LADY OF THE MONTH
OLIVIA OF CORPORATE CATWALK
Already in the late 90ies, before blogs, Facebook and other social media, I started networking as one of the first German members of the "webgrrls", a business network for women in the new media. Leading a regional group of more than 100 members, my team and I organised events and lectures, cooperated on projects and supported each other in a male dominated branch. I always liked the idea of "first give than take" and find it so much more rewarding to support rather than compete with each other.
Inspiring readers and be inspired by other bloggers certainly has been my main goal. On my 1st blog anniversary I promised some new features and today I will start my new series "Lady of the Month" as part of this networking idea. I would like to introduce fabulous women whom I virtually met during this first year. One of those bloggers who keep on inspiring me is the gorgeous Olivia of Corporate Catwalk, based in New York City. I am so happy that Olivia agreed to kick off my new series!
Although Olivia is a lot younger than I am, she has an ageless, classy style that I love wearing myself. Olivia shares valuable information with her readers for appropriate outfits in the corporate environment as well as after work looks. She never fails in combining designer and highstreet fashion or mixing styles.
LADY OF THE MONTH
OLIVIA VON CORPORATE CATWALK
Bereits in den 90er Jahren, lange vor Blogs, Facebook und anderen Sozialen Netzwerken war ich eines der ersten deutschen Mitglieder der "webgrrls" (hier dt. Sektion webgrrls.de), einem Netzwerk für Frauen in den Neuen Medien. In der Leitung der Bayerischen Regionalgruppe mit 100 Mitgliedern haben wir Fachvorträge und Veranstaltungen organisiert und an Messen teilgenommen und uns in dieser männlich dominierten Branche gegenseitig unterstützt. Unser Motto "erst geben, dann nehmen" begleitet mich noch heute und es zahlt sich so viel mehr aus, zu kooperieren, also zu konkurrieren!
In meinem 1. Blogjubiläum habe ich einige Neuheiten auf dem Blog für dieses Jahr angekündigt. Meine Leserinnen zu inspirieren und mir gleichzeitig selbst Anregungen von anderen Bloggerinnen zu holen, war sicherlich das wichtigste Ziel, mit bloggen zu beginnen. In meiner neuen Reihe "Lady of the Month", die ich als Teil dieser Networking Idee betrachte, werde ich Frauen vorstellen, die ich in meinem ersten Jahr virtuell kennengelernt habe. Eine der Bloggerinnen, die mich immer wieder inspiriert, ist die wunderbare Olivia von Corporate Catwalk aus New York. Ich habe mich so gefreut, dass Olivia zugesagt hat, meine neue Serie zu starten!
Obwohl Olivia deutlich jünger ist als ich, hat sie einen zeitlosen, klassischen Stil, den ich sofort selbst tragen würde. Auf Ihrem Blog zeigt sie sowohl Office Looks als auch Outfits für die Freizeit, wobei sie stilsicher Designermode z.B. mit H&M kombiniert.
Das gesamte Interview könnt Ihr hier auf Deutsch als pdf herunterladen.
Would you share some personal information? Where do you come from and live?
I’m originally from Kansas City, Missouri. When I graduated from college I had two decisions on where I should live; San Francisco with my boyfriend or New York with my best friends. Let’s just say, I’m glad I moved to SF! Last June my fiancé (then boyfriend) and I moved from San Francisco to New York. I’ve always dreamed of living in New York. So happy the stars aligned and finally made the move to the big apple.
Why did you start blogging and what is your message? What goals do you have with your blog?
I started blogging in April 2012. That first nine months of my blog I posted 32 times, needless to say it was just a platform for me to write.
When I moved to New York in June and met other bloggers, I started to take my blog more serious. Having their support really helped me find my voice as a blogger, but I’m still trying to find my way in this big blogger world.
Corporate Catwalk is giving the everyday working women ideas on how to wear different “looks” to the office, while still looking polished and professional.
Oh, where to start on my goals for my blog. I’m working on doing wardrobe videos and a few other fun videos for my blog. I love to share information and I think videos will be useful for my readers.
How would you describe your style? Do you follow trends? What makes an outfit truly yours?
