief My Dear etsy shop

CathySelf Indulgent FashionThis aspiring fashion journalist canrsquot stop writing reading loving and wearing fashion In her spare time she con-stantly peruses new and exciting blogs as well as being a gym fanatic and an almost obsessive healthy eater with bit of chocolate here and there Hey shersquos human

Anna YanofskyI Want to Wear ItAnna Yanofsky is a fash-ion history geek who documents the culture of dress past and present on I Want To Wear It

Kathleen FloodNatural DisasterNatural Disaster is a style blog inspired by colors textures and finding the patterns and coincidenc-es in everyday life Like the weather itrsquos grace-fully and sometimes wickedly unpredictable

Crystal HunterSsasy ChicCrystal is the author of SsasyChic a style blog for smart sophisticated and sexy women Check out SsasyChic for qual-ity content about the lat-est trends in beauty and fashion for real women

AJ PangilinanVintage PetiteShersquos petite but not vin-tage Born and raised Manila blogger AJ Pan-gilinan adores fashion as equally as her pen-chant for writing Find her blogging at Vintage Petite and read more about the city she loves Manila

Michelle NickolaisenDecline DesignsDecline Designs is about fashion but not follow-ing trends Michelle fo-cuses on things like fig-uring out your personal style learning to love it and lots of shoes with occasional forays into other areas

contributors

4 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

contents5 NEWS The latest happenings from around the blogosphere

6 BLOGS TO WATCH Featuring Ophelia Ford Secretista Fashion Mind and Custom Fashion Deliveries

8 A DAY IN THE LIFE Nini Nguyen of Ninirsquos Style treats us to a day of per- sonal shopping gorgeous designer clothes and true Texas style

10 TRENDS HOT FOR TEACHER Six great bloggers revisit back to school in the most stylish way possible Edited by Ashe Mischief of Dramatis Personae

12 BLOGGER WITH A BUSINESSJewelry designer Wendy Brandes dishes about what it takes to create and manage a successful jewelry line

By Kathleen Flood of Natural Disaster

13 EMERGING DESIGNERCha Cha designer Lori talks about the inspiration behind the gorgeous leather handbags she creates in her Manhattan studio

By Cathy of Self Indulgent Fashion 14 FEATURE LIFE IS A RUNWAY

English beauty Karen of Where Did U Get That lets us in on her style secrets and what makes her tickBy Anna Yanofsky of I Want to Wear It

18 TIPS amp ADVICEEveryone is trying to figure out how to make money with their blog these days--affiliate advertising may be the answerBy Crystal of SSASY Chic

19 HOW-TOYou know how you want your blog to look--herersquos how to create your own theme with ArtisteerBy Michelle Nickolaisen of Decline Designs

20 NOTES FROM THE BLOGOSPHEREOne Question Three Bloggers with Assa of CIAA Afrique Marie-Louise of Marie-Louisersquos Pulse and Christine of Futurelint Edited by AJ Pagnilian of Vintage Petite

Quotable

8

1314

18

10 12

20

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 5

13

The latest happenings in the blogosphere

THE CURVY FASHIONISTA set to launch online boutique

The blogger behind The Curvy Fashioni-sta will launch Marie Denee an upscale contemporary online boutique that offers todayrsquos fashion forward curvy confident and chic plus size woman a place to con-fidently shop for the latest designer fash-ions in her size

Founder Marie Denee is proud that ldquoThe plus size fashionista is finally being of-fered fashion forward premium designer pieces but no centralized location that ca-ters to her discerning lifestyle I have cre-ated Marie Denee a contemporary plus size designer boutique to deliver her op-tions that cater to her and her fabulous curvesrdquo

wwwMarieDeneecom will feature ap-parel and accessories from designers like Gayla Bentley Kingley amp Posh Oola Lin-gerie and more and is slated to launch in

Mademoiselle Robot launches style consultancy MADEMOISELLE STYLE Laeumltitia Wajnapel aka Mademoiselle Robot created style consultancy Ma-demoiselleStylecouk to help women discover their own unique style through services such as the Online Style Boost-er Full Wardrobe Detox and Introduc-tion to Vintage ldquoI launched the siteafter a couple of months of testing I got really positive response to the services and added the online version of all the consultations as well so people could benefit from my services all around the worldrdquo says Laeumltitia The ex-pat Parisian Journalist and Edi-tor is now living and working in London and can be contacted at laetitiamade-moisellerobotcom

