Get to know me a little bit better through this interview!
Hey luv’s! In today’s post, I’m finally sharing the english translation of my recent Interview for Tradono, an app to sell your clothes and other stuff (UPDATE September 2018 : Tradono closed its app). I hope you’ll enjoy reading it! 🙂
This post is in collaboration with Tradono
Interview translated (FR to ENG) from the Tradono Blog
Inspiring and full of energy, Pauline –or Popshion – is truly a young business woman. Her dynamism is contagious, while her calm attitude also shows someone confident. She loves fashion, communication and travelling. She starts her blog very early and put it on hold because she no longer has the time to take care of it. After having finished highschool, she starts a fashion design school that really does not suit her. She then gets away from the fashion world, but keeps a foot in it as she works at the Bongénie store. During those long selling days, in a part of her mind, the idea to start the blog again grows little by little. Therefore, two years after having put aside this project, she started to feed her blog again with photos of her favorite looks. Her two-months stay in New York City boosts her even more and she gets lots of ideas! On her blog, we can find articles about her favorite places in New York, her outfits, essential accessories and her travels. Pauline uses Tradono to sell the clothes she does not wear anymore and is happy when she sees it can make someone else happy.
We decided to go to the encounter of her personality and her ideas. We have not been disappointed!
To start, can you tell us three characteristics that describe you?
Impatient and ambitious. I am also a perfectionist, which can be negative sometimes. But, it depends on the situation. I am not the most organized person, but I am very maniac, especially when it comes to my blog! I always tell myself that since I invest so much time in it, it has better to be well done, so that it pleases and can possibly lead me somewhere.
What do you do besides blogging?
I am at the Haute Ecole d’Ingénierie et de Gestion (HEIG-VD) in Yverdon doing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. It is obviously very economical, but we also have subjects that are a little bit different, such as marketing, which taught me a lot regarding my blog. At the moment, my favorite courses are surely the communication ones, but they are unfortunately not subject to examination.
How did “Popshion” start?
I got interested in blogs in 2012. I discovered Lookbook, a platform where people can share pictures of their outfits and people can like and comment. One day, I came across a photo of Kristina Bazan; I got a little curious because I saw she was from Switzerland as well, but nothing more. Once, I saw her in town by accident and it intrigued me. I went back on Lookbook to check her profile and I discovered her blog. I was like “wow, it’s great, she shares her passion and does it very well.” So, I thought “why not try too”. This is how I started.I found a name and asked my two brothers who are in the IT world to help me put together my blog.At first, it’s not something I was talking about at all. I think that I was too young and I really did not have the confidence for this. I stopped blogging at the end of 2013, I was lacking of time because of my studies and I started again in 2015. Today, I have a better vision of what I want to do with it! Over the time, I also gained confidence; I think blogging is something we get used to, which makes us come to like it.
You said that you started a fashion design school, have you ever created your own clothes?
I did, but only for fun. I had pieces of fabric that I could take from my grandmother’s who made a lot of tapestries. My other grandmother was also doing a lot of sewing, so I already had one foot in it even though what I could have created has always been just for fun. Then, I became more interested in designing and creating and tried to do things, but I never used any template, I used to cut into the fabrics before sewing what I wanted to create; I have never done things in accordance with standard practices. I have recently thought about creating some things again, but it goes without saying that I have to take the time to do it and I must say that I became a little bit lazy about sewing. Furthermore, I now have trouble drawing as I drew before; I recently tried again, thinking that I could maybe publish sketches on my blog, but I kind of lost the touch. I have to get back at it.
Why this name?
My nickname has always been Popo since I was a kid, so I told myself “why not use that”. Then, I tried to integrate the fashion aspect to it and I came out with Popshion. In addition to this, the English meaning of “pop” means something rather dynamic and considering that I consider myself as such, it works well!
You talk about fashion, travel and beauty on your blog. Do you have beauty tips that you use daily or, for example, before going to a big event?
I had huge eyebrows’ problems when I was younger, I was crazy about tweezers. So, here’s a tip to bring your brows back to life: castor oil; it saved me. I simply apply some on my brows several times a week in the evening. It takes some time, but it works!
Another tip; use sweet almond oil on dark circles. I tried some other less natural products, but it did not work and considering the price, it was not worth it. So, I apply the sweet almond oil on my dark circles before going to bed. By doing it regularly, changes become visible.
