ADVENT CALENDAR: DAY 18

Behind today's virtual door is:

Katy of Modly Chic. Katy of Friend Friday fame! Yes, Katy is the brains behind each week's topic for Friend Friday. But that is only a very small part of who Katy is and what she does. Katy is a freelance writer and founder of Modly Chic. Katy tells us that her "blog chronicles my daily outfits while offering tips for those looking to work what they have in their closets. It's about being practical; because while we'd all like an endless bank account and rooms full of clothes that's just not realistic. ModlyChic is about working with what you have while remaining current and chic".


Without further ado, here are Katy's answers:


How long have you been blogging and why did you first start?

I've been blogging on and off for about 6 years. My first blog was just me ranting about things that drove me crazy but it was mostly negative and it got tiring to always be pointing out the bad and insane. I started ModlyChic in the Spring of 2009 but didn't get serious about it until January 2010. I started because I saw a void in the fashion blogging world- there were all these amazing bloggers who showed daily outfits in clothes that cost more than an entire month's salary as a freelancer. At the time I was helping a number of friends shop for clothes and the usual complaint I heard was that fashion was all trashy looking and it was too expensive to dress well. I beg to differ. So I started ModlyChic as a way of showing people you don't need an endless supply of money and 10 closets in order to be fashionable.

What inspires you?

To a certain extent - Everything. I'm one of those people who walks out the front door and smiles because the sky is blue or the leaves crunch under my feet.There is so many things out there that can inspire and bring joy to a person, we just need to open our eyes and see those things.
In terms of fashion specifically, I think mostly I'm inspired by other fashion bloggers. For the first time in 5 years I decided not to renew my Lucky Magazine subscription because I am finding way more inspiration from my must-read blogs than I do in the 150 pages that come out every month.

What do you get up to when you’re not blogging?

I feel like I'm never not up to blogging. I blog for ModlyChic, freelance write for a blog called Tiger Print and am slowly starting up a blog as part of my 'day job'. Oh, and I just started my own running blog. But beyond all of this... I work at an independent student residence in Boston. My title here should be renaissance woman because I'm part landlady, part social media strategist, part accountant, part event planner, part RA... I basically do a little bit of everything. Beyond work I enjoy working out and I'm back in gear to train for more marathons. I got out of practice this summer but am now officially back into the swing of things.

What three things are top of your Christmas list this year?

I am craving a large silver oversized men's watch, the perfect camel-colored cape and a brown pair of riding boots.

Christmas is all about family and traditions, what traditions do you have for Christmas?

My family is full of traditions that my parents started to bond us together - it's the kind of stuff you look forward to each year. For instance, on Christmas Eve our dinner is just a combination of our favorite appetizers. Each person in the family gets to pick one or two items, we prepare them together in the kitchen and then eat them leisurely around the dining room table.

Another tradition was that to cut down on the number of 'things' we got each year. Mom and dad would get us each one present, then we picked names out of a hat and bought a present for one of our siblings and Santa brought us three presents on Christmas morning because that's how many Jesus got from the wise men.


Thank you Katy for being involved and answering my questions. Remember to check out Katy's blog. Remember too to come back tomorrow to find out who is behind the nineteenth door.