GOT NEWSDesigning a new line opening a shop starting a new business or have a spe-cial announcement Send your tips and information to magazinethestylesamplecom with ldquoNewsrdquo in the title

NEWS

Marie DeneeCURVY CONFIDENT CHIC

Blogger Alicia of Inny-Vinny has been keeping herself busy with a num-ber of ventures from the line of hand-crafted jew-elry available through her etsy shop to the delicately grotesque necklaces of Talonalia

ldquoAll I want to do is share my love of odd jewelry with the worldrdquo says Alicia

Soon the Talonalia line will include rings ear-rings and more necklaces and a super-secret capsule collection for a special venture will be revealed later this year

Here INNY VINNY

Style Coalition says DONrsquoT SHOP 13 top NYC fashion bloggers participated in a special video shoot for DONrsquoT SHOP campaign and created a message showing the impor-tance and value of supporting our favorite fash-ion designers in these tough economic times

The Style Coalition is an organized group of in-dependent online fashion publishers (bloggers) who are combining their love for fashion pas-sion for social media and technology and enthusi-asm for the industry

StyleCoalitioncom

Like Mother Like DaughterJane of Sea of Shoes and her mother Jane of Atlantis Home are featured in the August issue of US Vogue Looks like the apple doesnrsquot fall far from the tree

Necklaces from the Talonalia line

Blogger Mademoiselle Robot

12

Style Coalitionrsquos DONrsquoT SHOP video

6 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

BLOGS TO WATCH

Why did you start bloggingI would like to have had a lsquohigherrsquo pur-pose when starting this personal style diary but I actually did it to sort out my closet at least in an online man-ner since I do not get around to physi-cally doing it thoroughly I have a lot of items in my wardrobe that do not get sufficient attention from me so this is a means of getting as much wear out of them as I can Plus it keeps me on the self-improvement track fashion wise

Who do you hope to reachI am hoping and to a certain extent it seems that I have succeeded to gain readers who are interested not as much in the uniforms laid on the table by the runway trends and mall cults but rath-er in personalizing fashion to a point that they let themselves speak about their own clothing and not the other way around Basically fashion inter-preters not fashion victims

SECRETISTAwwwSecretistacom

Why did you start bloggingIrsquove actually been blogging since I was 10 years old Before I used the Blogger plat-form for Secretista I had a Xanga page where I mused about Japanese Street fashion Blogging is something that has always been a part of my life

I started Secretista in December of 2007 for the sole purpose of having a place to unleash my inner fashionista I started college in Fall of 2007 where I attend a school that has no fashion concentration I had plans on going to a fashion based school but my parents thought otherwise So there I was a pre-med freshman at Hofstra University on Long Island force-fully who hated her Chemistry class and couldnrsquot wait for the semester to end

In 2007 there were a handful of fashion blogs so I decided to hop on the slow mov-ing bandwagon I had been intently read-ing myfashionlifecom for about three years before and thought it was time I took a stab at a blog that was focused on fashion

FASHION MIND FashionOnMyMindblogspotcom

CUSTOM FASHION DELIVERIESPhantasnightblogspotcom

Who do you hope to reachWhen I write I write for the person who needs inspiration A good portion of my blog has me including my readers on my journey into the magazine industry adulthood and college

And being that Irsquom a firm believer in hardwork dedication and positivity a lot of my posts portray just that My lifersquos journey are always taken with a smile

Whatrsquos your favorite part about bloggingThe writing and interaction Irsquom an aspir-ing journalist and writer so itrsquos natural that I love just writing I also love read-ing comments The things readers say are usually helpful and funny I get to know my readers a little better when they leave comments In addition I feel like a piece of me is on the Internet I love sharing my inner thoughts and what the readers say usually leaves me with more food for thought

