The life of a Parisian is alluring and it’s why many times, the movie Sabrina is a tough choice not to make. I don’t really care about the skinny women who live there – it’s the culture that sucks me in. Have you ever seen the movie Midnight In Paris? It’s a korny Woody Allen movie but it hits my point well. To be in a city that was home to many artist is cool. It’s the same feeling I got when I viewed an actual Monet rather than one in a book. This is the feeling I got when I came across Fiona’s blog, Paris Hues. She lives and blogs about her life in Paris and when we moved past the commenting-on-each-others-blogs relationship status, I couldn’t help but ask her if I could interview her. She accepted and today, she writes about her blog, what she dreamed of when she was little, and whether post quality or post quantity is more important.
Q: Brief explanation of you and your blog?
A: Hi ! I am Fiona, late rather than early thirties, of English, Italian, French origin and until now, have spent all of my adult life living in different places accross the globe. I have now been living between Paris and my beach house in the South West of France for the last 4 years. This blog is a way of sharing everything in my life that I find beautiful, intriguing and tasty. A way of passing on out of the ordinary topics and experiences that constitute an ordinary day.
Q: What did you dream of when you were little?
A: When I was a kid, I dreamt and read and drew of a fantasy world of magic and beauty and many different cultures. As a child, I continuously noticed little things around me, the smaller the more noticeable. I am still the same today, I dream and don’t always pay attention when I have to but my imagination is a world of its own that I escape to to very often.
Q: If your style was a person or a place, who or where would it be?
A: My own style is such a mixture. I have traveled a lot so all these beautiful cultures I have experienced all go into my own style. From surfer, outdoor, Native American, Indian to Parisian high heeled chic! Now I like classics and timeless basics, from womens’ and mens’ fashion. I guess you would class it more as preppy. Parisian preppy. So my style would be Great Gatsby with a sporty touch.
Q: What are your thoughts on copying? Is it okay to copy another fashion designer or blogger? In your opinion, is copying just another word for inspiration?
A: I do not agree with copying word for word, image for image, or style for style. It is someone else’s work we are taking and in that sense, it’s like stealing a little piece of them. What I do agree with is inspiration. I get this every day. From a person’s outfit in the street, a great dish I tasted in a brasserie, a style of writing that would sometimes suit my mood – all that is inspiration. I am not imitating, I am being inspired, nourished by all these things and people. Little bits of everything make up what we are, right ?
Q: If there was a golden rule for blogging, what would it be?
A: BE YOURSELF. No two ways about it. Your personality will come through the more you let your own style seep through your blog design, posts, pictures and topics.
Q: Choose one – post quality or post quantity?
A: I was totally into quantity when I started but that is exhausting. As any blogger will know, holding a blog is a big job. Now, I have just focused on maybe 4 times a week at the most. It also gives my readers time to anticipate, search my history and it doesn’t flood them with too much info.
Q: Who was your Valentine?
A: My Valtentine is my son Tom, who is 6 years-old and has lived many adventures with me so far in his short but brave life. I hope we continue to share this sense of vitality for many many years to come. I love you Tom xxx