Gemma grew up in Worcestershire and moved to London at 18, where she studied fashion journalism at the London College of Fashion. During that time she ran the fashion blog Catwalk Queen, which eventually became one of the most successful sites for her first employers, Shiny Media. Today she is editor of celebrity shopping site The Nod www.thenod.com. In her spare time, she runs curvy style blog Big Girls Browse, a site aimed at women with curves www.biggirlsbrowse.com. It aims to bridge the gap between mass-market fashion, plus size and specialist stores for those who are somewhere in between.” Gemma also contributes to various other websites, including Domestic Sluttery and Dorkadore. She tweets as @GemmaCartwright and also has a personal website at www.gemmacartwright.com.
My interview with Gemma Cartwright:
1.
Being one of the first bloggers on the scene you must have seen and witnessed many changes in the online world; sites being hip today and out tomorrow, changes in how people are getting their latest news, how women shop and how we get our gossip fix and also how bloggers have moved from the back seats to the front row of the fashion shows. Speaking from your experience what would you say is the biggest change in blogging today and blogging 10 years ago? Have readers interest changed? Are we more interactive with all the available online platforms or too overloaded? How do you get always the tone right for your blog followers? What makes not only a good fashion blog but also one that achieves a high number of followers?
The biggest change is that when I started, nobody knew what a blog was, and I doubt anyone thought people would be making a living out of it in ten years time. Bloggers weren’t treated as press like they are now, and they definitely weren’t celebrities in their own right.
The benefit of being one of the first fashion bloggers was there was less saturation in the market, of course. So if you had a blog that you worked hard on, there was a good chance you could make a success of it because people had less to choose from. Now it seems like everyone has a blog, so you really have to be doing something different or special to stand out. Readers have to hunt harder to find the stuff that’s relevant to them. They’re spoilt for choice, and as a result they are far more critical of the stuff they dislike or disagree with.
On that note, I think one of the strongest things you can have to build a following and a reputation is a great archive of useful information and an understanding that you are writing for other people, even if you’re writing about yourself and your own opinions. I’ve seen a lot of people say ‘my blog is just for me’ but then complain about low traffic. You can’t have it both ways. There has to be something there to keep people interested. This is why so many new sites fall at the first hurdle. For the first six months to a year, you’ll probably just be building content. Your traffic will be low and it’ll all feel a bit fruitless. But then one day it’ll all click into place. The key to longevity is dedication, and you’ll only be dedicated if you really love the topic you’re writing about. The bloggers who make it now are the ones who live for their blog, love what they’re writing about and update every day. They’re the ones with passion that you can see in every new post and a real personality that comes across in every update.
2.
As a celebrity editor what are your deciding factors when choosing who to put on the front page? What do you like to write about celebrities- what is getting your attention? What do you dislike to read or hear about celebrities? And why do you think we trust and follow the style sense of a celebrity more than the one from our family and friends?
Personally, I dislike celebrity sites that pull celebs apart unnecessarily. Yes, these people chose to be in the public eye and have their lives exposed, but that doesn’t give us the right to discuss their weight on a daily basis, accuse them of doing drugs or rip apart their relationships the day after they’ve split up with someone. It’s not clever to be mean.
I love celebrity fashion because stars have access to the kind of clothing most of us can only dream of. Who else gets to wear couture gowns other than an actress at the Oscars? They also have access to everything before the rest of us. Celebs are wearing Autumn / Winter designs in May, before they’re even on sale. And while I don’t agree with copying a look head to toe, getting inspiration from them seems like a no-brainer. Stars have so many options open to them that I love seeing what they (and their stylists) pick. In terms of who I put on the front page, it varies between people who’re interesting at the time (actors with new movies out, musicians releasing new albums etc) who is in the news, and the stars who’re being visited the most on the site – we have well over 1000 profiles live on the site so I can see on a daily basis who people are searching for. Some of the results might surprise you!
3.
Reading and writing about celebrities and fashion advice- what makes you personally tick to follow suit or which advice to find relevant enough to listen to? Which celebrities are real fashion troopers for you and why? Do you copy as well celebrity style and fashion?
