All About Fashion Blogging and Me

I get a ton of emails each weeks asking me for help or advice for those wanting to start a fashion blog. I also get a few questions about me too so I'm going to try to sum everything up in this post. firstly i love my blog. i spend hours thinking up posts, finding events to cover and shopping to maintain this blog. I realized that it's not just a hobby anymore. it's become a full-time job. one that i'm mostly paid for with awesome comments and amazing emails and meeting incredible people and being able to be "In" the fashion industry attending fashion week. this blog has given sooooo much to me and it's my baby so thanks for reading!

How do I start a blog?
I get this question a lot. It's pretty simple to start a blog you can either go through Blogger.com or Wordpress.com or Tumblr.com. Those are the big three. If your blog is more photo oriented I would recommend Tumblr where your images can reach the most people and be reblogged quicker. I use blogger. It's free and I bought my domain name for $10 a year. The layouts aren't as good as wordpress though and there can be a lot of glitches.

How do I market my blog?
I'm still figuring this out myself. Basically you have to be everywhere and by everywhere I mean on most major social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr. You don't have to be on every single social media platform just the ones that work for you. I really like instagram and facebook and youtube the most. But everyone's different. Find which platforms give you the most feedback and exposure. Also attend events in your area that relate to your blog. Create business cards for your blog.

How do I work with/approach brands?
If you really like a brand find the PR information for them and email them. Introduce yourself, your blog, what you're about and ask if they'd like to collaborate. Its really that simple. The worst they can say is no so don't be afraid to ask. Build a relationship with that brand by tweeting them, leaving messages on their instagram or facebook. They will start to take notice or atleast begin to recognize your name. If you wear that brand in a post tweet it and make sure to @ that brand so they can see it as well.

How do blog/brand collaborations work?
This is a tough question to answer because they are all very different. Sometimes a brand will ask you to review an item (which if you're a fashion blogger) that means wearing an item in an outfit post and linking back to the brand/site. Those collaborations are basically "For Product" collaborations. Other collaborations may involve doing a giveaway for a brand, or a sponsored post about that brand/item/event. You can also be an ambassador for a brand (that usually involves payment). It all really depends on what you and the brand want out of the deal.

How do you get into fashion week?
I get at least 5 emails a week asking me this. Trust me its really not that hard to get into New York Fashion Week. I did a whole video series on how to get into fashion week:
 Video 1, Video 2, Video 3

What kind of camera do I use?
When I'm shooting things I use a Canon T2i with standard lens. When I do video I use the long lens (for fashion week videos). For outfit photos my photographer Tiona D uses a Canon 7D with 50mm lens. But she has a wide range of lens and an external flash (which I know nothing about). She is based in New York and is awesome and usually available so if you are looking for a fly photog check her out.

How do I have a blog and work at the same time? Do I take outfit photos daily?
It's pretty easy. I just don't post everyday. I plan a lot of my posts in advance. I take most of my outfit photos in one day and post them throughout 2 week increments. See how I put together outfit posts HERE.

Do I make money from my blog?
Yes. But its not all from just blogging. The money I make from my blog comes from advertising, sponsored posts, ambassadorships, sales from advertising links, my blog store, my thrift ebook and my thrifting shopping tours. Hustle hard.

Now moving on to the questions about me...........

How tall are you and how much do you weigh?
I'm 5'6'' tall and I weigh 130 lbs (last I checked which was like 4 months ago since I think I may have lost a few pounds).

What do you do outside of fashion blogging?
I have a doctorate degree in physical therapy. So I treat patients 4-5 days a week. Just started working for myself doing contract work and it feels great to be my own boss!

Where do I shop?
I do a lot of thrifting, if you search Thrift in my search bar it will bring up pretty much every post where I've thrifted something and tell you where I thrifted it from. Goodwill, Housing Works and Vintage Thrift and Beacons Closet are some of my favorites. I do a lot of shopping at Loehmanns and Zara as well. Online I shop ASOS, Revolve Clothing and Lulus.com.

What is that red lipstick I always wear and that dark lipstick I always wear?
Red: Stila Fiery
Purplish: NARS Train Bleu

Where do I live?
Harlem, Uptown, Upper Manhattan whatever you'd like to call it lol

What's the most affordable area to live in NY?
yes I get tons of people emailing inquiring about moving to NY...lol. If you want to live in Manhattan the main island then Harlem or Washington Heights are the cheapest places to live (you will also get a lot more space for your money). Its also only a 20 minute train ride to any other part of the city. Inner Brooklyn isn't bad either. I can't speak on anywhere else because I've only ever lived in Manhattan.

Am I single?
yes but happily dating lol.

Well that's all folks. If you have any other questions leave them in the comments section and I will answer every single one. As long as its not crazy...lol.

xx
Monroe

SHOP FASHION STEELE NYC