Fresh faces and unique concepts in the world of blogging

NatalyRussia

DaraNew Jersey

SimonaRomania

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 7

OPHELIA FORD DUBLINwwwOpheliaFordcomWhere are you fromI live study and work in Dublin Ireland I am half Arabic half Irish my Mom is from Ireland and my Dad is from Libya I was born in Sao Paolo Brazil So Irsquom a bit of a mixing pot But I have spent most of my life in Dublin Style here is currently evolving and flourishing We have nothing on the eclectic Londoners classically chic Pari-sians or sleek New Yorkers just yet Dub-liners love to try new styles and trends and take a very bohemian attitude to dressing anything goes as long as you wear it with a smile and a good sense of humour

Why did you start bloggingI started blogging in December 2007 which makes Ophelia Ford Dublin approximately one and a half years old Many people ask lsquoWhy Ophelia Fordrsquo to which I donrsquot re-ally have a valid response I used to always dream of creating my own fashion empire and conjuring up glamorous names for the line was a fun part of the game I took the name Ophelia from my favorite painting by Sir John Everett Millais and just thought Ford added a nice ring to it I canrsquot really remember what inspired me to start my own blog I guess I just wanted a creative outlet for the fantastic illusions and en-thralling fantasies that I daydreamed about fashion on a daily basis I was studying for a diploma in Journalism at the time and I thought that blogging about something I love a little bit everyday would help im-prove my writing

Who do you hope to reachI write about a vast multitude of topics of interest within the fashion world and I hope my blog caters to more than one niche Ophelia Ford Dublin is basically a running commentary on anything and everything super hot and uumlber cool that catches my eye Whenever I see something inspiring or covetable I love to post about it My style and preferences are so erratic that these sources of inspiration vary a lot

FASHION MIND FashionOnMyMindblogspotcom

Whatrsquos your favorite part about bloggingI love the way my blog is basically a digital scrapbook of things that have really stood out to me in fashion over the past year or so It is alsoreally nice to make new contacts through blogging and become acquainted with people who share your interests Blogging has become such a powerful form of media and this is really interesting to me be-cause marketing and communications are two of my favorite subjects Irsquom currently studying for a degree in Busi-ness amp Management and undertaking an internship in the Marketing amp PR department of Brown Thomas a sister company to Selfridges and Holt Ren-frew here in Dublin

Why did you start bloggingI was reading different fashion blogs for quite a long time and then my boyfriend told me that I should start my own blog too I thought why not Another reason is that the Russian fashion blogosphere is not developed at all so I decided to show through my blog what is considered styl-ish and trendy in my country It is also a great way for me to find people with similar interests because fashion is really a passion for me

Who do you hope to reachI want to find people that also love fash-ion because only a few of my friends are interested in it and I need to share my thoughts with somebody In the future I want to become a fashion designer so maybe my blog will help me to under-stand what people like

Whatrsquos your favorite part about bloggingIrsquom having fun writing my blog taking pictures for it and so on The best part about blogging is that I can get feedback on what Irsquom doing immediately Nice comments always cheer me up and make my day My blog is my style diary so when I look through it I can see what I like and dislike in my outfits and what I want to change to make my style more perfect

NatalyRussia

ZohraDublin

Whatrsquos your favorite part about bloggingI am going to tell you about a beautiful thing that happened a while ago I was just checking out this girlrsquos blog when I got an email notification that she post-ed a comment on one of my postsIt seems really amazing two people who do not know each other from totally different parts of the world thinking of each other at the same time This is what I like the most about blogging--the opportunity to communicate with peo-ple you would never meet otherwise

WANT TO CONTRIBUTEIf yoursquod like to be considered for ldquoBlogs to Watchrdquo complete the online submission form at wwwStyleSampleMagcom

8 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

BEHIND THE SCENES

Nini Nguyenof Ninirsquos Style

A DAYLIFE

I wake up and start to get ready Some-times I eat breakfast at home some-times I donrsquot My hours can fluctuate between 10am and 12pm but I love to sleep in so I never have time to check my email in the morning Every morn-ing when I wake up I always wish for a fresh day fresh start and a lot of positive energy to begin my day

I pick out my clothes according to my mood every morning I like to choose a piece of clothing or an accessory and then build my outfit around my favorite piece of the day Today I choose a Rick Owens dress Givenchy zip-up boo-ties Rodarte-inspired spider web tights made by Sam Spears and rings from Forever21

