An Interview with Kaelah B of Little Chief Honeybee AKA My Ultimate Style Inspiration!

1. What part does fashion play in your life?

It's definitely a huge part of my day to day life. Well, I should say style is… not so much "fashion"… I rarely follow any sort of "fashion week" or high end designers simply because they aren't really relative to my lifestyle. As a recent art school grad and a self-employed-designer-in-training, I find most of my clothing via fast fashion chains and thrift stores. I think being able to style up a 50 cent dress from the junk bin at Goodwill is more inspiring than tossing on a $1,500 YSL top. (Let's face it.. it don't take much to make YSL look good!)



2. Do you ever feel pressure to have a "perfect" outfit, or be perfect in photos?

I personally think being less-than-perfect makes you more relateable, especially when penning a lifestyle blog. I like to share my outfits because it's a huge part of my life. My life is a chaotic mess of ripped tights, mismatched patterns and maybe some dog hair on my cardigan (always). I also have far from the perfect body. I'm a short gal with big ol' hips and I try to dress in a way that flatters my pear shape. So what if it's not perfect? So what if I don't have model-thin legs?! I find perfect to be boring!



3. What would you tell young girls who struggle with body image?

You are not the tag on your jeans. You are not the jiggle of your upper arms. You are not that slice of cake that you so definitely treated yourself to last night! You are the combination of your hopes, dreams, aspirations, goals, and loves. No one will ever know the size on that dress you're wearing unless you tell them. No one cares about your size as much as you think they do. Confidence is what sells everything. Wear something crazy! Own it! Walk with your head held high and I guarantee no one will question you! Positive energy is contagious. Spread it!



4. What is your favorite piece in your wardrobe?

I feel like I'd never be able to answer this. My day to day outfit consists of generally the same items, just different colors and patterns. You can almost always find me in a floral dress, colored tights, a ruffled cardigan and black flats, though!



5. How long do you take to get ready in the morning?

Though I'm sure my boyfriend Mike would argue this, I can be ready in as little as 10 to 15 minutes provided I don't need to shower. I typically roll out of bed, tousle my hair around a bit, throw on some makeup and grab whatever is lying closest to my bed (I'm a horribly messy person. Oops!)



6. What was your favorite thrift shop find?

Well, I have two. Three if you count sister items! My first is a vintage Guatemalan muumuu I found at Goodwill for 50 cents! That very dress snagged me a spot in Seventeen magazine's 17 Best Dressed Girls in America in 2008! All it took was a little bit of hemming! My other face was a pair of white fringe cowboy boots I found at Wasteland Vintage in San Francisco. I returned 6 months later to find the matching red pair across the street at another thrift store!



7. Tell us about a special connection you have made with someone else through the
blogging world.

I've met some of my very best friends through the blogosphere! Dating all the way back to 2002 (I think?! Yow!).. I met my best friend http://www.twitter.com/ohexjess Jessica on LiveJournal! Since then I've managed to visit many times and meet so many other fabulous blogger ladies! There have definitely been some fun road trips for bleet-ups and I'm excited that another one of my favorite ladies, http://www.susannahbean.com Susannah, is coming down with her beau next month to go on a roadtrip to North Carolina with us!



8. What is it like being heavily modified?

Well just like anything else it definitely has it's pros and cons. The pros being that I get to share artwork that is important and meaningful to me with almost everyone I meet. I have the ability to work with some of the most talented tattooists to make something totally awesome. They also serve as an interesting (and sometimes annoying) ice-breaker for conversation. Plus, they're the best accessory I could ever have. I have no need for jewelry anymore! The cons of course are things along the lines of rude stares and comments, being discriminated against and instantly judged. Those are all things I can live with though since all they really do is show people's ignorance from the get-go.



9. What is your biggest dream?

Professionally speaking, it would be to launch my own dress line later this year, and then continue to build on my personal branding and open up my own little brick and mortar (tiny tiny!) independent retail shop in Wilmington, North Carolina with Mike. It'd be our little family business and I'd love to pass it down to our children. Personally speaking, it would be to raise an adorable family with Mike and our 2 pups, (kids at a later date!), and have a sweet little house in Wilmington with a picket fence, garden in the back, SUV in the driveway and a porch swing out front. Suburbia much? Either way, it's the dream I'm working on!



10. What is your favorite song right now, and why?

Currently it's Loquat's cover of The Smiths' song "There's a Light That Never Goes Out." They're my all-time favorite band so it's appropriate!