Style Profile: To Vogue or Bust

This week, in honour of my being on holidays at home in B.C., it's five consecutive days of style profiles featuring some of Vancouver's most fashionable and influential bloggers.

Today we continue our western adventure as we catch up with Vancouver fashion blogger Alexandra Grant. This one-time aspiring lawyer decided to forgo convention, security and safety, and followed her dreams of becoming a freelance fashion and music journalist and going to Vogue or Bust.

Name: Alexandra Grant

Age: 24

Occupation: Account Coordinator, Freelance Writer, Student, and Blogger

Blog: http://www.tovogueorbust.com/

When and why did you start your blog?

I started my blog on April 13, 2011. I started my blog to reaffirm and recommit to the two things that I've always loved: fashion and writing. I'd spent the year leading up to the creation of my blog applying to law school and making sure I had a "secure" career path in the future, and yet the whole time I had this horrible anxiety and hated myself for not doing what I loved. I finally had enough of it and decided that despite the fact that becoming a fashion journalist isn't exactly the easiest or most clear-cut path, it is the path that will make me happiest. So far, it's been amazing, rewarding, and I've become a much happier person because of it.

How would you describe To Vogue or Bust?

A mix of my personal styling and whatever happens to inspire me. It's really as simple as that - no formula or notion that I have to do X number of posts per week. The one thing that's pretty consistent about my site is that I tend to gravitate towards beautiful colours and feminine styling, so I'd say that's the defining factor.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Anywhere and everywhere, but a lot of my inspiration tends to come from music and the people behind it. Being a writer, I love a good story, and musicians and artists and the lives they lead tend to be the greatest stories in my eyes. Francoise Hardy, Marc Bolan, Lou Reed, Serge Gainsbourg... lots of my favourite musicians and bands inspire everything else (fashion, literature, etc.) I am a freelance music journalist as well as a fashion writer, so music is definitely one of my biggest passions!

Who are your style/beauty icons?

As mentioned above, Francoise Hardy is a huge style icon. I think she's what a woman should be: fresh-faced, yet sophisticated, natural yet chic. I also love Hanneli Mustaparta, Taylor Tomasi Hill, Viviana Volpicella, Audrey Hepburn (of course... what girl isn't obsessed with her?!), Brigitte Bardot... the list goes on and on. I love Charlotte Casiraghi for her style too, but especially for her beauty - I'm a big believer that makeup should always be natural, and that girl is so stunning and usually bare-faced.

Describe your personal style.

My good friend Cee of Coco and Vera once said it was "modern classicism" or something like that, but really, that's the closest I've ever gotten to defining it. I'd definitely say that I tend to gravitate towards more feminine looks, yet I tend to look for pieces that have strength in them. Eclectic, feminine, and yes, classic with a modern twist, as Cee says.

Where are your favourite places to shop?

H&M, Zara, and Club Monaco in terms of chain stores, and basically all the boutiques in Gastown when I want local or harder-to-find labels.

What are your favourite trends for this season?

I absolutely love 70's styling so I'm excited to see the return or that. To simplify things though, in terms of trends that I love, you can just watch the whole Prada show for their F/W 2011 collection and every single on of those styles is a dream to me.

Style/Beauty Pet Peeves?

I hate an ugly handbag. It's better to save your money and buy a beautiful, one-of-a-kind vintage leather bag from Value Village then to shell out money for some shiny vinyl monstrosity.

What do you never leave home without?

Nivea tinted lip balm in the strawberry flavour, my iPhone, my camera.

What are the five essential items that every woman should own?

A good moisturizer, a well-made handbag, ballet flats, red lipstick, a pretty dress in a solid colour.

Where do you see yourself and your site in five years?

I've been planning to move to New York for a couple of years now, and I hope I'm able to save up and make the move by then. I hope to be further along with my career and still blogging regularly!

Random facts about To Vogue of Bust

I have some of the weirdest phobias - I have a fear of falling down stairs, of having someone walk close behind me as I walk up stairs, I can't touch cotton balls... the list goes on and on!

To learn more about To Vogue or Bust visit her blog or follow along on Twitter.

In tomorrow's BC Style Profile, we talk fashion with The Anthology.

All images courtesy of To Vogue or Bust.