For fall style Irsquom all about simplicity with a twist of whimsicality Right now Irsquom really liking the novelty cigarette pant with a simple tee some spacey shoes and the hair in the pony tail with super straight bangs

Off to work I head to the store and greet my co-workers and walk-in cus-tomers I check my email and call a few clients to set up appointments

1

Client Appointments An appoint-ment consists of finding out what the client is trying to achieve so I ask them what events they are attending and what shoes and accessories they would like to wear If they need an en-tire outfit I put together two or three outfits for them to try

I meet up with a client for lunch We talk about what pieces she will need to have for the next season chat about her family--everything about the cus-tomer of course My favorite restau-rant to meet at is The Zodiac inside Neiman Marcus

845am

915am

1045am

1130am

130pm

I work as a fashion consultant at Barneys New York in Dallas TX I have been doing this for the last 6 years All my life I have been in sales I love people and I love what I do and thatrsquos why Irsquom still in this field My dream is to move to NYC or LA to be a stylist but I donrsquot think it will come true because my family is so important to me--I canrsquot leave them here in Dallas

treats us to a day of fabulous shopping lunch-ing with clients and interior decorating

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 9

More client appointments For one of my favorite clients I select a Lanvin deep v-neck top in gray I picked something with a low cut neckline in soft jersey be-cause shersquos short with a large chest for her body and the jersey laid really well on her frame

I get off work and head home to cook and eat dinner Tonight itrsquos shrimp grilled with onions lime and cilantro I mostly cook at home--I rarely go out to eat

I love anything related to fashion art photog-raphy and crafts and lately I have been get-ting really into interi-or decoration I make a few adjustments to my latest project my boyfriend Locrsquos living room and fireplace setting It looks great

I love fashion in general and Loc even though hersquos geeky is really into art and fashion as well We talk about new ideas and locations for the next photo shoot

We love outdoor shoots and the hour or so between 7-800PM with the sun-set coming down is a beautiful time to take pictures The last photo shoot we did is the one where I wore the Givenchy wide leg pants at the park by his house with silver swings

300pm

600pm

VISIT NINI ONLINEand see what shersquos been up to lately at NiniStylenet

I head to my computer to look at other blogs check my personal email and re-ply to the comments on wwwninistylenet

I sit down to relax and read one of my fa-vorite books I really like Customers for Life and How to Become a Rain Maker

I believe that life is short and that we must live today to the fullest because you never know whatrsquos going to happen tomorrow Every day is a great day for

me Although some days are more diffi-cult than others Irsquom thankful for what I have and I am not one to complain

730pm

815pm

1030pm

900pm

10 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

TRENDS

Mallory MissMalapropcomEcopaper NotebookThe Green OfficeThe Green Office stocks just about any office supply you could possibly need I love the tree-free notebooks and papers from Ecopaper The paper is made in Costa Rica from a mix of post-consumer waste and ag-ricultural waste fibers from banana plantations there

------------------Messenger bag MoopShop Moop is my go-to line of handmade durable messenger bags totes car-ryalls and purses for any occasion Their simple classic designs tran-scend time theyrsquore roomy enough to lug around just about anything

MichelleDecline DesignsTano Bag MustHaveBag Store all of your (or your studentsrsquo) homework and look great at the same time with this Tano bag Its roominess notwithstanding the great purple shade gives the perfect pop of color to any outfit

-----------------Fluevog shoes Fluevogcom When I hear the phrase ldquoHot for Teacherrdquo the very first thing I think of is a 50rsquos pin-up image The Fluevog Sumatras with their classic two tone detailing channel that aes-thetic to a tee

Shaunya Shop Eat amp SleepLa Fume frames Eyeglassboycom I was glam even in a Science and Math school so I love these vintage cats eye frames

------------------Anna Sui for Target dress Targetcom

I have been out of school since letrsquos not go there but now my bulky September fashion mags let me know I need to get new things for fall I am totally an-ticipating Anna Suirsquos Gossip Girl inspired collec-tion for Target

HOT

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 11

Rebel Yell hoodie Karmaloop When I think of school I think of sit-ting in class all day wrapped up in a comfy hoody Hoodies were a staple for me when I was in school and this one has a bit of an edgy fashionista flair to it Love it

