Blogger

BEHIND THE BLOG: EMILY THARP

in

Emily Tharp began her blog, Her Philly, in November of 2013.

Why did you begin blogging?

I have always really loved writing. I moved to the city and I was in a long term relationship with a guy. I was always very involved in high school and college, I came here and I didn't know anyone. I was looking for a way to get out and do stuff after work. I wanted a resource for young women like me who weren't into going to expensive things but also wanted to try new restaurants or go to new stores. I basically created the resource that I was looking for myself and it really exploded for me. I was able to dedicate more time to it when I ended that relationship. My independence came out through getting to explore new things with my blog. 

 Even though a lot of people do a really good job blogging about those things, I have nothing to add to that conversation.

What is your blog and who is it for?

My target age that I think about when writing is young women who are just out of college not yet with kids. I have learned that it is a lot more than that. People are interested from all ages who are looking to do fun things in Philadelphia. I only write about things that I myself think are interesting. I don't write about fashion shows or things like that because that isn't what I find interesting myself. Even though a lot of people do a really good job blogging about those things, I have nothing to add to that conversation. I have had to just think about what is unique that I can present about this topic. 

How do you balance work life and blogging?

It can be really tough. I think in the beginning I tried to keep myself to a schedule and that was really hard for me. It made me resent it for a little bit. I never want the blog to turn into something that I feel is a second job. I like how I have freedom. It's tough because there are events during the day I miss in Philly. Both of my employers since I have had the blog think it's really cool. So they do give me support and some flexibility. I am always working on balancing but I learned not to feel bad if I don't get a post up. 

What are you favorite things about Philly?

Eating, mostly. I always like going to new restaurants. I am not a really big fan of driving at all. So, I love being able to walk everywhere. Learning to take public transportation has been great. Exploring new neighborhoods. I love Diner En Blanc. I love Restaurant Week. A lot of things that people love to hate but things that get people out and excited about Philly. Right now, I am really close with all my friends from college. We all live in similar neighborhoods so it's been fun to explore new things with them. 

What are some of your favorite restaurants right now in Philly?

So Zahav is always and forever my all time favorite. I love it so much. I really like the tapas places. I also really love Amada. 

What else is a current obsession?

I'm obsessed with Flywheel. I started never having taken spin before. Everyone there was so nice and welcoming. I love how all the instructors are on social media. I think its all the tech stuff that really gets me. I love being able to look at my score after and see how far I have biked and see how many calories I burned. That makes me continue to go back. 

20 LAST QUESTIONS FOR EMILY THARP




BEHIND THE BLOG: Jordyn Nicole Shaffer

in

In this nine day series, we interview the bloggers behind some of the most influential blogs in Philadelphia. Today, we meet Jordyn Nicole Shaffer of Jordyn's Fashion Formula.

FP: Why did you begin your blog?

JNS: I began Jordyn's Fashion Formula a year ago this month. So last February. I started it because I felt like I wanted to really show my knowledge of pop culture, music and film through the lens of street style. How we absorb all this information, entertainment and media and how it ultimately materializes through the material things that we wear. 

I also started my blog because it is an amazing way to connect and network with people. That is why we are here together right now, right? 

FP: So it is mostly a fashion blog. 

JNS: It started out as a street style blog. But my goal was and continues to be to ask other people about their formulas. Street style blogs can be just me, me, me, me. At the end of the day, I am a journalist so I care about what your outfit and what your outfit says about you. Even how your formula manifests itself in your apartment or home. How your design aesthetic may be different from your outfit to what your bedroom looks like. You formula may be different.  I have started to go into people's personal spaces to really get a personal touch on their fashion formula. 

FP: When did you become interested in fashion?

JNS: It started in middle school when everyone was trying to figure out who they are and what their identity is. What do I stand for and what do I represent? I always felt like I was too mature for my own well being. My peers were off caring about other things and I was very bookish. And than that bookish-ness made me interested in fashion. I started to absorb fashion in Teen Vogue. I use to collect them and stack them in periodical order. To get back to the Formula, I became obsessed about fashion through film. My Dad's girlfriend told me to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's. I know it's so cliche. But the 60's and Audrey and her aesthetic made me realize how nostalgic I am. 

FP: What films lately have you been into?

JNS: I love everything with Wes Anderson. So Moonrise Kingdom. I was Margot Tenenbaum for Halloween. It's beyond just the outfits. It is the whole aesthetic. Other films? I really liked Midnight in Paris. That showcased another time period. Any kind of Italian film. I studied abroad in Rome so just to see like La Dolce Vita, to see the Italian aristocrats and how they dressed. I love to see how their fashion was so effortless and sophisticated. 

FP: What is your favorite thing about Philly?

JNS: That it is a underdog but it really isn't an underdog. That everyone wants to connect with each other. 

FP: How do you connect with people?

JNS: At first it's really awkward to put yourself out there. You may have all these fears of, "Maybe they will think I'm weird." But, the more I kept on doing that, the more natural it felt and the more friends I meet. Now when I go to places to meet new people, I see familiar faces. It took those three or four times to go to an event and tap someone on the shoulder and say, "Hi. Lets talk." Put yourself out there and it's a domino effect from there. 

FP: How often do you blog?

