name Annebeth
location Small town near Antwerp, Belgium
age 23
studying Master in Communication Sciences
boyfriend I’ve been a better half for more than six years now
sign Gemini
favourite colour lilac
favourite music Pink Floyd is my all time favorite band
favourite chictopian inspiration From the top of my head: Annabel’s post where she wore this oversize sweater over a short, frilly dress
favourite post of your own I’m pretty proud of all my real “articles” like my floral headband DIY and my posts on comfort dressing , clogs and transitional fashion .
favourite item? The three flower buttercup ring my boyfriend gave me for our five year anniversary :) and my suede over the knee boots!
This morning everything fell in its place when Chictopian sweetheart Annebeth was announced to be one of September’s style icons. She has been updating her chicblog on a regular basis since September 2009, teaching us that dreams can come true whenever one gives it the opportunity to breathe.
First and foremost I would like to congratulate you with your newly obtained style icon status. You must have been really excited when you found out this morning. Does this mean you will still update your chicblog on a daily basis? Yes, I am so excited! Erumque sent me a message that I checked immediately when I logged in and it congratulated me with being a style icon, and I was like “What??” because I didn’t even notice it myself! :D GREAT way to start my day!
A couple of months ago I actually figured that maybe being a style icon would make me lose my drive to post every day, because it would take away a bit of the suspense about waiting if my outfit would be a “hit” or not. But I am aware of that possibility, which gives me the opportunity to deal with it: I will just have to look at things in a different perspective. The fact that I got chosen as a style icon means that my outfits are in fact good enough which means I don’t need to doubt myself anymore. Now my main motivation to update regularly will be the position of EIU contributor. I really love writing actual articles, creating a good article will be even more motivational than updating my chicblog.
Why did you first start blogging about fashion? After passively participating in the blogosphere for over a year and following my favorite blogs ( fashiontoast, Stylebytes (before Agathe disappeared), Everybody is ugly , childhood flames, garance doré etcetera), I finally took the plunge and started actively using my chictopia account in September 2009. I had an account since 2008 but didn’t use it regularly. In February 2010 I started writing my own blog The Styling Dutchman .
Tell us about your blog, what makes it stand out? I think my writing and my sense of humor along with my own personal aesthetic give my blog its personality.
How would you describe your own signature style? I love all sorts of styles from grunge nouveau to retro girly, but I guess my style is relatively simple as I don’t pile on the accessories, and I have a huge preference for dresses and boots. I don’t like to dress serious, I don’t like to dress overtly sexy, and I am not at all a fan of casualwear or sportswear. Fashion needs to be fun! In the summertime I usually dress very girly, but in the colder months my rock roots resurface.
Your pictures end up in the style gallery by rule. Was it always this way, or did you notice a change at some point? I don’t really remember actually! The outfits I posted before I started updating regularly didn’t end up in the style gallery, and after that I had some looks that scored very well and some that didn’t score well at all, but I guess I only got to that very “popular” stage last january.
Do you have any tips on how to improve pictures in order to get in there? Natural lighting, editing pictures with Gimp or Photoshop, a good background (preferably quite simple to allow your outfit to shine through) and think about the details! A fun pose and some props will make a picture more interesting.
Have you ever been featured on the first page? Nope! I’d love to be though, I’d take printscreens and use them as my wallpaper for ages!
I’m guessing there’s a print screen on your computer right now :) Have you ever been inspired by a fellow chictopian in the way you went to a store and bought the same item? Countless times, but from the top of my head I recently bought a H&M dress after seeing VickyViolet- wear the hell out of it!
What would be your general advice for a new chictopian? Have fun! Don’t start posting to become a style icon or to get into the style gallery, just enjoy sharing a passion with hundreds of other girls around the globe! And if you are an active member, commenting on all your favorite pictures, you’ll get comments too even if your pictures aren’t perfect. Never underestimate the social aspect of Chictopia.
Amen to that :) In your chicblog it is very obvious you’ve been enjoying fashion at an early age. At the moment you are studying communication sciences. Did you ever dream about a career in fashion? I initially wanted to study law, but I changed my mind after realizing that world would do nothing for my creative needs. The study of Communication Sciences is actually the perfect jumping board to become a fashion journalist, combining my love for fashion with the social media. I see my blog and the position of EIU contributor as a great trump on my future resumé to show employers that I care about fashion and love writing about it!
First EIU contributor, then a style icon and all of this in only two days. You seem like a woman who will experience a lot of success in life, what are the goals you would like to attain? First of all: thank you! That is an amazing compliment!
I’m not a super ambitious person, I really just want to live my life and be happy.
I’d love to marry my boyfriend, be together forever, complete my studies and find a perfect job as a fashion journalist, and if I’m allowed to dream big: I would love to have a TV show as a fashion advisor (similar to Trinny and Susannah).
I also want to move abroad to some place sunny and warm. To live somewhere in a small house with some animals and a garden to grow my own vegetables, preferably Spain! I’m a hippie at heart.
Annebeth I want to thank you for this interview, enjoy being this months style icon and your EIU contributor position and I wish you all the best in life!! Break a leg!!