-----------------Hello Kitty backpack Sanrio You know you made sure you found the sickest backpack when you were school shopping Irsquom loving this Hello Kitty one Girly and punk all in one

Because everyone needs to revisit school once in a while

Edited by Ashe Mischief of Dramatis Personae

Laetitia Mademoiselle RobotDenim jacket American Eagle I was in high school in the early 90rsquos so it is strange for me to pick items that remind me of my school days as everything in the shops at the moment does--like this denim jacket

-----------------Skirt Miss SelfridgeFrom body con jersey skirts to plim-solls I have worn it all before Hell even 90210 is backrdquo

SandraDebutante ClothingBracelet Betsey Johnson Just like fashion school days come full circle because today I am a teacher When my finicky teen stu-dents compliment my outfits I know Irsquove still got it because despite what your parents told you school IS a fashion show

-----------------Playsuit Stop StaringMy Senior year of high school I dis-covered Rockabilly I had always loved old movies and music I was enamored with the beautiful wom-en of the golden era of film I never knew there was a whole world of people who lived this vintage life-style I was hooked

Erica Fab Unfunded

HOT

12 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

By Kathleen Flood of Natural Disaster

If jewelry designer Wendy Brandes were a piece of jewelry she would be a locket

ldquoPreferably one with insanely intricate carvings ndash that would open in multiple ways In real life I donrsquot see two sides to a story ndash I see about 10 sides The locket would represent my complicated worldviewrdquo

Hailing from ldquoThe capital of the worldrdquo or New York City to us laypeople Wendy started a joint business in 2001 with the woman who made Wendyrsquos own engage-ment and wedding ring ndash Wendyrsquos first ldquorealrdquo designs Since her business part-nerrsquos death in 2006 shersquos raised the busi-ness by herself

ldquoI started designing my own pieces be-cause I wanted jewelry that was bold but not bling-y I envisioned a kind of casual luxury thatrsquos not necessarily obvious until you try on the pieces and see the intricacy of the design and feel their weight Wendy took a graduate diamonds program at the Gemological Institute of America but mostly she creates on instinct draw-ing on her love of fashion dogs books and history especially naughty royal ladies ldquoOne of my favorites is Edburga an Anglo-Saxon queen who used to poison her husbandrsquos enemies till one day ndash oops ndash she poisonedher husbandrdquo

Wendy started out working mostly with diamonds and 18K yellow gold with a matte finish ldquobut now Irsquom craving deep vivid colors like the lapis lazuli in my Nefertiti poison ringrdquoUnless shersquos on appointments in the dia-mond district or out with clients Wen-dyrsquos online business keeps her on the computer all day working on her blog and website Her online presence has ac-tually led to another business opportuni-ty blogging for clothing designer Chris-tian Francis Roth whose graffiti dress is currently one of her ldquofavorite childrenrdquo

Wendy has three main lines in her collec-tion Vivat Regina Latin for ldquoLong Live the Queenrdquo where each piece is named for a royal lady It Girls which covers other notable women including friends and family members and the Eden col-lection which features pieces inspired by mother nature Wendy is very open to custom pieces and might even add it to her collection if she likes it enoughldquoIrsquom in love with story telling which makes the pieces intimate and meaning-ful to the owner The personal touch is

bestrdquo

PROFILES

BusinessJewelry designer Wendy Brandesis known for her historically inspired feminine pieces and slightly twisted humor

Check out Wendyrsquos blog atWendyBrandescomblog and visit her website at wwwwendybrandescom

Wendy in her Christian Francis Roth graffiti dress

Imag

e J

ohn

Mug

genb

org

Image Jennine Tamm

Image John Muggenborg

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 13

ldquoMy creative philosophy is quite simple and selfish I make things I like Thats

the only way I can make anything good I have tried making what I think people want and it was a messrdquo

Lori who currently resides in Toronto Canada is the brains behind these stunning handbag de-signs Her creations began when she was at uni-versity As a poor college student with a handbag addiction she knew something had to be done If she couldnrsquot afford the things she liked she

r e a s o n e d she could make them and so the brand was born She recycled the

material of old Goodwill skirts and jackets and made them new again

Nowadays her main materials are leather and canvas which she enjoys working with due to their durability You can find her working in her studio in the West end of Toronto drawing in-spiration in countless ways ldquoEverything I make is a reflection of place I have been a colour I saw or a conversation I hadrdquo