JNS: I try to do once a week because I believe in quality over quantity. Because I am a writer in my real life, I don't want to half ass anything. So I want to make sure I go home and have clear a mind. I don't want to do it just to do it. 

What’s your favorite thing about Philly in one word?
Community.

FP: Do you think there is an entrepreneur in you with this blog and that is why you started?

JNS: I think that Philly has so many taste-makers and we always read about them in highly popular local publications But how often do we get to go into their personal space or their home.? The entrepreneur in me would want to see if there opportunity where business and those taste-makers overlap. 

19 LAST QUESTIONS FOR JORDYN NICOLE SHAFFER

BEHIND THE BLOG: Sabir M. Peele

in

Today, I begin a nine day series going behind the blogs of nine influential bloggers from the Philadelphia community. First up is Sabir M. Peele who started his blog, Men's Style Pro, in November 2010. 

FAYMEPROBLEMS: Why did you start Men's Style Pro?

Sabir M. Peele: So there was a lot that went into starting Men's Style Pro. In September 2010, I was featured in Esquire Magazine as one of the five Best Dressed Real Men in America. 

FP: How did that happen?

SMP: They use to run an annual contest for it. You submit ten or so looks. That year, I think 3,000 people entered and then Esquire judges whittled it down to like 50. Then, it is opened up to voting. I was the fan favorite so I was the first person to be entered into the finals. I did that and I initially didn't want to start a blog. Because that was the year that people started doing blogs. At first, I wasn't interested but I thought that I did have a voice. The crazier part of starting the blog was that a week before I started, a friend of mine who is a photographer kept telling me I needed to start one. He said you have a lot of knowledge when it comes to menswear and clothes. So one night, I had a couple of drinks, and it turned into me going on WordPress and just typing in a name. I came up with Men's Style Pro, and I bought my domain November 19th, 2010. And that is how it started. 

FP: Where did your interest in fashion come from?

SMP: My interest in fashion and menswear came from my older brother. As a kid, I use to look up to him. He is eight years older and pretty stylish. 

What is your most prized material possession? 

My notebook.

FP: What's his name? 

SMP: Malcolm. I'm from North Philly so everything was sportswear and street wear. I started to adopt a lot of his style. High top sneakers. Sweat suits. Things like that. It really came into play when I was ten or eleven. I started getting more into tailored wear just from going to church. Cause everyone went to church and was sharp. So then once a week when I was a kid, I use to get dressed up to go to school once a week. On nobody's doing but my own. I was a big athlete too. 

FP: What sports did you play?

SMP: I played football, basketball and I ran track. I primarily ran track. But I played football for a fair amount of time. That is when a lot of athletes developed some sort of style that you could look up to. And then I started studying designers. But I was trying to figure out what style was my signature style. I don't think I have a signature style. People know me for wearing suits now. But I mix more street wear and tailored wear. I like Italian design but the English look. I think the sportswear side will also bring me back to my Americana roots. Rugby shirts, Polos, mixing all of that together.

FP: Where were you working when you started blog?

SMP: I use to work for the University of the Sciences here in South West Philly. I was an undergraduate admissions counselor and athletic liaison for the University. I worked in admissions all through out college because I was a tour guide and then I was a Senior Admissions Fellow at Ursinus so I started doing interviews with students while I was in college. Then my first job out of college was at ITT Technical Institute for a year and then I came to the University of the Sciences for almost five years. 

After a while you realize as you are working and doing something you really love, if you are doing something else just to sustain it and pay the bills, you aren't going to be happy.

FP: Recently, you decided to commit yourself to the blog.

SMP: It came to a point where I was doing both pretty much full time. I traveled for my job. I had a territory so I had to go to New York a lot. It started working hand in hand because a lot of people I was working with were located in New York. I would go to a school for a visit but I would pop over to see a showroom. At that time it was beneficial that I was working in higher ed because it brought me to New York. But it was draining the hell out of me. I was dead. Every night I would come home miserable. After a while you realize as you are working and doing something you really love, if you are doing something else just to sustain it and pay the bills, you aren't going to be happy. It was emotionally stressful. So this past September, I had some really good opportunities come up where I was doing some work with GQ and Century 21 because they were coming here to Philly. It was putting me in the right financial place to be like, I am going to do this. My wife also gave me support and told me she believed. She gave me the push. I put in my month's notice. 

What’s your favorite thing about Philly? 

The people.

FP: How has it felt to commit to your blogging as your career? Would you consider yourself now an entrepreneur?

SMP: My blog is LLC'd. It's a full business. I make money from advertising. I am listed technically as a consultant because I consult with a lot of brands on editorial campaigns, different designs for clothes. So, yeah I am an entrepreneur. I get the question a lot now on, "How is it different from what you were doing before?" It's a lot harder now because you rely on yourself. Everything you do will determine how much money you are going to make and how much growth you are going to have. But I think what helped me is even when I first started, I came at it from a business perspective. Ok, so what is my end goal year to year or month to month?  What am I trying to do? Who I am trying to connect with? What kind of business acumen am I going to put into this? But, I have been an entrepreneur for as long as I think of. You become the brand of yourself.

23 LAST QUESTIONS FOR SABIR M. PEELE