Baltimore Style Magazine Interview Clarification Post

Baltimore Style Magazine Interview…..

Recently I was honored to be featured in the Baltimore Style Magazine’s April Issue alongside other incredible Charm City bloggers. When I received the email that I was chosen to be a part of this, I was ECSTATIC! Like over the moon happy. One of my goals for 2016 was in fact to get more press and exposure because I would love to make this as close to a full time job as possible or help me land a career in something more creative.More exposure to me meant more numbers and readers which leads to more brand collaborations and so on…….

So yes, I was so incredibly happy to be chosen and I had an amazing interview where I spoke on the things that matter the most to me- empowerment and personal style. Reading this recap of our interview, I am shocked as none of this was voiced at all.

This is my Baltimore magazine interview clarification post-

I am going to break this whole entire interview up piece by piece. While I wholeheartedly do not feel as though the writer Kay Wicker meant to heavily misquote me, I still am upset at what was written. To give her some credit- her voice recorder did malfunction during our interview so she had to take notes. I just wish she had taken much better ones in order to get my message out to the world correctly. Thank goodness for having my own platform where I can do so. I am also upset that being the veteran of the group chosen (I have been blogging for 5+ years), my piece should not have been the absolute shortest in length.

So here we go…….

Why do you blog? I was looking for a way to express myself and I had met [living in D.C. at the time] so many fashion bloggers. I’ve always liked blogs and I wanted to see girls that looked like me, black and curvy. Now that I’ve been doing it for a while, my readership keeps me growing. Whether it’s someone telling me they appreciate my perspective or a fan telling me they wrote a school paper on me.

*My actual answer*

-I blog because it enables me to express myself and have a voice in the fashion industry. I started it because I used to read various other bloggers like Karla Deras and wanted to catalogue my outfits the way they did. I blog because while I am not quite curvy and not thin, I wanted to show other girls who look like me (athletic shaped) that they too can look stylish! I have continued blogging because I love to help others through my own experiences. It is not about just clothes and styling for me but empowering everyone to be the best “them” they can be.

What influences you? Coco Chanel! Other bloggers—a lot of my friends are bloggers. When I bought my DSLR, I started taking photos for other bloggers and helping with their creative direction. I also have a drive to communicate. My background is in public relations.

-*this is all the way incorrect! I was asked what my blog name meant and I told her it was french for Like Coco as in Coco Chanel. French is my first language and at the time I loved Coco Chanel’s story. She was the original BAD ASS female in fashion. It is also incorrect that when I bought my DSLR, I started taking photos of other bloggers and helping them with their creative direction. What I in fact stated was that I would love to begin taking photos for other bloggers and would love to help others with their creative direction. Anyone who knows me and has read my blog, knows that when I first bought my DSLR, I was taking pictures of myself in secret to post on the blog. I was still very shy and didn’t want everyone knowing about it until I felt more confident with it all. I am influenced by every day women. As I stated in the interview- magazines and trends DO NOT influence me and that I live by “inhale fashion, exhale style”. I believe in personal style over fashion and I am influenced by those who express their personality via their clothing. I even listed OTHER icons such as Esther Quek and Iris Apfel as women who live by “inhale fashion, exhale style”. I also do not have a background in Public Relations. I stated that I am interested in Public Relations and Creative Directing! My drive is on TRANSPARENCY! I speak on almost everything on my blog and it is VERY personal. I speak on outfits to suicide to grief!

Walk me through your process. It starts with my notebook. I keep this notebook filled with outfit ideas. I’m really big on themes. One day, I’ll want to do something based around a color, and the next, a season. But there’s no method to the madness. I blog about whatever I feel at the time. And I do it all myself.*this truly disappointed me because we had a very long conversation about my very detailed process. I stated that it does start with my notebook where I keep inspirations and outfit ideas. I told her about how I watch and observe people on the streets and how the runway of life is my preferred source of inspiration. Then we spoke on the whole entire LABORIOUS process that goes into ONE blog post:

1. Choosing The Outfit
2. Scouting the Location
3. Finding a photographer or setting up my tripod to take the photos myself
4. Directing said photographer because I always have a pretty crystal clear vision of HOW I want the images to look and I can be pretty annoying about it
5. Editing those pictures on Lightroom and Vsco
6. Writing the blog post and adding links to what I am wearing (we spoke heavily on affiliate links,Kay, how could you forget)
7. Social media promotion on various platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook)

I really do not have any “themes” in my posts. I am a very spontaneous person and my blog showcases that.

