Mamie Blogger of the Month ♥ Style Me Mamie ♥ Page 2

We picked Kendi Everyday as our Mamie Blogger of the Month for March! We are excited to feature Kendi on Style Me Mamie. We really love her very wearable style! It is always great to see when a new style photo pops up on her blog. She gives great styling ideas, especially when it comes to accessorizing. Check out our question and answer with Kendi below.

Q: What inspired you to start your blog? What has been your continuing inspiration to keep it going?

A: Two years ago I moved from Dallas to a very small town in Texas. Not only did I lose my favorite shopping places, but also my fashion community. It became challenging to find inspiration in my new small town without other people my age who were interested in fashion and who had their own style. That’s when I decided to start my blog, so that I could have another community of style inspiration. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. Of course, other bloggers like Jessica from What I Wore and Tieka from Selective Potential have served as huge inspirations to my style and blog. I had followed many bloggers for a while and finally decided that it was time to have my own voice in the blogging community as well.

Q: How would you describe your personal style? What is your favorite fashion item in your wardrobe? How do you make your fashion fit with your budget?

A: Finding my style was actually another major reason for starting my blog. Right now I would say that my style is somewhere in between contemporary classic and eclectic modern I range from crisp button downs and full skirts to brightly colored tights and patterned dresses. Overall, I would like to say that my style is unique, classic and modern. I hope that my style continues to evolve, but right now I like where I am.

My favorite fashion item right now would have to be my navy blazer from Gap. I have to tell myself not to wear it everyday or I would. A blazer can change the mood of any outfit — it can make jeans dressy, a floral dress classy, a simple outfit chic. It’s hard not to love an item that’s so magical.

I rarely buy anything full price. I do not have one thing in my closet that’s over $100. (ok, maybe a pair of Uggs, but I’m not telling.) I usually stalk my favorite store’s websites and sale racks to find amazing deals on great pieces. After many years of bargain- hunting, I’ve found that if you accessorize well, you can make anything look like it didn’t just come off the sales rack.

Q: If there is one piece of styling advice that you could give to our readers, what would it be?

A: Buy well, not more. It doesn’t matter how much you pay for something, just make sure that whatever you buy it works well within your wardrobe. I’ve finally figured that rule out and I buy pieces that work with the rest of my closet, that I can continue to build outfits off of instead of wearing it once and throwing it aside. Now where is my blazer…

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Lilliana of Cheap Chicas ~cheapchicas.com

We chose CheapChicas.com as our Mamie Blogger for the Month of February because we absolutely LOVE her sense of style AND best of all she knows fashion on a BUDGET. The love began when Amy and I felt flattered that Lilliana featured a Shopmamie dress for a summer cheapchicas giveaway. Many of her readers showered us with complimentary comments. She does such a great job of picking out unique style items for under $100 (no wonder we LOVE her)!

When you go onto cheapchicas.com, you get a feel for Lilliana’s amazing sense of style because it comes through with the look and feel of the site and her posts. I often look to her website for fashion tips or for inside info on how to find a particular wardrobe item for less.

We have always wanted to get inside info on how Lilliana does what she does! And, we were lucky enough to interview Lilliana and get some insight on her GREAT sense of style. Read below!

Q: When did your interest for fashion ignite or spark? And how did your interest in fashion and life experiences channel you into starting CheapChicas?

A: I think I’ve loved fashion ever since I could dress myself! I was really influenced by my grandmother…she’s so beautiful, was always so well dressed and incredibly feminine (she’s never worn a pair of pants a day in her life!) and she really had a love for clothes, shoes, accessories, make-up…all of it! I spent a lot of time with her when I was little so she contributed greatly to my overall fashion aesthetic and approach to style.

My first job right out of college was at W Magazine–the fashion bible in my opinion! But the pages of that magazine were filled with luxury labels and designer clothes that I could never afford myself, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate them or that my look wasn’t greatly inspired by them!

My friends and family were always asking me where I bought this or that item or asking for my opinion on how an outfit looked…I would end up sending them emails with outfit advice and/or pictures of items that I found online and the subject would always be “isn’t this cute” or “look for less”. I thought there has to be a better way to share this info and that’s how the idea for the blog came about.

I wanted Cheap Chicas to be a place that was fashion-forward, but accessible, affordable and most of all attainable for everyone that wanted a heavy dose of style in their life! There’s enough magazines/blogs/TV Shows in the world that feature things that normal people, like us, can’t afford or have, so why not provide a good alternative to that…and hence Cheap Chicas was born!

Q: Regarding all things fashion… In your opinion, what is the hottest trend/style item for spring and how can you get that item for LESS? I see that you feature a lot of celebrity style on Cheap Chicas, do you have a style icon?

A: For spring this year, I’m all about neutral tones. The aesthetic here is simple, clean, and elegant — and this color will look so good with a tan! I’m also loving all the abstract prints and jumpsuits we saw on the runways. The great thing about these three trends is that they are so easy to find…SHOPMAMIE.COM, H&M, Forever 21, and even Target will be great resources for getting these runway trends for less!

I don’t just have one style icon, that would be way too hard to choose, but I do tend to identify with certain celebs. Nicole Richie for her bohemian chic style, Rachel Bilson for her California cool style, and as I get older, I really look up to Carine Roitfeld for her unbelieveably chic, Parisian style and most of all, for her ability to break all the fashion rules when it comes to dressing for women over 40!

Lilliana Vazquez: Fashion Hosting Reel from lilliana vazquez on Vimeo.

Q: With Shopmamie being located in the Greater Philadelphia area, I have seen your TV fashion features on the Philly NBC and ABC news programs. What is your number one tip in staying cool and collected while reporting on fashion for TV?

A: I always remind myself to approach the camera as if my BFF were on the other side and that really puts me at ease. Oh, and smile–if you smile you not only feel good, but you look good too!

Q: Lastly, if you had to give one piece of fashion advice to women…what would you say?

A: Trends come and go, but style is forever so I always suggest that people incorporate seasonal trends in a way that feels natural and in tune with their lifestyle. What works for me, might not work across the board so recognizing and being able to identify your personal style is key.

Also, when it comes to trends, focus on accessories. If you keep your clothing classic, but add some really trend right shoes or a hot bag then you come off looking stylishly modern, but not like a total fashion victim!