Interview with Kiwi Blogger: Angela from A Style Collector

Angela is a blogger for her blog 'A Style Collector' from Auckland, New Zealand. She love blogging about her favorite things like shopping hauls, thrifting, beauty product reviews, outfits, home decor, travel and food. This interview, Angela talks about her blogging, fashion, blogging experience in New Zealand and her travels.

Hello Angela, could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?

I’m not great at introductions but I’m Angela from A Style Collector. I’m originally from the Philippines but I’ve been living in New Zealand for 10 years. I’m a shopaholic, I love opshopping/thrifting and I’ve become a crazy cat lady. Haha

When and why you started blogging?

I started blogging in 2010 on Tumblr where I shared mainly my thrift finds and it evolved to sharing my outfits and lipstick obsession. I launched A Style Collector March 2015 as I felt like Tumblr wasn’t the right platform for me and I was ready to share my blog to everyone even people I know.

I started blogging because I needed a creative outlet. I was at University at the time and I needed to do something creative to keep me sane. I found that taking photos and editing them then sharing them to the world did the trick. I enjoy it a lot and I wouldn’t still be a blogger if I didn’t.

How would you describe your personal style?

I’d like to think I have a classic style but it really changes depending on my mood. At the moment, I’m all about the casual comfort chic look with boyfriend jeans and a simple knit top but some days, I’d want to be all glammed up. I’m quite girly and I’ve always loved florals, peter pan collars and pink.

‘A Style Collector’ Why that name?

When I wanted to launch my new blog, I needed a new name as I felt like I’ve outgrown my old Tumblr name. I had a big list of blog names but I had to check if they were available on Wordpress and other social media channels. I chose A Style Collector in the end because I’m a collector of a lot of things. From clothes, lipsticks, sunglasses, perfumes etc. It’s quite fitting and I like how the name isn’t that restricted to just fashion because I also wanted to share beauty and lifestyle posts.

Where do you tend to buy your clothes and why?

More than half of my wardrobe is from thrift shops/opshops. I love thrifting more than shopping at normal retail stores. I love bargains and finding unique pieces in the thrift shops. Besides that, I tend to go towards the lower end stores because I don’t like spending too much money on clothes. I mainly go to Mirrou, TEMT, Boohoo and Asos. For me, it doesn’t matter how much the clothes are because you can make an outfit look expensive depending on how it is styled.

I see that you have posted a lot of travel blogs about places in Auckland, Melbourne, Queenstown and other places in New Zealand. As a New Zealand blogger myself, I am curious to know, what are your favorite places in New Zealand and why?

Ever since moving to NZ, I’ve always lived in North Shore, Auckland and I really love it here. In the north shore, my favourite place is Devonport especially Cheltenham Beach in summer. Queenstown is also a special place for me. It is absolutely beautiful down there and I would go back in a heartbeat.

I really love that you blog about food as well and I know, Auckland has tons of great restaurants and cafes. So which are your favorite restaurant or café or any place for great food in Auckland or anywhere else?

There are a lot of good cafes and restaurants in Auckland now. My favourite cafes in the North Shore are Jam Café in Takapuna, Fact-Tree in Sunnynook and Paper Moon Café in Mairangi Bay. In the city, Ortolana is pretty good and I highly recommend either Miann or Milse for desserts.

What do you think about the blogging scenario in New Zealand?

I really like the blogging scene in NZ. It’s a small country so it’s a lot harder to get brand sponsorships or opportunities. However, the small blogging community that I’ve come to know is so supportive. Since discovering the NZ Bloggers group (nzbloggers.co.nz), I’ve met wonderful people and I’ve learnt a lot about blogging too.

If you would have to give up blogging, what would replace it with?

I don’t want to give up blogging as I love it but if I have to, I’d probably replace it with photography. I like taking photos as quite obvious in my Instagram but I’d like to know more about it.

Where do you find inspiration for your blog post?

I take inspiration from other bloggers and Instagram but my blog posts are usually about my life. They’re mainly what I’ve recently bought, my outfits, travels or experiences.

What does the biggest tip you have for anyone who wants to start a fashion blog or website?

Just do it. I’ve met people that have been thinking of starting a blog for a long time but they can’t settle with a name, platform, topic etc. I’d say just do it because what are you actually going to lose (except for a bit of free time). Don’t stress about the numbers. If you’re passionate about it, people would see it and they will keep coming back.

I must say that you’ve got really amazing pictures in your blog. Who does your photography?

Thank you! I do all the photography in my blog except for the odd occasion where I’m at a blog event and someone has taken my photo. All my hauls, flatlays and outfit photos are taken by myself with my slr camera, tripod and timer.

Do you follow other bloggers as well and what do you think of other Kiwi bloggers?

Yes I do. I follow a lot of NZ bloggers too and they’re amazing. I like finding more Kiwi/NZ Bloggers because they’re more relatable especially for fashion and beauty posts.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years? Do you want to make fashion blogging your career?

I would love to try fashion blogging as a career and it would be a dream to do so. Realistically, I don’t know how to make it happen but I’m just going with the flow right now and see where blogging takes me. 

What do you want to do with your blog in the days to come? Are we going to see more interesting posts and contents and something different?

I have blog posts already scheduled for the week as usual. I post twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) and sometimes have an extra post in the weekend. As much as I’d like to see different content, unless I go travelling or have new experience, my posts would be outfits, hauls and beauty posts.

Is there is anything I miss out and you’ll like to talk about it?

I don’t think so. You’ve covered a good range and I really enjoyed the questions. Thank you for having me!

If you would like to check out Angela's blog, check A Style Collector

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