I like celebrities who take risks, enjoy fashion and put a bit of personality into the clothes they wear. There’s nothing worse than someone who looks so uncomfortable in a dress that it’s obvious a stylist has been pulling all the strings.
Zoe Saldana rarely puts a foot wrong, and always looks elegant. I think Blake Lively has really tapped into what works for her – showing off that amazing young body and having fun while she can still get away with it. Diane Kruger is stunning, never looks like she’s tried too hard and can do androgynous as well as she can do glamorous. Ginnifer Goodwin and Carey Mulligan both have that elfin look to perfection. It’s far from my own style but I always think they look great.
As far as those who I copy, I have a soft spot for women who do a modern take on the 40s Hollywood look, like Scarlett Johannson and Evan Rachel Wood. Zooey Deschanel is probably my all-time favourite, I love her trademark combo of cute little dress / black tights / statement coat. I also love Daisy Lowe’s laid-back look…but the closest I can get is buying her mum’s designs for Peacocks!
4. I read and know about your love for tea dresses, 40s fashion, fascinators and impractical shoes as well as about your dislike of Crocs. Does your dress style change very much between office and private engagements? Where do you shop your investment pieces and where do you look for trends updates? In percentage how often do you buy online or from shops directly? Do you have a preference what to buy where?
I love the retro pin-up style so I have about a dozen dresses from reproduction vintage brands (it’s hard to find proper vintage in my size). But that tends to be a look I save for special occasions. My day-to-day look centres around a pretty dress of some kind, usually one with a nipped-in waist, with a few accessories and probably a pair of flat shoes (I save the impractical heels for nights out because I like to walk fast during the day). That doesn’t really change from office to weekend because I work in a creative environment where I can wear whatever I like within reason. I have well over 100 dresses which is quite awful, but I can never bear to get rid of one once I have it! I like pretty florals, bright colours and bold prints. I can’t do ‘classic’. I’m a Magpie when I shop, I always end up looking at the shiny things!
I don’t buy many investment pieces because I’m a fast fashion girl at heart (and I live on a budget) but the one thing I do love is a really nice handbag and a pair of statement shoes. If I ever buy designer, it’s from ebay, discount outlets, sample sales, The Outnet or sales sites like Brand Alley, Secret Sales and Cocosa. I can’t justify it any other way.
I’d say I buy at least 60% of my clothes online, because I’m always looking at online shops and I have no willpower whatsoever! I love ASOS for fast fashion, and I buy a fair amount from the high street, mostly Oasis, New Look, Primark, Dorothy Perkins, Debenhams and Marks and Spencer. I own surprisingly few items from Topshop. I also love H&M so I’m excited about their transactional site launching.
5. We all know that fashion only exists when we all chip in and follow the trends that designers created. Who are your favourite designers of all time and why? Which designers has, in the last 3 years, had the biggest impact on the high street? Which fashion trends are being most copied on the high street?
This is as predictable as it comes, but for me nothing beats the 1947 collection from Christian Dior where he changed absolutely everything with the New Look silhouette. I like clothes that make the most of a women’s body, and that’s exactly what the New Look did. I’m not into structural, modern stuff. I can appreciate the work that goes into it, but it’s not my style at all.
Staying with Dior, I also think John Galliano is fantastic. He takes things to the limit creatively, but it never gets silly – take away the dramatic styling, hair and makeup from the shows and you just have really, really great clothes. Alexander McQueen was another who managed that very well, his prints were just out of this world.
I own a few pieces by Marc Jacobs, who I think does aspirational fashion for young women really well. And his recent collection for Louis Vuitton with all the 50s style dresses was just beautiful. I love how Christopher Bailey has revived Burberry but kept it very British. He did an amazing collection of dip-dyed trench coats and rain-sodden clothes a couple of seasons ago that just summed up British summertime for me! And I’ve also always loved Matthew Williamson. I like the way he works with colour and creates really wearable fashion that’s so easily identifiable as his. I can always tell when a celeb is wearing one of his dresses.