Lorirsquos fall line launches this August and will be available at chachalifestylecom Simple pretty shapes and textures make up the collection de-signs that you canrsquot help but feel for yourself Shersquos also looking out for the environment her new line will see more organic and recycled fab-rics and leathers

Designer

Designer Lori of Cha Chacreates handcrafted leather handbags and accessories

By Cathy of Self Indulgent Fashion

So what does the future hold for Cha Cha Lori is beginning to see that Cha Cha is a company it has grown and is no longer just a means for survival and a hobby that gets the bills paid Her perception of the company has recently changed and over the next few years she sees Cha Cha ldquoof-fering high quality thoughtful pieces that will never go out of style Cha Cha will continue to be sold and loved all over the worldrdquo

Her designs deserve to be out there to be admired by the world and hopefully Lorirsquos dream of having her bags sold in Holt Renfrew one of Canadarsquos only luxury department stores will be fulfilled

Lorirsquos handbag designs are wonderful but she also says she would love to branch out

ldquoI have a bunch of differ-ent projects in mind but I havenrsquot figured out a way to connect them yet I do plan on offering a few leather jewelry pieces in the next line I would love to make little light weight leather jackets but mak-ing clothes intimidates me Jackets will happen one dayrdquo

Find Lori online at chachablogspotcom and chachalifestylecom

I have tried making what I think people want and it was a messldquo ldquo

Cha Cha handbags from Lorirsquos spring collection

14 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

Donrsquot hate Karen Blanchard of Where Did

U Get That because shersquos beautiful love her

because shersquos letting you in on all her style secrets

By Anna Yanofsky of I Want to Wear It

COVER FEATURE

Karen Blanchardrsquos

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 15

The modelesque 28 year-old is quickly mak-ing a strong name for herself in the fashion blogosphere Her relatively new site a baby

at under a year old was started as a creative outlet for London-raised Blanchardrsquos love of style and is growing by leggy leaps and bounds The site is Karenrsquos answer to the first question many ask when the sartorially savvy looker enters a room ldquoWhere did you get thatrdquo And Karen is not be-ing shy or holding back at all On her site she lets you in on the contents of her wardrobe and even brings you into the dressing room with her

Day and NightIn her 9-to-5 life Ms Blanchard is an Adminis-trative Assistant for a print company that services the music industry but when her boyfriend picks her up from work at the end of the day she does a quick change and becomes one of New Yorkrsquos most striking street style setters

ldquoI do a lot of shooting on the weekends of what I think Irsquoll be wearing in the week ahead but if I have a particularly great outfit on Irsquoll tell my boy-friend to grab his camera before he picks me uprdquo

Karenrsquos boyfriend happens to be Michael Marrs an excellent photographer With camera in hand the two hit the streets of New York at sunset and document Karenrsquos chic mix of de-signer and DIY duds Posing in front of inter-esting backgrounds in public places has become second nature to the photogenic stunner but she admits that her comfort with the camera had to develop over time ldquoAt first I would pose in the house then I made it to the front door then down the street and now Irsquom posing in Times Squarerdquo

Growing UpKarenrsquos sense of style similarly took some time to develop Growing up in London she didnrsquot re-ally have a distinct look but Karen would follow her Mum through the aisles of the cityrsquos street-markets absorbing bargaining techniques and deal hunting skills

As she grew into herself and started to find her own fashion voice that shopping strategy of combining a sharp eye and a hagglerrsquos wit stayed with Karen and is still her MO ldquoWhen I shop the first thrill is finding something gor-geous but the really fun part is finding some-thing gorgeous for a bargainrdquo If that natural love of recession shopping tactics doesnrsquot make Blanchard the perfect style icon of our times I donrsquot know what would

Shop ArtAs a bargain hunter Karen still loves to shop flea markets and thrift stores With fashion forward icons like fellow Brit Kate Moss the funky fresh Ms Erykah Badu up-and-comer Zoe Kravitz and even vintage snaps of Yoko Ono as inspi-ration Karen searches flea and thrift spots for vintage short skirts (if you had her legs yoursquod be hiking it up too) Pucci patterns boyfriend blazers and body con everything Karen makes equally good use of chain stores like HampM For-ever 21 and Zara proving that a keen sense of how to wear something erases any chance of it being seen as ldquothat top from that store everyone shops atrdquo