What is the country you visited that impressed you the most so far?
When I was little, I traveled a lot with my family, I have been very lucky. Unfortunately, I do not remember what impressed me the most at the time. Recently, the city that impressed me the most was New York City. Once I had finished my internship to enter the HEIG, I left to live there for 2 months in order to improve my English and pass an exam. Everything is big there, everything moves fast, we do not get bored and it gives off an incredible energy. It impressed me. When we are in it, we do not realize, but as soon as we are gone we tell ourselves: “Wow! Really?! “. There is also a totally different mentality there: people can be pretty superficial, on another note, when it comes to business and industries, we see that it is very dynamic.
Would you like to live in another country one day?
Yes, I would. Maybe not my entire life, but after my Bachelor’s degree I would love to go abroad, either to do an internship or to work. I would love to go back to the United States, because my stay gave me a taste of it. I am however not closed to any other possibilities.
Where do you find inspiration for your outfits?
I am inspired by what I see on other blogs. But I am also the type to wear what I like. When there is a fashion trend that I dislike, I would never follow it. For example, recently there was this trend to wear fishnet tights coming out the pants on the belly; I did not like it. I will never put on clothes I do not like. My inspiration is also mainly my mood and the weather. Since I am super sensitive to cold I would always choose warm clothes rather that fashionable ones. I am inspired by what I have in my closet, what I have seen in the street and magazines as well, and I often just try out. Having fun with what you have is what leads to cool outfits.
How do you balance out “ready to wear” fashion with luxury brands?
First, what you need to know is that I personally do not have many luxury brand accessories. I have a few that I took advantage to buy when I was working at Bongénie (a luxury brand store) because I had discounts. And I also have the chance to borrow some of my mom’s accessories for the photoshoots sometimes. I try to create outfits whose main pieces are not made from luxury brands or are easily replaceable. I often see bloggers wearing jeans, a white T-shirt and a Chanel bag that makes it all. In my case, instead of going for a luxury brand bag, I would choose an original, yet less expensive bag. Or on the contrary, when I create an outfit and put on a luxury brand belt for example, I will make sure that it is not essential to the outfit, so that we can just put another one on instead, without the outfit losing its characteristic.
Do you like to buy second-hand and vintage? If so, do you have any favorite places in Lausanne?
Not really in Lausanne. But, I recently went to Zurich and I came across a luxury second hand shop. I found an accessory that I had always wanted: Balenciaga shoes. Only a few days earlier, I was still checking the price of these shoes on the net. I have had my eyes on them for quite some time, so when I saw them, it was impossible to leave them. Footwear is something I did not think I would buy in a second hand shop. These shoes were already well worn but in very good condition, so I just had to get the soles redone.
What is your favorite piece of design or fashion?
Right now, I think it would be these shoes… I will often put them on, still pampering them! I will not put them on anytime either, even having bought them at an affordable price, it remains substantial. My favorite piece before these shoes is a black Coach bag with a chain shoulder strap that goes with everything. I think I showed it a lot on my blog, it was my leading piece before. If I had to mention a category in general, for me, it is the handbags (not necessarily luxury brand ones) and I really love shoes too. I am so disappointed that we have such few possibilities in Switzerland!
How has your style evolved over the years?
I think that my style indeed changed, but I never changed my way of thinking. I have always worn what I loved and what matched my mood. Sometimes, I am more into dark colors, sometimes I am like: “I need colors”. At the moment, I am thinking about the fact that I have to buy a little more colors, because I really only have black.Otherwise, I think I grew up a bit and I consequently get dressed in a more mature way I would say. There are also clothes I would wear less easily nowadays, because I think that even though I’m still young, it has become less appropriate for a girl of my age.
What’s on top of your bucket list?
There are so many things that I have troubles finding only one…Maybe taking the time to travel, to discover several countries, several cultures. That is really something I would like to do. But, I have to have the time and the means to be able to do it. It also depends on which country, how long, etc. I think it can be organized.
I would already like to find my career path, if possible haha. I would like to do something that I love and also that the blog develops. I do not expect to have millions of followers, nor millions of visits, the goal is not that. I just enjoy seeing an interest growing for this blog that I firstly do for my own pleasure.It is clear that nothing will be accomplished without a lot of work, but I would really like it to evolve in this direction. I would eventually say that my biggest dream is to do what I love, and as my blog is something I love doing, it goes in the same sense.
Pauline