My style is very sleek and classic with a playful edge. I love following trends, but they’re hard to keep up with, especially with my lifestyle. I spend most of my time at work or traveling for work, which is 75% of my time. Typically I indulge in a few trends every season, but I don’t invest too much money in any trends because they change so frequently.
Are you a full time blogger? Who takes your photos? How do you balance your time dedicated to the blog with your regular job?
I consider myself a full time blogger, but compared to other, I’m probably only a part time blogger. My life is my job and my job is my life. I’ve always been a career woman, so having Corporate Catwalk has been a good balance for me to focus on something else outside of my career. As for balancing my life, I’m always working on improving the balance between personal life, work and my blog. Multitasking is one of my strong points, so I’ve been able to keep up my blog and my demanding job by doing two things at a time!
I think that’s the best way to describe my life. Also, to help manage my time I also have hired Lydia Hudgens to take photos. This reduces time to upload and edit photos. I’m always looking for ways to work “smarter”.
I’m also blessed to have a very understanding and supportive fiancé who helps me vent about work, edit blog post and take outfit photos. I guess you’d call him my Editor and Chief for Corporate Catwalk.
Have you ever attended a blogger conference, a major blogger event or an international Fashion Week?
This year was my first year that I’ve attended two blogger events. In October I attended Lucky FABB and SimplyStylist.
If you haven’t attend a blogger event and you have a blog, I highly recommend you attending at least one event every six months. It helps to reinvigorate your blogging technique.
Do you occasionally meet fellow bloggers? Are you part of a local blogger network?
Yes and I love it! In September I organized a small blogger meetup and I continue to have events with these ladies and invite other bloggers in the New York area. This has been really helpful for my support system and I’ve made some of my good friends through my blogger network.
Do you prefer online shopping or do you love extensive shopping trips?
Online shopping 60% of the time and 40% of the time extensive trips to the mall.
Do you shop designer clothes, high street, outlet centres or thrift shops? Or a mix of all?
My style is a mix of everything. I love finding pieces at thrift stores, while also getting a good deal at TJ Maxx and of course I love putting on a new pair of designer heels.
Do you have any fashion or style icon?
Olivia Palermo. I’ve been a huge fan of her since she debuted on “The City”.
Which blogs inspire you? What are your daily reads?
Atlantic Pacific, Happily Grey and Gary Pepper are some of my weekly reads. However, I try and find new blogs for outfit inspiration on a daily basis. There are so many beautiful and fashionable women in this world!
One last little tidbit…I wanted to write a sincere thank you to Annette from Lady of Style; first, for inviting me to be a part of Lady of the Month and second for being such a supportive reader of Corporate Catwalk.
Thank you Annette! xo
I can relate to what Olivia said so well - besides our love for OP's closet ;-) Although my blog doesn't pay my rent, I sometimes also feel like a fulltime blogger - considering the time I am spending for the blog!
Living in New York (you have to follow Olivia on Instagram for some incredible views from her apartment!!) allows her to attend blogger events and conferences, something I really miss here in Germany. And if you head over to Olivia's blog, you can also see how gorgeous she is bundled up for a walk in the snow in Central Park recently. And I can't wait to see this beautiful woman in her wedding dress when she will tie the knots in Mexico this summer...
Thank you again, Olivia, for having you here on Lady of Style!
Ich kann so gut nachvollziehen, was Olivia gesagt hat - über unser Faible für OP's Kleiderschrank hinaus ;-) Auch wenn mein Blog ebenfalls nicht meine Miete bezahlt, fühle ich mich, gemessen an der Zeit, die ich für den Blog aufwende, auch oft als Vollzeitblogger!
Da Olivia in New York lebt (ich empfehle Euch, ihr hier auf Instagram zu folgen, sie postet immer wieder fantastische New York Ausblicke von ihrer Wohnung!!), hat sie es natürlich viel leichter, an großen Events oder Bloggerkonferenzen teilzunehmen, etwas, das ich hier in Deutschland sehr vermisse, es wird einfach so gut wie nichts in der Richtung angeboten.
Olivia steht ein ganz besonderes Ereignis im Sommer bevor, wenn sie in Mexico heiraten wird und ich bin schon jetzt super gespannt, für welches Hochzeitskleid sie sich entschieden hat...
Ganz herzlichen Dank für dieses Interview, Olivia!
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