Game Changers: A Stylish Set

Blogs are near and dear to my heart for lots of reasons. Some have interesting takes on daily life; some teach me things both big and little; some are eye candy, pure and simple. Some of them I've already told you about (Penelope Trunk, Coke Talk, Ravelry). But being a gal who likes to challenge her wardrobe on the daily, there's a big section of my Google Reader dedicated to style bloggers, gals who inspire me to try new things and expand my personal style horizons, a select handful of which I read as often as I change my underwear. Here's a sampling of stylish blogs that I just can't get through the day without reading.


Love Aesthetics
Ivania Carpio's modernist style is just so inspirational to me. Her stripped back aesthetic marries the best of easy minimalism and colourful accents in a way that seems so natural and so bold all at once. I like that she admits she wears the same pieces over and over, and isn't afraid to be daring, like wearing a balls-out 80s burgundy suit or using hardware nuts and bolts as jewelry. Her DIYs are really great, practical ideas that add a little extra cool to your life, and her site is well-organized and simply designed. Somehow, she always looks effortless and thoughtful. She is the ultimate 90s dream girl for me, right now.

Arriving in London

Half Way Manicure

Thrifted Slit Dress

Miss Moss

Man, I don’t even know if I have words to describe Miss Moss (aka. Diana). She is the patron saint of aesthetes, the saving grace for those who love beautiful things. She is the ultimate curator of the web and insatiably curious, scouring the LIFE archives, latest runway shows, and breathtaking interiors and design – and she somehow shares it all while writing with a voice that sounds like your best in-the-know girlfriend. She makes way-cool mixtapes, pairs food and paintings with street style photos, and delivers lots of attainable prettiness for right now, like finding adorable (and affordable) Etsy shops. You never quite know what you're going to get when you check her blog, except that you know it's going to be wonderful. Oh god, is my girl crush showing enough yet? Just read her blog. Do it now.

Food & Fashion

Six Months in a Leaky Boat Mixtape

Prunella Soap

Clever Nettle

Portland-based Anja feels like a lost soul sister. She digs cats, mysticism, nature. She takes gorgeous pictures, sells way cool vintage duds, and now, makes clothing and leather accessories under her new label, Ann-ya. She is warm, friendly, and totally personable online, calling people ‘buddies’, which I find utterly charming. I feel like she’s really come into her own the past few months, pairing up with great labels and retailers like Natalie Joy, Hopeless Lingerie, Sara Bergman and Summerland to shoot their lookbooks, and I feel this weird sense of friend pride for her, even though she’s like, so out of my league.

Dark Mirror for Hopeless

Ann-ya Leather Goods

Friday Variety

What are some of your favourite style bloggers?

Game Changer: Ravelry

If you knit or crochet, you HAVE to be on Ravelry. There's just no other way.

The idea of knitting before Ravelry amazes me, in the same way it amazes me that people used to write books and essays and articles on typewwriters before computers (so many copies to be corrected!) and before that, writing (wouldn't your hand become gnarled?). How could you plan projects? How would you know what to buy? How would you find patterns to fulfill what you're looking for?

Basically, Ravelry works to catalog your yarn, the patterns you're knitting, the projects you're planning and acts as a resource for help. It is, hands down, the most practical social network I use. It keeps my project notes in one place, collects the patterns I've been interested in, and helps me keep track of what yarn I already own, which gets very helpful indeed – knitters are a notorious bunch of hoarders.

example from searching "scarf" and "knitting"

Game Changer: Coke Talk

Life a little messy?

Feeling in need of some guidance?

There's no better bitch in the game than Coke Talk.

Dear Coke Talk is blog run by a self-described LA party girl who doles out advice to, well, anyone who asks. The questions run the gamut, from being in a great but passionateless relationship, having your heart broken for the first time, improving your sex life, handling class differences, and just about any old thing that might be causing indecision in your life. She also writes an advice column on The Daily, an iPad-based newspaper, under the name the Coquette.

What I really like about Coke Talk is how straight up she is. She doesn't bother mincing words with people who need to be told off, whether they're a petty thief, an artist with "demons" or stuck in a miserable relationship. She is genuinely helpful to those in need of actual guidance, about the things after school specials don't necessarily prepare you for, like choosing where to move for college, discovering you're bisexual or finding out your dad is cheating on your mom. And she's obviously having a lot of fun, answering random little questions in fun sized advice or recommending her favourite books.

Sure, she's a little brash. Sure, she's a little full of herself. But I honestly think she's earned a right to be—her advice is usually dead-on, and she's acts as the friend we've all needed or wished we could be at some point, telling off our loved ones for hurting themselves or others. She's a commonsense slap in the face, and it's absolutely refreshing. And she knows her limits—she doesn't offer any easy answers, just asks that people get their shit together before they go bringing more harm into the world and their lives. And yes, she loves to toy with the assholes who troll her site, but who hasn't wanted to tell off one of those brats before?

She's a savvy businesswoman too, parlaying her original advice Tumblr into the Daily column, an online boutique and jewelry line, and an intensely loyal fanbase in just about a year and a half of blogging (Molls calls herself a fan).

So yeah, go forth, read some Coke Talk, and maybe it'll help you get your shit straight too. I apologize in  advance for nuking your productivity today.

On Penelope Trunk and challenging your notions

Are you reading Penenlope Trunk's blog?

Do you care about your career/life/passion?

Then you should be reading Penelope Trunk.

Lately, I've grown more and more interested in creating a meaningful life. I think Laura's been feeling similarly, and the posts around here have been reflecting that. The past few years I've been, quite honestly, lazy—I've been working in a comfortable job that's creatively unfulfilling, and I hadn't been giving myself the alone time or creative outlets that I need to feel satisfied. How do I know that? Because I drink, smoke, eat and laze around too much, and my nerves still feel on edge. I've been taking steps to rectify that, but it's scary to start creating a life that looks different, because when you've been told, "do a, b and c and you'll be fine", and then you're not, you're left without a road map.

Gen Y likes road maps. I know this because of Penelope Trunk. I know lots of things because of Penelope Trunk, like how Gen Z will change education, or the 4 big lies about social media, or how to write a stellar resume. She's who first encouraged me to take a Myers-Briggs test (INTJ, btw). Hands down, she gives the best career advice on the web. I'd go so far as to say life advice, but the only thing that hold me back is how shockingly, brutally, earnestly open she is with her often messy life. But that is so inspiring.