I recently did an interview with the Spanish travel website,
El Séptimo Viajero about the inspiration behind this blog. The website has a lot of great content and is especially good if, like me, you're learning Spanish as it's serves as great practice. I'm posting the English version of the interview here but go check out the original version -
http://elseptimoviajero.wordpress.com!
What gave you the idea of setting up a travel-fashion blog?
T
he idea of the blog came around when
I got tired of revising for my exams and I wanted to focus on something other
than grammar! So really the blog served as a bit of stress relief. I love traveling and fashion is also an interest of mine so I combined the two to create a blog
that was a bit different. It's interesting to see how much the travel and fashion industries interlink, I think each industry has its own influence on the other. So far, I've had some good feedback from the blog and people seem to find it interesting.
Which countries/cities most influence the fashion world in your opinion?
The fashion capitals of the world,
Paris, London, New York and Milan have an undeniable influence over the fashion
world because they are home to the biggest fashion houses. However I think
Eastern cultures are having more and more influence over the main
designers. For example, one of last season’s
biggest trends was the orient with Haider Ackerman and Prada leading the way
with kimono-inspired silhouettes and Chinese embroidery. I think every country has had its influence
on a designer at some point, you can find so much inspiration in a country and
its ‘vibe’.
Do you think there is a gap in the market for fashion orientated holidays?
I think there is definitely a gap in
the market for that kind of holiday. I
know shopping holidays to New York are very popular with a lot of women so I
don’t see why you couldn't expand this idea further to other destinations. I would definitely go on a holiday dedicated
to shopping!
What is the most fashionable city that you have personally visited?
I've visited some of the most iconic cities of the fashion industry like Paris and New York but I’d have to say that Barcelona
had the biggest impact on me. For me,
Barcelona is such an underrated city in the fashion sense because the
Catalans seem to pull off an effortless chic yet the city is not recognized as one
of the leading fashion capitals. Walking
down the street I saw men and women of all ages looking incredibly stylish and
it definitely inspired me.
What would be your ideal destination for a shopping trip?
This is the most difficult question
to answer because there are too many countries to choose from! I think my ideal shopping trip would be in
London because it’s such a multi-cultural and diverse city, you almost get the
best that every country has to offer in one place. There are also a lot of vintage boutiques in
London which I love-I could spend hours looking through racks of vintage items
because the clothes are always so unique.
What are your next travel plans and what type of fashion do you expect to find there?
After University I would love to
travel around South East Asia, particularly Cambodia because of its ancient
ruins and temples. When I was little I
always wanted to be an archaeologist so I think that aspect of Cambodia appeals
to the historian in me. As far as
fashion goes, I’m sure it would be completely different to any other country I
have visited before with the traditional dress consisting mainly of intricate
embroidery and beautiful silks.
Which items of clothing would you take to: Santorini, Goa, New York, The Alps, Marrakech and Tokyo?
For
me, the Island of Santorini conjures images of white-washed
buildings and clear blue seas. My
capsule wardrobe for this destination would consist of cool linen blouses, high
waisted
jean-shorts and boho inspired prints. I think the dress from Mango would be perfect
in Greece because of its bohemian embroidery and loose fit.
When
packing for this Indian destination I would take inspiration from the
traditional dress of Goa by including a palette of vibrant jewel colours and
embellished pieces. I would complete the
wardrobe with a pair of khaki jeans which are both practical and stylish.
New
York has such a diverse fashion identity that it’s hard to categorize it into
one picture! Personally, when packing for New York I would take inspiration
from the cool and preppy retailers, J.Crew.
Their signature combination of casual meets formal looks great on the
streets of Manhattan. I would pair the
ASOS skirt with a casual slouchy sweater and the pink satchel for a truly
modern and stylish look.
In my
Alps wardrobe I would include a lot of 60s mod inspired items. I love the geometric print of this jumper and
the contrast of the over sized coat with the skinny jeans creates a really
stylish outfit. I would stick to a
palette of primary colours to offset the pure white surroundings.
For
this capsule wardrobe I would take inspiration from the treasure trove markets
of Marrakech. I love the intricate
embroidery and rich hue of this Zara waistcoat and I think it would look
perfect in Morocco. I would finish the look with skinny jeans and stacks of
gold bracelets.
This
is the city of cutting edge fashion and I could think of no better place to
experiment with the latest trends. My
capsule wardrobe for Tokyo would consist of modern silhouettes and
experimental fabrics. I think the dipped
hem of this blouse combined with the futuristic metallic shoes creates a really
stylish and modern look.
What would be your staple items of clothing in a mystery destination?
The first thing I would pack would be
an LBD. No woman’s
wardrobe is complete without one as they never go out style and are easily
updated to follow the latest trends. I
would also take a leather jacket because they can be dressed up or down and the
mystery location might be cold. I would
keep the colour palette quite neutral so that I could mix and match different
items and I would have to include a Breton style top and my favorite skinny
jeans because they are staple items in my wardrobe. To complete the capsule wardrobe I would
include one brightly patterned skirt as a statement piece.
Where do you see your blog in a year from now?
In a year from now I would like to see my blog archive full
of posts based on all different countries.
Hopefully it will grow to become more popular and I could expand to
posts about the best/latest travel gadgets and luggage. This time next year I will be planning my
year abroad and my ideal situation would be to intern for a fashion house in
Spain, hopefully this blog will impress potential employers!
Thank you Laura for all of your wonderful questions!
