Chanel Ward: The Hip Blogger

Fabulous blogger, Chanel Ward is a busy lady, not only does she run a successful design publishing company and dabble in real estate she also finds the time to run six blogs. Chanel Ward Designs, Cute Dresses, Baldwin Hills 911, Top Model 911, the ever popular Hip Candy and new kid on the block, Michelle O. Style. She has been blogging for almost three years and was a top ten finalist in Project Runway's Fan Blog contest. Chanel took time out of her hectic schedule to answer a few questions.

Describe the concept behind Hip Candy?
The concept behind Hip Candy is just fun. When I created Hip Candy, it was out of a need to share my views on what was happening in fashion. But it quickly turned into more than that. Hip Candy now covers fashion, entertainment, celebrities, and current events. All in a fun, sometimes very opinionated way.

How do you think bloggers have made an impact on the media?
Wow, that question is super loaded! Bloggers have obviously been making a huge impact on the media, just in the sense that blogs can get information out in the public domain much quicker. Magazines, entertainment shows, news outlets and the like are on schedules and timelines, whereas blogs can acquire information and have it posted days, sometimes weeks before traditional media gets a chance to report on it. It's because of this fact that bloggers have also been met with resistance from some traditional media as well. A blogger with a good site that is putting out solid and credible content is threatening the very fabric of traditional media in that it kind of levels the playing field. For example, there are more and more bloggers now that are invited and who are actively attending Fashion Week, whereas before Fashion Week attendees consisted of strictly industry insiders (fashion editors, boutique owners, stylists, etc.) Public Relations firms as well as up and coming designers recognize the strong collective voice (and growing audience) that bloggers are bringing to the table.

You went to the prestigious Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing (FIDM), what was it like there and how did it affect your outlook on fashion?

It was much harder than I thought! I was a sketcher from childhood, and growing up, I was under the impression that design was just sketching beautiful silhouettes and then handing them over to someone else to figure out, complete and finish. I quickly learned that that wasn't the case when I got to FIDM. It was intense! Fashion Design majors had to learn how to put together a garment from start to finish. Not only did we need to know how to sketch, but we also had to take pattern classes, sewing classes, grading (sizing garments) classes and more. I hadn't sewn a stitch before attending FIDM. Now, I absolutely love it. And the pattern classes were probably the hardest and the ones I liked least. But to this day, I'm very appreciative of the knowledge I gained from those classes, because whether I'm altering a store bought pattern or making one from scratch, the pattern teaching I received was invaluable. And to this day, I am still a much better sketcher than I am a sewer, but I'm continually improving! I'm currently working on a small and simple dress line that I'm sewing together myself to be available on Etsy soon. I'm super excited about it.

Describe a typical day in the life of Chanel Ward.
Lately I've been blogging, sewing, and doing a bit of consulting on a local lifestyle magazine. I also run a desktop publishing business that I've been operating for 9 years now and I work with my husband who does Real Estate and Property Preservation full time, so my days are pretty full.

Who are your favourite designers?
I love the simplicity, polish and wearability of a Michael Kors line, a Tracy Reese line, Isaac Mizrahi or Jason Wu. But I also like more girly, bohemian and romanticized designers, like Milly, Rebecca Taylor and Anna Sui. I can appreciate the artistry in more complex lines, say like an Alexander McQueen, but I wouldn't call them "favorites". Cleaner lines always win me over.

Name five blogs that you read religiously.
Some of them aren't really blogs, but these are my regulars:

• The Huffington Post
• People.com
• Style.com
• NYMag.com
• Hip Candy

What made you set up the Michelle O Style blog?
Because she is absolutely fascinating. Michelle Obama is highly educated, smart and accomplished, yet with all her accomplishments and education, there's a bit of whimsy and unexpected flair in her style choices. So far I haven't been able to box her into one style lane, because she keeps changing lanes and I love it. She is a designers dream with her height and stature, and I think it's wonderful that she has a real woman's body because she's making women realize that they can still look good not being a size zero.

You have six blogs; how on earth do you manage to find the time to update all of them?
That's a good question! I honestly don't update all six daily. I try to keep Hip Candy updated regularly. Michelle O. Style saw a surge in traffic around the inauguration so I tried to keep that updated around that time. The rest of my blogs I just update when I have new information or news on the subjects. So it's not as hard as one would imagine to keep up with.

The Hills

I am not ashamed to say that I am addicted to The Hills. Lets see, I have downloaded the first five episodes of series one from iTunes, now that Channel 4 have got with the programme and started showing this hilarious reality show I make sure I tune in for that and I have even joined a Facebook group dedicated to The Hills. So I think it is safe to see that I am a true addict. I am not sure what it is about this teen reality show that has me glued to the screen. The characters are ordinary people going on about their ordinary lives but hey, maybe that is the attraction. The Hills is a spin off from Laguna Beach, dubbed The 'real' OC; now I never saw that programme so I cannot tell you much about it except that it was based on the life and tribulations of Lauren Conrad who The Hills is based around. The pert Lauren Conrad moves from Laguna Beach to Los Angeles and lands a coveted internship at the super cool, Teen Vogue which she juggles with a college degree at Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing (FIDM). Her room mate is her close friend Heidi Montag, the ultimate party girl who drops out of FIDM after one day. In the show we also meet Whitney Port, a savvy lady who is conscientious and proves to be a good friend to Lauren. Then there is Audrina Partridge, a stone face brunette with eye liner that could kill who apparently works as a receptionist for Epic but does not seem to do much apart from wine and dine with Heidi. Now lets talk about Ms Montag - oh dear, where should I start. Heidi brings new meaning to the word blonde. Her vocabulary consists of words such as "Oh totally," "It like so cool," and "Oh my Gawd!" Her interview with FIDM was bordering on hysterical.

Tutor: "How would you class yourself as a high school student?"
Heidi: "I never did anything, I never went to classes, I just hung out and went shopping."
Tutor: "Have you read the curriculum?"
Heidi: "Erm no"
Tutor: "What are your goals?"
Heidi: "I want to do PR, I want to be the fun PR party girl in LA"
Tutor: (Looks very unimpressed) "It usually takes someone being in the industry for a long time to land on the 'fun, I want to organise a party."
Heidi: (Looks surprised) "Really?!!, it's not like right away?"
Tutor: "No." Would you be willing to work in retail sales?"
Heidi: "You mean like actually working the floor and stuff?"
Tutor: "Actually working the floor and stuff."
Heidi: "I don't think I could do that."
Tutor: "Are there any other industries that you were thinking about other than fashion?"
Heidi: "No."
Tutor: "Are you sure you are in the right college?"

Ummm, all I can say is at least she made an impression. After dropping out of college, the ditz goes on to get a job working for an events company and was shocked and horrified to find out that instead of swanning in right at the top of the company, organising club nights she was doing tedious work like ordering stationary and getting the bosses lunch and stuff. I expect her resignation any day now. In real time The Hills is now on its third series where Lauren, Heidi, Whitney and Audrina have experienced the highs and lows of career, love and friendship. It seems that I have a lot to look forward to.