This week, Her Campus Georgetown showcases two of Georgetown’s premiere fashion bloggers. New Yorker Harling Ross (COL ’14) and Miami native Pamela Zedan Haua (MSB ’14) have jumped on the blogging bandwagon in full force. Harling’s blog, My Tomayto, focuses on the latest styles, new trends, and describes how her style has evolved while studying abroad. Mon Monologue, Pamela’s blog, focuses on fashion, as well, but she also posts about yummy treats, cool art and Music Mondays. Both blogs are extremely creative and have great ideas for spring fashions and outfit inspirations – be sure to check them out!
1. What sparked your love for fashion?
Harling Ross: Probably when I was in fifth grade and decided I didn’t LOVE Paul Frank t-shirts like every other girl in my class. I thought I was a serious innovator but in reality I was just a nerd who loved her some turtlenecks. But in all seriousness (warning: about to get cheesy), I started to realize that fashion is self-expression on steroids, and that was really special to me. My style has always been my own. It’s empowering, ya know?
2. Do you have a style icon?
Pamela Zedan Haua: I wouldn’t say I have a particular style icon. There are many women whose style I admire enormously like Grace Kelly, Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. I wouldn’t say I dress like them in the least, but I really admire their glamour and elegance. One day (far into the future), I hope to be as classic and timeless as they are, but for now, I definitely want to have more fun with it. In a more contemporary sense, I really admire Leandra Medine (from the Man Repeller)’s confidence to just wear anything and everything. I also love Olivia Palermo’s style – she has great poise and always looks put-together and sophisticated.
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3. How did you both become involved with fashion blogging? What is the significance behind the name of your blogs, Mon Monologue and My Tomayto?
PZH: I’m a total busy bee. I thrive on having too much to do and taking on an excess of projects. I’ve always been that way so I’m used to having a million things going on at once – school, work, and tons of extracurriculars. I’m a transfer to Georgetown from the University of Miami. During my two years at UM, I actually started an online bakery. I love love love baking – and business. I’ve always been very entrepreneurial so it just came as a natural fit. However, leaving home also meant leaving my bakery behind. It left a huge hole in my life that I needed desperately to fill. My friend had hooked me on blogs earlier that year and kept telling me I should start my own and I thought to myself, why not? I love fashion, I love design, I love taking pictures. And it was something that I could do from anywhere and a way to share a part of my life with my friends and family as well as anyone who happens to pass by it. Which is where the name comes from; Mon Monologue is just French for “My Monologue”. I feel like my blog is just that: a compilation of all of my thoughts and musings. At the end of the day, I started my blog for me – as an outlet to express myself and as a personal project. And if people enjoy reading it or looking through it, that’s just an added plus. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy those random messages I get on Facebook [make me] from people I’ve had only brief encounters with telling me that they love my blog and to keep at it. The fact that they take the time to send and that they actually enjoy my blog just makes me feel extremely grateful; it’s extremely gratifying and motivating.
HR: When I discovered the world of fashion blogs, I was obsessed. Like “refresh, refresh, refresh” obsessed. I loved how the venue of a blog is completely YOUR OWN. You do what you want with it. You have a relationship with your readers. It’s your writing, your voice, and your style completely. There’s really nothing else like it out there for writers or people who like writing. It fills a void left by fashion magazines and fashion journalism in general. It’s so accessible. Anyone can do it or participate in it. Blogging kind of turns the exclusivity of fashion on its well-coiffed head, which is so utterly cool and recent. I started my own blog for all of these reasons. I also just enjoy dressing up and making weird faces and shocking my grandmother. The name of my blog comes from the saying “tomayto, tomahto” (spelled phonetically here). Basically, everyone has a different opinion or perspective when it comes to fashion. That’s what makes it so freaking fun. I wanted to embrace that sentiment. This is MY tomayto– what’s yours? I wanna know. I really do.
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4. How would you describe your style?
HR: Willy Wonka meets librarian.
PZH: My style is definitely a combination of my mood, where I’m going and the weather. I like experimenting with different looks and trends, new lipstick colors and makeup products, because at the end of the day, that’s what fashion is all about – at least for me. It’s about having fun and being able to entirely change your look in a second. The one thing I always go for is looking composed. I think that’s really important. You never want to look like you just rolled out of bed even if you did. As cheesy and cliché as this may sound, you never know who you’re going to run into and first impressions only happen once. Some of my style staples include:
(1) Oversized denim and silk button downs
(2) Skinny jeans and pants
(3) TONS of accessories, statement necklaces and arms full of bracelets
5. If you could sit in the front row at any fashion show, which would you chose?
HR: Isabel Marant. She knows what I want to wear before I do. It’s creepy cool.
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6. Mon Monologue is not solely fashion but a little bit of everything, including music, food and art. What is your favorite topic to blog about?
PZH: I honestly just love writing and taking pictures, capturing beautiful things and moments. I just write about whatever I feel inspired by. I’m one of those people that start essays on my phone (if people even do that). I have an infinite amount of drafts on my notes app. I also take an absurd amount of pictures of everything. My roommate walks in on me standing on chairs photographing things. And of course, the food pictures. I always make my family wait until I’m done getting “the shot” before they can start eating!
7. Is a job in the fashion world in your future? What is your dream job?
PZH: I read a quote by Diane von Furstenberg once that went: “I didn’t always know what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.” I feel like I’m at that exact point in my life. I have so many interests ranging from finance to art to cooking to fashion, and I just have no idea where to go from here (I’m sure I’m not the only college kid that feels this way). Ideally, however, my dream job would entail shopping – and lot’s of it! But I really love the business and management aspect of things as well. So the goal is to find something that ties my interests together. I definitely want to do something I love and am extremely passionate about because I think that’s the biggest driver for success. Whatever I end up doing, I want to be independent, proud of my work and always give back to the community in any way I can.
HR: I really hope so. What I want most is to work for a website where I would be allowed to write about fashion my way, in my voice, with my sense of humor and perspective. There’s not much out there like that right now, but a great example is Leandra Medine’s blog, The Man Repeller. I’ll probably just end up camped outside her apartment when I graduate with a basket of muffins, begging her to hire me.
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8. Best piece of fashion advice for girls in college?
HR: Pajama dressing. Get on board.
PZH:
1. Dress for yourself. You’ll be much happier and look much better than trying to impress others or look good for someone else.
2. Always try new things. Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and try something new, whether it’s trying out a crazy trend or cutting 10 inches off your hair (preferably by a professional – this is not a DIY kind of project).
3. Be confident in your choices. There have been countless times when my mom has given me that doubtful “really?” look while shopping together or even getting dressed and then when I put it all together, she loves it. Sometimes she’s right, but if I always listened to her, I wouldn’t own some of my favorite pieces today.
4. Avoid sweatpants at all costs. They never look good. If you’re having a lazy day, go for some leggings, an oversized shirt or sweater, and a pair of sneakers or booties. But never sweatpants.
5. If you’re on a budget, invest in good accessories, like a bag (especially classic models), instead of on fleeting clothing trends. A good bag can transcend generations while a neon yellow blazer is much less likely to. You can find inexpensive trendy clothing pieces at places like H&M that you can just toss out after a season or two. Plus, no matter what you’re wearing, the bag will make your outfit look like a million bucks.
6. Take advantage of your student discount. I’m always amazed by how many stores offer student discounts. All you have to do is ask! Madewell, J.Crew and Rag & Bone are some of my favorite shops to frequent on M street and they all offer a generous student discount. I love decorating my dorm, and West Elm offers one too, which is great!