Holier Than Now On Blogging
Interview with Holier Than Now, created by Ann Colville Somma who grew up mostly in London but has been based in Ny for the past 10 years. By day she's a branding and product development consultant for the fashion and beauty industries, and by nights/weekends a blogger.
The blog is now http://www.colvillesomma.com/ and publisher of https://www.cultofpretty.com/
How and why you started Holier than Now?
I took a hiatus from work when my son was born, but I wanted to keep my head in the game professionally-speaking. I started the blog on Blogger as a way to capture my thoughts on trends, and about a year later I stepped it up. I wanted to create a visually-stimulating place that not only captured inspiration but curated affordable, vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces to bring looks to life.
Your greatest inspirations or influence?
My biggest influence is girls aged 12-35! Everything I do is about the way people think as a group - I love observing We Heart It, Twitter, other blogs, people on the street, etc. I'm inspired by emerging patterns and that moment when everyone gets on the same page about something. On a personal level, Garance Doré has a professional lifestyle I really admire, and Kelly Cutrone taught me a lot.
Favorite designers, brands and why?
On the pure design level, Prada and Lanvin for the mixture of classic elegance and high art. From a brand strategy perspective, I love Marc Jacobs, although his clothes don't really suit me. As young designers go the collections of Rachel Comey and Mara Hoffman always tell a great story. In real life, I buy a lot of Theory, Urban Outfitters, and Love 21 (a sub-brand of F21).
Your other favorite sites/blogs?
Challenges of what you do?
Professionally speaking, I am always challenged by being asked for the moon and stars on very aggressive deadlines, but that's why I love what I do! As a blogger, my biggest challenge is my own standards. I obsess over things no one would ever notice, like replicating the font on a Kodak negative I'm using in a collage..
Tips for anyone thinking about starting their own blog now?
Try to think about how your blog is or can be different from other blogs, and stick to that vision. I wrote a piece on this for IFB.
How do you think blogs manage to stay popular with so much competition,how did you do it for example?
I am still working on it, I wouldn't say I've done it, but thanks! I think a clear creative voice is very important (even if that voice is expressed visually and not through writing). The explosion of blogs over the past year hasn't really hurt some of the pioneers - they will always be popular... Fashion Toast, Knightcat, etc. They're like the Coca Cola of blogs.
Anything else youd like to share ?
No, but thanks for your kind words about the blog - and thanks to everyone who reads it. You guys are the reason I stay up super late at night staring at my computer!
Holier-Image-1-for-Leila
Stockholm Street Style, Trendy Crew, Michel Comte, ID, Karla's Closet.