Interview with Lorraine from Style Boothique

I am back today with a super exciting interview with Lorraine from Style Boothique! I first met Lorraine back in the Summer when we both attended the Into The West First Birthday Event. We were both newbies to the notion of a blogging network and nervously started chatting before the event and have been in contact since. Her sense of style is always on point (if I was a cool kid I would say ‘on fleek’), and she is hands down just a lovely person and very inspirational as you will find out below.

I am a strong believer in supporting local – this refers to lrish Designers, crafters and also bloggers. There is so much talent on the Irish Shores and I love to highlight this where and when I can. With this in mind,  I thought that you might find it interesting to hear from a fashion blogger on how she makes blogging work for her and to find out more about her style and inspirations so I asked her if she would mind doing an interview for Floralesque and she kindly said yes! So here we go…

Can you tell us about your blog, and what inspired you to start it? Did you have a vision from the beginning on how you wanted it to develop?
My blog is predominantly personal style with some insights into what influences me. There are touches of travel and lifestyle too; I think fashion doesn’t stand alone – your environment influences your style so from time to time I like to share those influences!
I have always had an interest in fashion, my friends regularly laugh at how I’m always over-dressed but you know what they say – one can never be over-dressed or over-educated! With a love of English, reading and writing have also always been a passion for me so it was inevitable really! I’d been talking about starting a blog for yonks but never had the guts to do it.

In May 2014, I was in a serious car accident. I broke bones everywhere and as a result was in a wheelchair and back-brace for all of summer 2014. Being out of work I became bored, but with a new outlook of “live life to the full” and some serious encouragement from family and my boyfriend I published my first post in February 2015. I’m now back on my feet and back to work as a primary school teacher – trying to find a new balance between blogging and teaching!

With being a fashion blogger, how would you describe your relationship with fashion? Do you think your style has changed since you started taking photos for your blog?
My relationship with fashion is a love affair! If I’m having a bad day I force myself to get dressed up and I instantly feel a little better!
My style changes all the time but not because of my blog, its completely mood dependent and what I’m up to. You could find me in all black leather today and a tulle skirt tomorrow – I like to mix it up!

What has been your favourite outfit to date that you have posted on your blog?
Ohhh, this is like picking a favourite child!! I love the outfit I wore to a blogger event recently – it was a maxi dress from H&M. You can find the post on it here.

What is one of your favourite fashion staples from your wardrobe?
I think a really nice pair of jeans should an essential element in every girls wardrobe, the black “Molly” jeans from River Island are my current favourite – such a great fit.

Personally I am an accessories girl, I could wear a black bag but with the right accessories I could feel fabulous! 🙂 What is your favourite accessory?
I’ve started wearing less costume jewellery and more timeless pieces – the white gold sapphire ring my boyfriend bought me a couple of years ago for Christmas is still my favourite. Oh, and a good bag – I’m a serious bag lady!

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons, what Autumn trends do you love? And just as important – are there any trends that you think should be avoided at all costs?
When it comes to Autumn I think of one word – layering! I love it! I actually don’t think there’s a trend that I can tell someone to avoid, what works for one person may not work for another but I would say wear what makes you feel good – you can tell immediately when someone doesn’t feel comfortable.

With fashion moving so fast, do you think that fashion bloggers find it difficult or additional pressure to keep up with the ever changing trends?
It depends, I think many of us move between timeless pieces and trend driven fashion so there is always room for falling back to the reliable Little Black Dress. I think if you like fashion you’ll be keeping up with trends anyway – irrelevant of whether you’re a blogger or not.

I find it quite difficult at time to balance blogging and working full time. You have recently gone back to work – how are you finding the change? Do you have any tips on how to balance blogging with work?
I’m terrible at it and I’m still trying to figure the whole thing out! If you have any tips I’d love to hear them!

What do you love most about blogging? And how do you keep yourself motivated?
For me blogging is not a job so I try to keep it as my happy place, if I don’t feel inspired I don’t write & I don’t try to style an outfit. I try to keep it natural so most of my outfit posts are real life and not just put on for a shoot. I love that blogging lets you express yourself both visually and through writing; and I love that I have met some really lovely people through the “blogging community”! Such as yourself, Amie! (awh shucks 🙂 )

The excellent photographs on your blog I think help to give it an edge and that attention to detail is I know one of the reasons that I like your blog. What process do you go through to create your looks and who takes your photographs?
Usually, my poor aforementioned boyfriend takes them, or my friends, depending on what I’m up to. I’m hoping to invest in the Olympus Pen in the near future, which I’m very excited about!
Where possible I take my photos outdoors in natural sunlight, sometimes it’s not possible but that’s my preference. I use VSCOcam as my main editor and I find it great.

If you had a limitless budget – what would be your dream photoshoot?
No thought processing needed – on the streets of New York, without a doubt. I think most fashion bloggers are probably the same. Would you believe I’ve never been – but I’m hoping to visit in the near future!

Do you have a blog ‘Bucket list’ of things that you would like the blog to achieve?
If I were being really honest (eep!), I’d love to have a range of clothing, shoes or accessories. Not just something I put my name to but something that actually means something to me – that’s a total dream though!

Do you have any tips for anyone considering starting a fashion blog or website?
Two words – DO IT. Don’t do it for anybody else, do it for you. Take it from someone who has come to appreciate that you should do what makes you happy! Don’t put things off for tomorrow – do it today, do it right now. I am not a “techy” person and I set up my blog with just a teeny bit of help from a very technically gifted cousin of mine! I learned how to do everything on YouTube, trust me, if I could lean how to do it, so can you! One of the things I was recommended to do was start off with my own domain name from the outset so I’ll say that too, anyone who doesn’t says that is one of their biggest regrets.

And now some quick fire fun ones:
What is the one piece of make-up that you cannot live without?
Mascara – I love my Chanel mascara. Oh, and Mac “Give Me Sun” bronzer. (I know that’s two but I always was a rebel!)
Biggest fashion mistake?
This awful pink tartan dress I wore when I was a teenager – it still makes me shudder thinking back on it!
Currently lusting after (fashion or beauty)?
I’m craving handbags at the moment – Louis Vuitton Never Full and any of the YSL bags! (In my dreams…Santa if you’re reading!)
Favourite trend from last 50 years?
The ‘70s trend – it has made me so happy to see nuances of the trend all summer and now it’s sticking around for autumn/winter too! Yay!
And finally – a VERY important Irish Tea question… Barrys or Lyons? And favourite dipping biscuit? 🙂
Barrys and a Purple Snack, of course!

Lorraine can be found on her blog Style Boothique, and also on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and You Tube! And of course on Snapchat 🙂 Thank you so much Lorraine for agreeing to be interviewed on my blog – I feel very honoured to have you featured.