Blogger Interview: Beauty in Insanity

I had the opportunity to interview Kate from Beauty in Insanity. It is a great fashion blog, but don’t mistake it for an outfit blog alone! Yes, she does post her lovely outfits and she does have a pretty unique sense of fashion, but the blog is much more interesting than that, and Kate isn’t afraid to open up a window into her personal thoughts and feelings. This makes the blog a lot of fun to read and there is usually something appealing to everyone!

Kate is from Bulgaria, so I couldn’t personally meet her for this interview, but it was a pleasure communicating with her through emails and she was kind enough to respond. She also offered to buy me beer if I visit Bulgaria, so looking forward to that!

I highly recommend her blog to all fashion lovers. In the interview below, she shares a lot of things about her fashion, her blogging experience so far and about her life in general. Hope you enjoy the interview.

Sidney: How did you get into fashion? Was this something you were always interested in or did something trigger this interest.
Kate: My love for fashion was a slow transition. Few years ago, I didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention of how I was dressed. I just didn’t care. But as time passed, I developed a new relationship with my wardrobe. For me, the trigger were those web sites with photos of thousands of different styles of girls around the world – for example lookbook. I saw them as some sort of art pieces, and I wanted to be part of that art too.

Sidney: Is fashion your first passion or are you a girl of many talents?
Kate: Does eating a whole bowl of gazpacho count as a talent? Hahah, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t 😀 But I do love photography. Nowadays everyone with a decent camera can produce beautiful images, but I try my best to make photos that are different and inspirational. I love to pour my own feelings and understanding of life in a photo. I wouldn’t post them on my blog yet, but maybe some day!
Another passions of mine (which I’m not sure counts as a talent) are books. If I had to choose to have a meaningless conversation with friends, or stay at home with a cocktail and a book, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose the second.

Sidney: If you had to use one word to describe your overall style, what would it be and why?
Kate: One word? Oh, that’s a bit difficult. I think my style incorporates all sorts of styles in one, so maybe…sporty? Sporty, because I feel good in my skin with more boyish and comfy outfits. Sneakers are the love of my
life!!

Sidney: How did you get into blogging about fashion? Tell us a little about how you started and your journey. Are you happy with the progress so far?
Kate: I got into blogging when I was lonely and when I was very disappointed with my life. I was studying something, which I gradually began to hate, I was living with boyfriend and he was at work most of the day, I didn’t have a lot of friends, just my sister. I didn’t have anyone to talk to, so blogging was a way to express my opinions, dreams, cravings. It was a way to let out steam. Right now I’ve finally graduated and looking forward to my Masters degree, we’re starting our own business with boyfriend and I’m always smiling like a dumb-ass. But I would never stop blogging, I love it too much, and I’ve gone too far to stop now. And I love all my readers, they’re the coolest!

Sidney: Where do you get your fashion inspiration from?
Kate: I get my inspiration from other blogs and other sites on fashion, sometimes from other girls I see on the street. I get inspiration from everywhere!

Sidney: Which blogs/magazines do you read/follow regularly?
Kate: I don’t like women’s magazines, I think they’re boring as hell. But my favorite blogs would be
All things bright, bling and everything in between<http://iloveagudbargain.blogspot.com/>,
EDGYMIX Travel for Fashion <http://www.edgymix.com>,
HYBRID HUNTER<http://hybrid-hunter.blogspot.com/>and
jazzabelle’s diary <http://jazzabellesdiary.blogspot.com/>.
And a lot more actually!

Sidney: Do you have any specific brands you love? Where do you usually shop for your clothes and accessories?
Kate: Well a lot of my clothes are from second hand shops. I prefer thrift stores, although from time to time I buy expensive stuff, but then feel bad, because I spent 70$ on a cardigan -_- I love Mango, Pull & Bear and Asos. Oh, the first time I saw Asos, I was like : “Shut up and take my money!”

Sidney: How often does your hair change its length, style and color!
Kate: Waaaaay too often! I love change, change is good, people shouldn’t be afraid of it.

Sidney: Any fall fashion advice for our readers in 2012? Also, any advice to look chic and fashionable without spending a ton of money?
Kate: I don’t think I’m a fashion icon, so any advice from me would sound like: “hey I’m cooler than you!”, which I’m not! But I would advice girls to spend more time at the thrift store, if they want to save up money. Clothes on sales are still expensive, just because they’re on sale, doesn’t mean they’re reasonably priced.

Sidney: If you had to pick one outfit to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Kate: Wow….that’s a hardy. Hmmm…Maybe- a t-shirt, gray hoodie, leather jacket, jeans and sneakers!

Sidney: Which cities around the world do you think have the best overall sense of fashion? What is your dream fashion event you’d like to attend?
Kate: Hmmm… I hadn’t done a lot of traveling, so not sure how to answer this! Maybe New Yorkers? I’m not into fashion events either, they seem kind of stuck up.

Sidney: On an average, how much time do you spend blogging?
Kate: Not as much as I want. Maybe an hour or two.

Sidney: What are your pet peeves when it comes to fashion blunders? Feel free to rant.
Kate: I don’t have a lot of those. My most dreaded would be those shoes without heels. I mean what’s up with that? It’s just uncomfortable and weird.

Sidney: How do you like the overall sense of fashion of Bulgarians? Do you think it is very different from America?
Kate: Oh yes, Bulgarians are very different from Americans. We have a whole different lifestyle, so it’s only natural for us to wear different things. Bulgarians women are one of the prettiest in the world, but we dress sloppy waaay too often. We have crappy, ugly, dirty streets and it’s kind of hard to dress fashionably while you’re trying to make your way through a river of garbage. Another thing is that people here are not used to seeing girls dressed differently, so they stare and comment and it’s irritating.

Check out Kate’s blog Beauty in Insanity