Gimme Some Glamour
What once began as a New Year’s resolution has since turned this college fashionista into a successful blogger and entrepreneur…
Over winter break back in 2014, high school sophomore Renee Janis made her New Year’s resolution: “to just do something outside of my comfort zone,” she said. And that ‘something’ was to start her own blog, Gimme Glamour.
Janis has always been interested in fashion and inspired by fashion bloggers and influencers, especially style icon, blogger and mastermind behind Gal Meets Glam, Julia Engel. So, why not create a blog of her own?
“High school was really when I started having fun with fashion and playing around with it,” Janis said. “So it was a really cool way for me to share what I was doing and interact with other people and just have that space to be creative.”
Not knowing anything about website design or html, Janis purchased a $15 website template off of Etsy (#steal) and quickly recruited (maybe against his wishes… ;) ) her dad as her photographer.
“It was kind of something that I roped him into five years ago,” she said, “and it’s been something really fun that we do together.”
But, like any other dad/biggest fan would, he happily agreed to take on this new hobby. #Goals.
Although they didn’t really know what to expect with the whole “blogging” thing at first, the duo seemed to learn quickly. While dad was learning the ins and outs of shooting with a DSLR, Renee was busy creating content - writing and scheduling posts for her blog and Instagram (@gimmeglamour).
While Instagram posts are typically more photo-based (well duh, that’s what Instagram is for!) with short (but sweet) captions, blog posts typically showcase more in-depth articles.
Her aesthetically pleasing Instagram account is full of scenic photographs, super elegant and timeless outfits (with brands linked, of course) and the occasional coffee shop post, all of which direct the reader back to her blog: where the real magic happens.
Her effortlessly-reading blog posts range from everyday outfits to listicles on her favorite reads to trips to New York City. Though it seems pretty similar to her Instagram content, Janis likes to dive a lot deeper for blog posts.
“My most common post is an outfit post. I will have images of an outfit that I’ve styled and then kind of explain my thought process in putting those pieces together, mentioning good sales and good finds. And then I also like to put a little bit about what I was doing when I was wearing this outfit.”
Although it mirrors that of a professional in the industry, Janis is hoping to keep her blog as a platform she manages for fun.
“I’m not too worried about doing sponsorships and having a super strict schedule,” she said. “I just really want to have fun with it and that’s what makes it enjoyable for me. All the content happens really organically.”
Not only has her blog has led her to pursue studies in Strategic Communications and Communications Design, but also has given her a leg up in the professional world.
Janis already has a job lined up at a previous internship, Margaux, which she describes as “a direct-to-consumer women’s shoe start-up based in New York City,” where she will be doing graphic design.
So, the question is: what will your New Year’s resolution be this year??