At first I would pose in the house then I made it to the front door then down the street and

now Irsquom posing in Times Squareldquo ldquo

16 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

Also Karenrsquos Ebay skills are gold medal wor-thy She recently scored a perfect fitting pair of 2001 Stella-era Chloe trousers embellished with bronze horses lsquoNuff said

Doing It HerselfIf Karen canrsquot find what shersquos looking for in her regular shopping spots she busts out the elbow grease and gets to work in do-it-your-self style At the moment Blanchardrsquos proj-ects consist mostly of a particularly cool mix of basic garments and bags embellished with just the right number of metallic studs The

results are pure of-the-moment cool A re-cent trip to Urban Outfitters seemed to sig-nal that some industry creative types might be on to Karen There were brass-studded berets belts and bags that looked a lot like Blanchardrsquos handiwork She doesnrsquot take credit for the trend stating smartly that ldquostuds have been around since the days of punkrdquo but shersquos certainly riding the crest of the wave of its revival

Industry InsiderIf industry types havenrsquot become regu-

lars on Where Did U Get That yet therersquos a strong chance they will be frequenting it soon Karenrsquos been snagged to star as one

of four ldquonon-modelrdquo models in the new look book for Rachel Rachel Roy the eponymous diffusion line of the big name designerrsquos main line

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 17

Blanchard has also recently been featured as a MySpace Muse on Who What Wear She says she hasnrsquot been recognized yet from her blog but that seems poised to change Donrsquot worry shersquoll still spill her insider secrets to you via her site when she hits the big time

She promises

Visit Karenrsquos blog at wwwWhereDidUGetThatcom and check her out on Chictopia as KarenB

When I shop the first thrill is finding something gorgeous but the really

fun part is finding something gorgeous for a bargain

ldquo ldquo

18 wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom

MONETIZATION

Earning Money with Affiliate Advertisingby Crystal of Ssasy Chic

Unless you have a sugar daddy a trust fund or another full time job monetizing your blog is a necessity In addition to selling ads directly and utilizing Google Adsense affiliate marketing is a viable option for creating a sustainable blog

Here is a guide for how to become an affiliate and implement affiliate marketing effectively while maintaining the integrity of your blog

HOW-TO BECOME AN AFFILIATESign-up with Affiliate Networks The first step to becoming an affiliate is to sign up with affiliate networks I suggest signing up with no more than two to start This will give you a chance to experience how affiliate marketing works without get-ting overwhelmed in the process A few af-filiate networks to consider are Commission Junction Linkshare ConnectCommerce and Amazon

Choose companies wisely Once yoursquove become a member of an affiliate net-work begin relationships with specific com-panies by applying to their programs In-stead of adding every brand name or store you recognize do a little research For ex-ample if you add Smashbox and Sephora compare their commission rates You might just need to add Sephora if their commission

rate beats Smashboxrsquos

Find out if your favorite companies offer affiliate

relationships Consider becom-ing an affiliate for your favorite stores

You know their products better than those at other stores and will be able to

provide knowledgeable recommenda-tions Check the footer of your favorite

storersquos website and see if they have an af-filiate or advertising tab If not do a sim-

ple Google search for lsquo[store name] affiliate programrsquo

TIPS FOR AFFILIATE MARKETINGRotate your ads Your readers like to see new content on your site right The same is true for your ads Donrsquot leave the same ads up in your sidebar or header for more than a few days The more dynamic your ads are the more your readers will click on them

Use relevant product links If you write a fashion blog advertise fashion Read-ers are not likely to click on an ad for some-thing unrelated This is why Google ads take your content into consideration

Read email Once you belong to an af-filiate network and affiliate programs you will begin receiving emails Itrsquos tempting to ignore these since they feel a bit like spam Take the time to read what the latest deals and offers are This will allow you to offer your readers up to date information about sales discounts and promotions It may also spark a post idea for you

