Blooming with Helga, part 2: When Bloggers Meet
Last post, I left you on a cliffhanger- I recently made a pilgrimage to Portland, Oregon, to meet the vint-tastic fashion blogger from New Zealand, Helga of Helga Von Trollop. You probably know, Helga is one of my all-time favorite bloggers, and tops my list of The 6 +40 Bloggers I Can't Live Without. Well, inside the sexy walls of the Jupiter Hotel, I got to meet this lovely woman, and her cool-as-feck consort, G-Star, and we made plans to spend a day together, doing what fashion bloggers do best: meet, eat, shop, and blog. 
The meet-up started in the lobby- 
Helga and G had already met and hung out with a splendiforous creature, free spirit, pink obsessed and vintage wearing Krista of Peetee's Palace. Krista, a former Cali girl, now living in Portland with her hubby, and Peetee graciously played tour guide and offered to show us the sights of this unique and charming city. 
Helga, Krista + Bella in a Karina Dresses sandwich
And show us the sights she did. You do know that "sights" to vintage addicted fashion bloggers are pretty much thrift + vintage shops, right? Yup, Krista took us to some pretty great shops- mostly the thrift shops as we are all lovers of a great bargain. Then she took us to a swell eatery, called the Observatory, where we ate and drank, and laughed ourselves silly. Then off to more thrift shopping, and then to Krista's place for dinner + cocktails and to meet some more bloggy friends.
At this point I want to share some images of what it's like to hang out with fashion bloggers. There's an unusual amount of smart phone usage- me, constantly checking in on foursquare, Instagram, and twitter, while Krista and Helga made great use of their camera phones.
Even in the midst of fun, there is always room for a photo op!
Observations from the Observatory: Amidst snacking + imbibing, Helga finds a moment to snap a picture.
And speaking of observing, you can read Krista and Helga's post about the meet up. I'm going to include some posts that don't involve me, as it was the Helga tour, and I know you'll want to see as much of it as possible!
Krista published a series of posts regarding Helga's visit. You can read about her experiences HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Krista's posts are probably the most comprehensive of the group, so if you haven't already, I highly recommend you check out her posts.
Helga's posts can be seen HERE and HERE
Hands On: In meeting Style and Soul Sisters, Helga and Krista, I felt an instant rapport.
Perhaps the most important part of meeting Helga is the hardest to convey in a single post. Because this is not about what happens in a single meet-up or instant, but the continuous connection and community we create with each other via our blogs. As G noted over coffee, Helga found an group of supportive people who cheer each other on, which is not only pleasant but rare, especially in the world of fashion. Where some girls must deal with catty comments, back stabbing friends and behind the back eye-rolling, we've been lucky to craft together an international community of style and soul sisters who inspire us to dress our best while being true to ourselves. Style beacons like Vix, Desiree, and Judith make a better case for dressing for fun than any under aged waif in a Vogue editorial.
"It has changed my life," Helga said in regards to blogging. "I live in a town that is fairly small, people don't dress the way I do, and in blogging I've met such a great group of people who appreciate my style, and they inspire me." Through the connection of the internet, we've been fortunate to stumble across others, who have a style to share, and by doing so, give us the motivation to dress up as ourselves, and shine in our own circles. Our connection may have started by liking an outfit, but it has blossomed into something much more meaningful: real friendships. It was incredible the way we all fell into each other, not an awkward moment through out the day, it felt as if we had already met, had known each other for years. When I said this, Helga piped up: "Darling we do know each other! We know each other through our blogs!"
