Interview with Katie from Alaskan Weredork!


If you haven't discovered it yet, Alaskan Weredork is a blog run by the wonderful Katie, documenting her personal style against the backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness. Katie was the first person to ever comment on my blog, and I was so happy to find out that she is a fellow Alaskan as well! Not only does she have a great sense of style, she has a wonderful eye for photography as well. I highly recommend checking out her blog!


What inspired you to start a fashion blog?
It was the depth of a cold winter and it seemed like a good time to try something creative.
My car was broken down and after being stuck in the house, it was kinda nice to have something fun to do.  I've always been really uncomfortable in front of a camera as well so it was a good way to both do something with a creative process and learn to deal with having pictures taken.  It's turned into something I love, photography has become something I love and even though taking pictures of my outfits isn't that fun in the winter, I also sorta get a kick outta being able to deal with it.


How has your personal style evolved over time?
It has changed quite a bit although I think I always had a certain idea of how I wanted to dress, I just didn't have the knowledge of how to execute it.  At first I wore a lot of thrift store and it was quite the mish-mash with no cohesion at all.  A lot of stuff was very ill fitting or just badly worn in my case but since blogging it's been a great learning curve about fit, fabrics, what works and what doesn't as well as what translates onto the camera. I had a period where I wore a lot of really girly items because it was the only way I could see to get close to what I wanted in a look and it was all I could really find either at the thrift store or the shops in town.  I've gotten better about not buying random items and have passed up a lot of the local chain stores to look for items on ebay. (Fairbanks just doesn't have a huge selection of stores, as I'm sure you know!)


When you go thrifting, do you have a specific kind of item in mind, or do you go for the hunt? 
It's a little bit of both!  With thrifting you really never know what you'll find, there'll be periods where you'll find nothing and then you'll have those days where you end up with an arm load of fabulous items.  I try to keep an idea of what I currently want but I still browse all of the racks because you never know what you'll find.  It is exciting when you find a fabulous garment so there is a "thrill of the hunt' element to it all.

What are some of your favorite brands of clothing?
Rag & Bone has become a huge favorite of mine, I really like the way their jeans/pants are cut and the overall ascetic is something I enjoy.  I also like Elizabeth and James for silk dresses, Joie Silk blouses are beautiful and I love vintage Coach leather bags, the older styles of leather were really superior the what's used presently and it wears beautifully.  I love Winter Kate dresses, they have a very vintage edge to them and are cut beautifully but I also like American Eagle Outfitters for their men's tee shirts and their women's jackets.  They do really great jackets that are reminiscent of more expensive brands but are pretty high quality for the prices they charge.  I do like Old Navy for their Sweetheart jeans, the denim is thick and I have a few pairs from five years ago that are still in good shape. (And I wear them as barn clothes!)  French Connection did a line for Sears that was beautiful and fun but they discontinued it last year to make way for that Kardashian line.


Who are your favorite fashion bloggers?
 I love both Triple Thread and Hippy At Heart, they have different style ascetics but both post about their shopping through process and having a cohesive closet.  They've both really inspired me to look harder at my spending habits and trying to not just buy stuff because "it's kinda sorta what I want" and holding out for what I really want. (Delayed gratification, that's the words I'm looking for!)  Hippie Lace is another favorite, she's  Canadian so it's nice to see someone who lives in a similar closet dress in more of a bohemian way and she's a lover of Vintage.  On the other end there's Keit over at Beauty In Insanity, she really inspired me to go back to my shorter hair and I love her sense of humor and she's a fellow thrifter!
On the professional end, I love Franish and Erin of Loop Looks, they both really think about their closets and edit them so well, I try to pay attention to them when I need to look a little more professional.  I've gained a lot of inspiration fro Linda at The Dragonfruit Diaries, we have a similar love for the Rocker-boho look although she goes more urban where I go more western but it's encouraging to watch someone else going through similar changes in style at times when I feel really uninspired.  Lauren at Introvert's Introduction just kills me with her photography and she's a fellow Alaskan so you know, it's fun to gripe about the weather and moose to someone who understands.


How long have you lived in Alaska?
I'm a born and raised Alaskan although I have lived for very short periods outside, in Oregon, Washington and Colorado.  

What is your favorite thing to do for fun in the winter?
I love cross country skiing and although I don't get to do it as often as I use to. I enjoy snowboarding, and I also ride a lot and do a lot of critter watching.  We live in a heavily wooded area and there's a couple moose, some bunnies and a pair of foxes who roam through our property.

Favorite books/movies/music?
Oh boy, that's gonna be a long list.  I devour books and I'll read pretty much anything I can get my hands on but I always return to The Hobbit, The Hero and the Sword, The Dragonriders of Pern series, Orson Scot Card's Ender and Bean series and of course The Dresden Files.  I  love The Wasteland by T.S Elliot and I love Walt Whitman.  Movies wise, I'm really all over the map...

Das Boot (It's good, watch it.)
Eastern Promises/A History of Violence (Ed Harris and Viggo, such a good pairing)
American History X
Grease (I can't help it, I just really like watching this. It would be my guilty pleasure movie.)
The Blue Brothers (Best comedy ever.)
BoonDock Saints (So much goodness!)
Scarface  (I just think it's really a perfectly edited, acted and directed movie.)
Metropolis (The 1927 film, it was way ahead of it's time and is visually so beautiful.)
The Dark Crystal
The 1977 Hobit Cartoon and The Last Unicorn. (Nerd.)

I'll also add in any really awful disaster flick, I really enjoy watching them.  they're just  as awful and wonderful as those bad scifi movies the SCIFI channel puts out.  I grew up watching the Toy Story movies and even as an adult, I still enjoy watching them with my kids.  I cried during the third one!
Music might be even harder as I'll listen to everything.  On regular play I have Zac Brown Band, Emmy Lou Harris, Five Finger Death Punch, Florence and the Machine, Johnny Cash, Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory, Foster the People and Willie Nelson.

Favorite authors/artists?
I love me some Jim Butcher but I also love Anton Chekhov and T.S. Elliot.  Ann MaCaffery has been a favorite since I was ten and Ill read anything by Robin McKinnely.  I really enjoy Charlie LeDuff's writing style and on the other end, Patrick McManus always makes me laugh until I cry. (Everyone should read his books, they're works of genius.)  As a good fantasy fan I have to add in Tolkien because you just can't improve upon him.  I have too much trouble picking a favorite artist, although I do really love Georgia O'Keeffe's art.  I love sketching/painting animal skulls so she's always been a favorite but her portraits are just so beautiful and her flower paints are so happy and interesting.  I also love Andrew Wyeth, his use of more subdued color and his material just really touches me.


Thank you again for doing this interview, Katie!

Comments

  1. Ahh, this was really fun to read! Two bloggers I like in one place!

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  2. Aww man, you're too sweet! I have to add you to the list pf favorite bloggers as well, your post are always so thoughtful and I LOVE your art posts.(you are one fabulous artist, I see the same level of thought put into your art as your blog and you have such an amazing eye!). Thank you for interveiwing me, it would have been a ton of fun to do in person but still fun via email. (and so sorry about taking so long.). Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. You're too kind, Katie! I'm very happy that we did this. :)

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  3. Katie and I live such different lives but that's why I love her!! Great interview.

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