What has it been like blogging in Baltimore? In D.C., fashion has really blown up—honestly, because of bloggers. Here in Baltimore, fashion is in its infancy, so there’s a lot of potential. Food is so big here; it’s not very big in D.C. I’d love to do more with food reviews.

*This was a fabulous attempt at getting what I said correctly but unfortunately dead wrong. I stated that blogging in Baltimore can be tough because it is new to the area and that the Baltimore social scene is still very “exclusive”. The same people get invited to the same events and UNLIKE DC, bloggers are often overlooked on those events. DC blew up because of the exposure that bloggers were able to provide. Blog groups like Capfabb started hosting events and meetups at local boutiques and this helped propel DC into more of a fashion mecca. I stated that media channels in Baltimore such as the Baltimore Sun need a new and more fresh open minded set of eyes when highlighting the style of Charm City. I did mention that food is huge in Baltimore and that it was awesome to recently been ranked in the top 5 on Zagat’s list for best food! I stated that since I eat out ALOT, I should start doing reviews of the various restaurants I visit but adding a style spin to it by writing on what people should wear to dine there. I truly feel that this was spun into a Baltimore vs DC answer and I am not happy about this at all. I have lived in both metropolises and although I appreciate and prefer Baltimore more, I don’t think food is not “big in DC”. It is a different culture and crowd. The heart beat of DC is different than the heartbeat of Baltimore and I love the beauty in their differences!

Has blogging changed the course of your life? It’s forced me to dress better. I can’t go out looking crazy—you never know who you’ll run into. This one time I was in a CVS—I think I was sick or something because I was in, like, sweatpants and my hair was a mess—buying tampons when I see this girl taking a picture of me. Finally, she asks, “Are you Comme Coco?” In my head I’m like: “Oh, God.”

*well she got that right to a T so makes me wonder about all the other answers……

What’s next? My dream is to work for a magazine, doing anything.

*I spoke heavily on future blog plans and my next photography project but alas all that was mentioned was that I would love to work for a magazine one day. And I truly do. I would absolutely ADORE assisting on photo shoots or creative directing a few shoots but there are so many other important projects that are launching soon on Comme Coco. It seems everyone else interviewed had the opportunity to have theirs showcased in the article! This makes me sound non commital and frankly DITZY!

All in all, I am still geeked to have been chosen but I am highly disappointed in the execution. My interview lasted over 31 minutes (I know because it was over the phone during my lunch hour at work and I had less than 30 minutes to eat and go back to work) yet my portion on the actual article is very short. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m verbose and have ALOT to say. Granted I understand she could not have written everything I said but it would have been nice for her to hit the key parts. I truly am going to give her credit that she may not have written everything down but I cannot find acceptance in being misquoted.

Comme Coco is about empowerment (female and male), body positivity, style over following trends and emotional health. I truly wish that this article had honed in on at least one of these facts!

I have heard of this type of thing before with other bloggers and I think it is truly sad. If you as a journalist cannot remember a fact exactly, do not just throw it in where you see fit. I believe this journalist could have easily contacted me for a refresher. I have done so many interviews and never have been represented incorrectly. I am not pleased with the alteration of my voice but find solace in knowing that my voice is heard loud and clear through my various blog posts the last 5 years!

You can read the full article HERE.

P.S. I know some others mentioned are not too happy with their message being altered as well so I am not the only one. And why oh why do I have to be described as the woman of color when I am not the only. Also if we are going to bring “race” into it why not describe the rest that way!

For other interviews I have done please visit my PRESS PAGE!