Gg enjoys sharing her fashion choices with other people and letting them decide too
Explain a bit about your blog, the concept?
www.what-towear.blogspot.co.uk is an interactive fashion blog driven by social media. For every event or social occasion I attend, be that a wedding, a dinner with friends or drinks with the girls, I ask my followers and fans to decide my ‘what to wear’ dilemma. Approximately three or four times a month, my followers can view and select their favourite outfit from a choice of three photographs of me wearing them. The outfit with the most votes is the outfit I wear.
Why did you want to do this?
In 2011 I lost my Mum very suddenly to cancer. She was my best friend and the only person I trusted when it came to choosing what to wear. She had fantastic sense of style. Living alone and with my boyfriend living sixty miles away, I decided to ask my Twitter followers 'what to wear'.
Do you not get worried that people will pick awful outfits for you to wear?
Hopefully I don't choose awful outfits! I shop at all the well-known and massively popular British high street retailers and try to choose outfits that are suitable for each occasion.
Do you get many people doing this just for a joke?
No, far from it! My followers tell me they love it.
Why do you think your blog has been so successful?
It's fun and fast and it engages with followers. Their opinions and votes count and ultimately help someone to make a decision. Maybe it's because the blog makes them feel valued and part of a decision- making process that explains its success. The concept of the 'What to wear' blog is a dilemma that women face on a regular basis and it's a question that's asked over 45 million times on Google every month.
Also, judging from the positive comments I get from followers, they also seem to like my style too.
Where would you like to go next with your blog?
The immediate priority for the blog is to continue to grow the number of site visitors and Twitter followers so that the what-towear.blogspot might become an online “people’s choice” not only for consumers and fashion retailers, but also for other different retail sectors which want to keep an eye on consumer trends by using an engaging blog that’s written by an average female for like-minded women. The approach to my blog takes could be easily and really effectively used by businesses across the hospitality and entertainment market and in particular by restaurants, bars and hotels.
Any new and fun ideas coming up?
I'm going to a wedding soon so I will be posting my outfit choices for that in the coming days. I will also be looking at other events as we go into the end of August and September. It's a case of 'Watch this space!'
How important do you think social media is in the fashion industry?
It's essential. Fashion trends move very fast so social media is a vital way of communicating those trends as soon as they emerge and keeping a finger on the pulse.
What's your personal style?
I would say I'm in touch with on-trend fashions but I'm not a fashionista. I like simple, elegant, sophisticated fashion.
What effect has the blog had on your style?
A massive one. It's significantly helped my style confidence and I'm very grateful to my followers for voting. THEY are my style gurus, the ultimate fashion decision-makers.
Whose style do you admire?
Eva Longoria always looks well-dressed and classy. I love the Hollywood movie stars of the 50's & 60's like Ava Gardner, Sophia Lauren and Grace Kelly. They always looked so fabulous.
If you could switch places, which three people would you like most to dress?
Sophia Vergara, Victoria Beckham and Eva Longoria. Three very stylish women.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies