Interview: Monkeyface

So we know it's been AGES since our last interview, but classes have momentarily ended, or at least until tomorrow for Charlotte, so we've finally had the chance to put together another one!

For this one, we wanted to interview another favorite blogger so we immediately thought of Monkeyface. We're sure you've heard of her before, but if you haven't, you're definitely in for a treat. We love this blog for so many reasons--not only is it a great style blog, but we always drool over the photographs and laugh out loud while reading the posts. So if you're thinking Monkey who?, hurry on over to her blog as soon as you finish reading this post. You'll love it. And if you already know Monk, by all means, read on! You'll learn something new!

1. When did you start your blog and why?

I started my blog this past summer in anticipation of beginning grad school.  I knew I wanted to get myself a hobby (that sounds really lame/sad but it's true), and I also wanted to start getting in the habit of writing every day.  A blog seemed like a fun outlet that would also help me exercise some out-of-shape creative muscles.

2. Why did you choose to stay anonymous? 

Okay I'm going to sound like that crazy old conspiracy lady on the bus right now (you know the one I'm talking about) but Google facial recognition software was in the news when I started my blog several months ago, and that really weirded the eff out of me.  Also I knew I was going to be teaching right away which is a new thing for me, and I was terrified at the thought of students finding pictures of me macking it up for the camera and losing all credibility.  Obviously macking it up for the camera with a cartoon monkey covering my face could do nothing but earn me mad respect.

3. Where did you get the idea to put a face over yours instead of cropping or blurring your face like most anonymous bloggers?

Gosh, this is a great question and I just for the life of me cannot remember exactly how it happened!  I'm going to sort of try to answer this in the next question, hopefully.

4. Why did you choose a monkey face? 

Monkeyface was a nickname of mine that comes from the Alfred Hitchcock movie Suspicion.  (My blog name is also a recurrent line in that film, so make sure you hear Cary Grant's voice in your head each time you visit.)  I think I probably knew I wanted to have an avatar/alter ego for my blog and started drawing the monkeyfaces even before I decided to start a style blog and cover my face with them.  Once the style blog came into play, the monkeyfaces made their way onto my bod.  It wasn't the other way around - that I decided to do a style blog but wanted a way to remain anonymous - but rather, I had what I thought were hilariously ridiculous illustrations of monkeyfaces I wanted to incorporate somehow into a personal blog.  Pretty sure that's how it happened.

5. Since you keep your identity anonymous, do you tell people you know in real life about your blog?

No, I really don't.  Out of all the people I know in real life who are aware of my blog, half of them are my mother.

6. How would you describe your style?

Hmm, cheap and lazy.  Or maybe I'm projecting a description of myself onto my style.  But seriously am I the worst interviewee ever or WHAT, because I cannot think of an answer for the life of me.  My style is...hopefully not as boring as this answer.  But almost, maybe.

7. Where do you find inspiration for outfits?

I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that other bloggers out there have revolutionized my sense of style.  I don't pay attention to what designers are up to or what fashion magazines have to say, so I draw all inspiration from people in real life, reel life, and girls on the internet who have no life (like me.  KIDDING, I'm sure you all have lives.  but seriously I don't).

8. What are your staples that you couldn't live without? 

Are we talking clothes here or is this an appropriate time to compose an ode to the Chocolate Croissant?  UM, clotheswise, I couldn't live without a pair of jeans, genus skinny (THRILLING) or a pair of flats (also THRILLING), but I really only said those things because they seemed like the best euphemisms for sweats and slippers which is kind of what I really wanted to say but it seemed like sacrilege.  I would probably wear pajamas in half my outfit posts if I thought it would make for compelling imagery.

9. Your outfit pictures are always so gorgeous! We were blown away to learn that there isn't some kind of professional behind the lens! How do you find new backgrounds for your pictures? 

Well that is officially the nicest commentslashquestion ever!  Thanks ladies.  About 85% of my backgrounds are taken at various large, local waterfront parks.  The other 15% (I spent hours calculating these precise percentages, btw) is a nearby school and a street with a few industrial buildings.  My photographs only capture a very small area so I'm able to take advantage of different buildings and landscapes that are all actually within feet from each other.


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We hope you enjoyed this feature/interview! Thanks so much to Monk for answering our questions!

-Charlotte and Blythe

Tea and Biscuits

Today, boys and girls, we're starting something new! Welcome to our first blogger interview/feature! When Blythe and I were thinking about who to interview, we immediately thought of Hannie from Tea and Biscuits. She writes one of our favorite blogs to read! It's totally lovely and filled with outfits, style inspiration, and wise thoughts about life! Hannie is also doing the 30 for 30, and we can't wait to see what she comes up with. 