Continue to produce quality content This is the most important of the tips I can offer Irsquove visited many blogs where itrsquos evident the blogger belongs to a specific advertiserrsquos affiliate program because all they show are items from that storersquos inventory Donrsquot let advertising interfere with your cre-ative process Adding affiliate ads or product links should be an afterthought--not the ba-sis of your post

Be patient Monetizing doesnrsquot happen overnight This is especially true if your blog is fairly new and your readership is still grow-ing Itrsquos important to be patient Most blogs do not begin making much money at all until year 2 or 3

TIPS amp ADVICE

wwwS ty l eSamp leMagcom 19

HOW-TODesign Your Own Blog Theme by Michelle of Decline Designs

HOW-TO

Have you ever spent hours staring wistfully at web design packages that you know you canrsquot afford I know the feeling This is where Artisteer comes in Itrsquos a program that lets you design templates for your blog or website and while it doesnrsquot replace a profes-

sionalrsquos talent it lets you turn your vision into (virtual) reality if yoursquore willing to put a few hours into it Of course it costs money - the Home edition is $4995 If you decide to purchase Artisteer yoursquoll probably want a quick way to figure things out So here we go

CHOOSE THE BACKGROUND You can choose from a vari-ety of built in backgrounds or you can use one from a file You can also change the gradient glare and fill color here

When yoursquore all done editing just click ldquoExportrdquo and tell the program where you want the files to go and you have yourself a WordPress theme to upload

Donrsquot forget to save it as an Artisteer file too because unfortunately you canrsquot re-open the theme again if you donrsquot Artisteer is a wonderful tool for the blogger who knows what he or she wants and isnrsquot afraid to put some elbow grease into their design Short of learning CSS or PHP yourself (shudder) itrsquos really the next best option

FORMAT THE POSTS On the ldquoArticlesrdquo tab the postrsquos title footer category tags comments fonts used and whether they have a border or not are all changeable here

SET UP THE PAGE LAYOUT You can select the way your header and menu will be situ-ated the number of columns you want and how theyrsquoll be arranged and position your sidebar categories (search archive blogroll etc)

SELECT COLORS amp FONTS You can select from a num-ber of included themes or you can make your own The Fonts area controls the font that makes up the majority of the type (the posts) The post title and header fonts are controlled elsewhere as are the fonts in the sidebars

CHOOSE YOUR TEMPLATE OR THEME With the home edition I get a choice be-tween HTML template and WordPress theme After thatrsquos clicked a template will come up so that you can start modifying it

MODIFY THE BASICS You can also choose the templatersquos foreground and header and control the styling of your navigation menu footer buttons and sidebar items to your heartrsquos desire

1 2 3

4 5 6

Done

FROM THE BLOGOSPHERE

Marie-LouiseMARIE LOUISErsquoS PULSEMy biggest style splurge was a pair of caramel lace up heels from Aldo Things in Denmark are more expen-sive than at home in the US but when I saw the heels I knew I had to have them The funny thing is that after I brought them home I realized I had put them before in my inspiration collage earlier this summer It was fate I just smile when I see them

AssaCIAA AFRIQUEFour months ago I stumbled upon this beautiful BCBG dress I tried the dress and it fit perfectly Even though I might not wear the dress in the near future pampering myself from time to time is not a big deal Even my hus-band was happy that I bought it Well guess what The dress is still sitting my closet The feeling of having it is enough for me

ChristineFUTURELINTI recently bought a horn and gold Mi-chael Kors watch with crystal indexes I didnrsquot need a watch and considered it a frivolous desire to want such an expensive item I rationalized the pur-chase by waiting to buy it until June when I could call it a reward for sur-viving my first year as a school nurse Itrsquos utterly perfect and it makes me feel so chic--even when Irsquom surrounded by bloody noses

One QuestionThree Bloggers

What was your biggest style splurge

QuotableldquoYou may have a shopping addiction but at least you donrsquot get ripped offrdquo

Giselarsquos Addiction to Shopping Continues Heights of Fashion

ldquoIrsquom not sure I could still look so stylish in all that mudrdquo All Points West cocorosa

ldquoJust when I thought I was over buying new tights amp patterned leg-gings up pops thesehelliprdquoResistance is Beautiful The Coveted

Funnyinterestingthoughtful comments from the blogosphere

Different perspectives shared experiences