For over the top glamour, you have to look to Lebanese designers. Elie Saab and Basil Soda know how to make a gown! I also like Diane Von Furstenberg for curve-friendly shapes, Betsey Johnson and Lulu Guinness for the best sunglasses ever, Miu Miu for quirky prints and platform shoes, Peter Pilotto for perfect graphic print dresses, Nicholas Kirkwood for the best shoes you’ll ever see in your life…and I could go on!
In terms of who’s had the most influence on the high street over recent seasons, we have to look to three I think. Balmain, Alexander Wang and Victoria Beckham. All those sharp shoulders and sequins were straight off the Balmain catwalk. The ‘luxe sportswear’ look is all Wang. And every shop is doing fitted pencil dresses in grey and red like Victoria’s, whether you like it or not! For Autumn / Winter, it’ll be all about the Burberry aviator coat with shearling lining…Boohoo.com are doing one for £35!
6. Running your own fashion style blog for curvy women you must have seen changes in the last couple of years. Luckily times have gone where Size 0 was the size to aspire to. Healthy models now walk down the catwalk and make the front covers of glossy magazines. More designers and high street stores are embracing bigger and plus sizes. What would you say is the main fashion interest for your readers at Big Girls Browse? What are their favourite shops? And what fashion subject is still not enough covered and which clothing item is still not represented enough in stores?
I think the readers of BGB are a real mix of sizes, probably young women who shop on the high street and online, but who struggle to find the clothes that will work for them because they’re only ever shown on very slim models. My readers are interested in looking great, and just want a reminder that you don’t *have* to be super-slim to enjoy fashion. I try to pitch it somewhere in between straight and plus size, as that’s where I sit myself (at the moment I’m a size 14). I like to cover a real mixture of shapes and sizes on the site, and I’m also really interested in things like DD+ lingerie, shapewear and all the little added extras that can help to boost your confidence. The name comes from my experiences in the fashion industry – I was always made to feel ‘big’, even though I was never larger than the average British woman. I’m sure there are plenty of other women out there who’ve experienced similar things and they’re the ones I want to reach out to.
7. We are still in the middle of sales season. What are your 8 favourite picks from Joy of Clothes.
8. Now some personal questions: What is your favourite place in the world? How do you unwind? Biggest weakness? Talent you wish you had? Greatest source of happiness? Qualities you find most attractive in men and women? Things you dislike?
My favourite place in the world is Las Vegas. It’s a city that really divides people, but I absolutely love everything about it. Luxury hotels, amazing shopping, great food, gorgeous bars…and everyone there is on holiday so there’s a really friendly atmosphere. Also, where else in the world can you ride a rollercoaster around a fake New York skyline, then jump in a helicopter be flying over the Grand Canyon half an hour later?
I usually unwind by crashing out on the sofa with a glass of wine and some incredibly tacky tv show on Living TV!
My biggest weakness…well, there are plenty I can think of, but I do procrastinate terribly. It always drove my mother mad that I would leave everything to the last minute, and I’ve never grown out of it. I think that’s why I wanted to be a journalist – I do my best work when have a deadline to meet! I’m also really, really untidy.
The talent I wish I had is the ability to walk into a room full of people and just strike up a conversation with a stranger. I find it impossible, and always have. I am awful at small talk and terrible at schmoozing!
My greatest source of happiness is my loved ones. That’s a really naff answer but it’s the truth.
The qualities I find most attractive in people are determination, self-confidence (but not arrogance), tolerance and a sense of calm. I also love people who’re not afraid to be a bit uncool!
My biggest dislike is the phrases ‘no offence, but…’. or ‘not to be rude, but…’ because they’re almost always used as an excuse to say something rude, unnecessary or offensive. Too many people think it’s great to speak their minds because they’re ‘just being honest’. But sometimes it’s better to keep quiet. Why hurt someone over something small? I’m a big believer in the phrase ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all’!
9. Tell us something that people don’t know about you?
I’m a huge scaredy-cat and won’t watch anything remotely frightening. I get people to ‘screen’ films for gory or violent scenes before I’ll watch them.
Thank you Gemma!
Michaela