1) You started your blog back in September of 2010. What motivated you to start a blog? What was your blog like in the very beginning?

I'm actually no stranger to blogging. I've been reading blogs for about three years now and had my own tumblr blog until early 2010. As most tumblr blogs are, that blog was primarily focused on image content and inspiration, rather than finding my own voice. In September, I decided that I wanted to launch a blog primarily to get it up and running so that when I left for university a year later, my family and friends would have a way to keep in touch with what I was up to. For that reason, my early posts are sort of nonsensical ramblings about my life - not very interesting I'm afraid!

2) What were your goals for your blog when you started it? Are they the same now?

Like I said, when I first launched my blog the blog's purpose was purely to keep family and friends in touch. Since then it's developed into something so much more. I found several blogs written by women that really inspired me to make more of myself. So in that way my blog has become a tool to document this really crazy, and often chaotic, journey from being a girl to becoming a woman. The blog covers every aspect of that including balancing my school work with outer interests, preparing myself for moving away from home in September 2011, developing my personal style, and documenting my relationship with my boyfriend.

3) You recently started posting outfits and they look great! What motivated you to become more of a "fashion blog"?

Awh thank you! Becoming more of a 'fashion blog' was quite a natural process for me. When I posted pictures of myself, people sometimes commented on what I was wearing so I began to consider the idea of a 'fashion blog' early on. However, I was concerned that I didn't want to lose the essence of who I was in my blog - I still wanted to write about my day-to-day life, rather than the trends of the moment. The New Year really opened up the opportunity to become more fashion focused as I made developing my personal style one of my New Year Resolutions, and I thought that the blog would be a great place to do that. I've found that, even though I may like an outfit in theory, once it's on the blog and I can see it through another's eyes, the outfit doesn't sit quite right, or doesn't give the right vibe that I was going for. It's still all a learning process really.

4) How would you describe your style?

Oh golly, I have no clue haha! One word I would use to describe my style is classical. My mum brought me up to buy classic items such as white shirts, a good pair of jeans, chinos, etc. I now live by these classic items, and I strongly believe in buying a staple wardrobe, rather than loads of mix-match things that you only wear for one season.

5) Who/what is your style inspiration? 

In terms of celebrities I'm a huge fan of Diane Kruger, Nicole Richie in recent years, Olivia Palermo, Rachel Bilson, Clémence Poésy and recently, Elle Fanning. 

6) Which bloggers do you look up to or are your favorites to read?

Well I love yours of course, and for style, my daily reads include The Daybook, Kendi Everyday, M loves M, The Neo-Traditionalist, and Kristine. Or Polly. For everything else, my daily reads include Busy Bee Lauren, A Cup of Jo, Rockstar Diaries, The Swede Records and Champagne Bubbles. They're all fabulous!

7) You're great at posting regularly. How much time do you spend blogging? 

Oh thank you! On a usual day I aim to do at least one post. This normally includes one post about my general life, normally including pictures of what I wore that day. Then, later on in the day, I like to write a post on something that inspires me. The latter normally takes between 15-30 minutes, depending on how long I fiddle with the images. The post about my life normally takes near 30-45 minutes. This takes a little longer because I have to take the images, load them up onto my laptop, tweak with the images a little, and then write the post. But I really do adore blogging and writing, so for me it's not a chore, but truly a passion.

8) What kinds of classes will you be taking at the university?

Well, see, England is a little awkward about this! Unlike the USA where you take a whole bunch of classes until you narrow it down in the later years (at least that's what I've always thought happened in America!), in England you choose to study one subject from the start. So I'll be studying Political Science from September 2011 - and, no, I don't want to be a politician!

9) What job do you want after you graduate? 

I'm fully aware that this makes no sense in comparison to the degree I'll be doing, but I hope to go into marketing once I've finished university. My dream job would be to work in a company with the same sort of image as Kate Spade and work on the branding and advertisement of that image.

10) What are two random facts about you?

1. I'm actually pretty good at the trumpet. My mum says that's because I would only play an instrument that made lots of noise - go figure!
2. I used to want to be a dolphin trainer. I had it all planned out - I'd get a degree in marine biology and then go work at SeaWorld. This sounded fab until I flunked biology!

Thanks, Hannie, for being our first interviewee! 

-Blythe and Charlotte