In love with the new vintage tees displayed on our site? Well, you can thank Nicole Sereda for picking the best of the best from our giant collection (seriously, there are tons). If you didn't know, the Running in Wedges blogger is widely known around the Interwebz as a vintage connoisseur -- especially when it comes to t-shirts. Not convinced? She was once a buyer for consignment giant, Beacon's Closet, and our intern, Samantha, has been following her since the MySpace days. Recently, we invited Nicole to visit our Soho store to style and shoot some of her favorite Flying A items. During her time here, we had the chance to chat about her start in blogging, the origins of her bohemian/rocker style, and the ways in which bloggers are shaping the way that we shop.
Read the interview (and find out about our Flying A x Running in Wedges giveaway) after the jump!
FLYING A: So how did you start the blog? When did it start? Oh! With MySpace, right?
NICOLE: I was around 15 or 16...everyone was on MySpace. It was just clothes you
know, that attracted people to view my page. I thrifted a
lot so [there] was just a lot of vintage stuff, which I guess was intriguing
to younger girls. I gained a really big following and
when that died off, most of them followed me to Tumblr and I just
continued to document my style and even my life. A lot
of girls...and even boys continued to follow me just because they felt like
they knew me. From there, I started with Blogpsot because it’s more
of a clean layout; it’s more professional and easier to look
at. I [still] love Tumblr but it’s turned into more of my
day-to-day [lookbook].
FLYING A: How long ago was that? For Myspace?
NICOLE: Seven to eight years.
FLYING A: That was when the whole vintage/thrift thing was starting to become cool so you were kind of ahead of it, which is probably why you got a lot of traction at that point.
NICOLE: Yeah, and I feel like a lot of girls from different areas who couldn't afford certain things, I think they also looked at me and thought “Oh, you know this girl seems to be cool, so I don’t need to spend a bunch of money to do this.” I’d rather not fall under that [designer category]; you don’t have to have a lot of money to have good style.
FLYING A: So what it is about t-shirts that you really like?
NICOLE: The history behind them. They were once someone’s favorite t-shirt for so long and it’s crazy to think about who’s shirt I’m wearing, even right now. Who wore this? Someone wore this, loved this, maybe had their first date in it. There’s so much history in vintage pieces...it just feels good once it's on. It’s like you’re carrying history.
FLYING A: How would you describe your style?
NICOLE: A little bohemian rock and roll. My mom is very bohemian - she does a lot of spiritual stuff. The layers of silver jewelry, flowy skirts, open knits. And my dad was in bands when I was growing up and even before that; I was influenced by his old photographs, which were very “old rock and roll.” Layered belts, tight, high-waisted pants. One of my favorite pairs of cutoffs are my dad’s old short-shorts.
FLYING A: So you would say your parents are you biggest style influence then?
NICOLE: Absolutely.
FLYING A: Is there a singular item that you can’t ever part with?
NICOLE: You could take anything away from my closet and it wouldn’t phase me except for all the pieces that I’ve gotten from my mom and my dad - those have been my favorite pieces.
FLYING A: Just switching gears, have you ever been recognized? Do followers come up to you a lot?
NICOLE: I’ve gotten [recognized] a lot and I’ve also made a lot of friends that way. If I’m gonna share that much [on the blog] I want people to come and say hi. Like, come hang out with me!
FLYING A: Are there any facets of blogging that you really love in particular?
NICOLE: What’s important to me (I even have it tattooed on me) is to document everything and I love that more and more people are doing it. Even when it comes to Instagram, where people take photos of their food before they eat it - I think it’s really nice because people are stopping to think “look at how beautifully my food’s been prepared,” or “look how beautiful these clothes are,” or “my makeup!” It’s nice to look back and remember and it’s also nice that people are starting to appreciate things more. By documenting and blogging, it’s keeping this public journal that you can always look back on.
FLYING A: You’re going to have so much to look back on. You’re lucky!
NICOLE: Yeah, it’s cool. My dad’s old band photographs from his band days were my hugest fashion inspiration; I’m so thankful that he and all his friends took photos of everything. So, my kids are really gonna love t-shirts and ugly hats!
FLYING A: This is a typical “blogger” question that everyone gets asked, but how do you think blogging is changing the way that people buy clothes, rather than just the fashion industry?
