Manchester is full of influential talent, which is why we have decided to bring a brand new feature to STYLEetc. highlighting some of the best upcoming and established bloggers in the our favourite North West region. Our first feature is on local blogger Almost Couture, who we have interviewed about blogging, influence and the Manchester community.
What made you start blogging?
I actually started blogging to try and wangle a job in fashion – I thought it would give me a bit of an edge, and would almost act as a portfolio for employers to have a gander at. It then turned into something I actually really loved (AND helped me get a job – winning.)
Who inspired you to blog?
My friend Jo already had a beauty blog, and kept bugging me until I finally made one – I’m definitely grateful she didn’t shut up about it…
What do you think of the Manchester blogger community?
I do a lot of work with bloggers in Manchester for work (and then do a fair bit of Instagram and Bloglovin stalking on the side). Literally everyone I’ve met through blogging has been lovely, and I think the Manchester community are really tight-knit – there’s not loads of us, so you recognise people and get to know them pretty quickly. It’s so nice to see a group of people all supporting each other so much – makes me all fuzzy.
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style has two avenues: either ‘massively overdressed’ or ‘slept in a gutter’. I live in black trousers – whether that’s jeans or leathers or culottes – pretty much all the time, and I’m 99.9% of the time wearing stupidly-high heels and my Chanel handbag – it doesn’t leave my side. Weekends are all about that sweatpant life, though. I’m gross.
Which post are you most proud of to date?
I think any of my lifestyle posts, because they’re so outside my comfort zone – there was this one about using Tinder, and this one which talks about feeling insecure, and both of these were quite hard to write. From a fashion perspective, I love this post because it was when I got photographed at London Fashion Week for Farfetch, and I felt such a celebrity…
Do you have any blogging goals?
I’d love to actually get to the point where I could think of my blog as a success – at the moment it’s just my weird corner of the Internet that ticks over, but I’d love for it to actually become fairly well known! I’d also love to get a proper photographer, as I take all my photos myself and the majority of them are awful!
What’s the idea behind your blog name?
I chose Almost Couture for a few reasons. Firstly, I didn’t really want my name anywhere on my blog (even though it is now – cover = blown); and secondly because I thought it sort of summed me up. I’ll wear a Chanel handbag with Primark jeans, and a Cartier ring with a Topshop sweater – I’m not quite there where everything I own is high-end and designer, so I have to mix and match bargain and bling.
Who are your favourite bloggers?
I genuinely cannot choose any – I read so many! My go-to blog for my lunch hour is Man Repeller – genuinely want to be her one day.
Do you think blogging has reached it’s peak in the marketing industry?
We often have this conversation at work, actually – it’s a tricky one to answer. I do think blogging is starting to saturate the market a bit, and I think a lot of people start blogging because they see others getting freebies or becoming ‘Internet famous’ and think it’s easy, so the good ones get a bit lost. I think bloggers are great to represent brands but shouldn’t necessarily be relied on – sadly, we’re not going to be relevant forever!
What advice would you give to someone starting a blog?
You actually need to dedicate time to it, so don’t start one thinking you can bash out a post in five minutes! Also, you’ll spend HEAPS of money doing a blog, so be prepared to treat yo’self fairly frequently to ensure you’ve got content. And have fun with it, because there’s nothing worse than reading a blog where you can tell the person isn’t passionate or interested!
Read Lily’s blog at Almost Couture.
If you would like to be considered for feature on our Blogger spotlight email our Editor at [email protected].