NICOLE: I feel like a lot of girls relate to certain bloggers and trust their style. When they can say “Oh, this girl that I look up to shops here,” it directs them and brings business to the store, the company, or the brand. I feel like a lot of brands are reaching out to certain bloggers and influencers that reflect their brand and followers are reached in that way. It’s all about reaching out to a brand that matches your aesthetic.
FLYING A: It’s kind of like a partnership
NICOLE: Yeah. I think it’s really awesome for bloggers; it’s become a business.
As previously mentioned, we're partnering with Nicole for a vintage t-shirt giveaway!
TO ENTER:
Once you've done all of that, go to Nicole's blog and leave a comment letting her know you've completed those two steps. Be sure to leave your email so that you can be contacted. The contest ends on 8/18. Good luck!
FLYING A: That was when the whole vintage/thrift thing was starting to become cool so you were kind of ahead of it, which is probably why you got a lot of traction at that point.
NICOLE: Yeah, and I feel like a lot of girls from different areas who couldn't afford certain things, I think they also looked at me and thought “Oh, you know this girl seems to be cool, so I don’t need to spend a bunch of money to do this.” I’d rather not fall under that [designer category]; you don’t have to have a lot of money to have good style.
FLYING A: So what it is about t-shirts that you really like?
NICOLE: The history behind them. They were once someone’s favorite t-shirt for so long and it’s crazy to think about who’s shirt I’m wearing, even right now. Who wore this? Someone wore this, loved this, maybe had their first date in it. There’s so much history in vintage pieces...it just feels good once it's on. It’s like you’re carrying history.
FLYING A: How would you describe your style?
NICOLE: A little bohemian rock and roll. My mom is very bohemian - she does a lot of spiritual stuff. The layers of silver jewelry, flowy skirts, open knits. And my dad was in bands when I was growing up and even before that; I was influenced by his old photographs, which were very “old rock and roll.” Layered belts, tight, high-waisted pants. One of my favorite pairs of cutoffs are my dad’s old short-shorts.
FLYING A: So you would say your parents are you biggest style influence then?
NICOLE: Absolutely.
FLYING A: Is there a singular item that you can’t ever part with?
NICOLE: You could take anything away from my closet and it wouldn’t phase me except for all the pieces that I’ve gotten from my mom and my dad - those have been my favorite pieces.
FLYING A: Just switching gears, have you ever been recognized? Do followers come up to you a lot?
NICOLE: I’ve gotten [recognized] a lot and I’ve also made a lot of friends that way. If I’m gonna share that much [on the blog] I want people to come and say hi. Like, come hang out with me!
FLYING A: Are there any facets of blogging that you really love in particular?
NICOLE: What’s important to me (I even have it tattooed on me) is to document everything and I love that more and more people are doing it. Even when it comes to Instagram, where people take photos of their food before they eat it - I think it’s really nice because people are stopping to think “look at how beautifully my food’s been prepared,” or “look how beautiful these clothes are,” or “my makeup!” It’s nice to look back and remember and it’s also nice that people are starting to appreciate things more. By documenting and blogging, it’s keeping this public journal that you can always look back on.
FLYING A: You’re going to have so much to look back on. You’re lucky!
NICOLE: Yeah, it’s cool. My dad’s old band photographs from his band days were my hugest fashion inspiration; I’m so thankful that he and all his friends took photos of everything. So, my kids are really gonna love t-shirts and ugly hats!
FLYING A: This is a typical “blogger” question that everyone gets asked, but how do you think blogging is changing the way that people buy clothes, rather than just the fashion industry?
NICOLE: I feel like a lot of girls relate to certain bloggers and trust their style. When they can say “Oh, this girl that I look up to shops here,” it directs them and brings business to the store, the company, or the brand. I feel like a lot of brands are reaching out to certain bloggers and influencers that reflect their brand and followers are reached in that way. It’s all about reaching out to a brand that matches your aesthetic.
FLYING A: It’s kind of like a partnership
NICOLE: Yeah. I think it’s really awesome for bloggers; it’s become a business.
As previously mentioned, we're partnering with Nicole for a vintage t-shirt giveaway!
TO ENTER:
- Like/Follow Flying A on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
- Like/Follow Nicole on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Once you've done all of that, go to Nicole's blog and leave a comment letting her know you've completed those two steps. Be sure to leave your email so that you can be contacted. The contest ends on 8/18. Good luck!
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