Meet Lena darlings, this week’s subject of “Real Style” and the blogger behind Quality Rivets. She’s a fellow Montreal based blogger and I’ve been following her for a while now. She’s actually one of the first Canadian fashion bloggers that I came upon when I first moved to Montreal. As a long time reader of her blog, it’s been really cool to keep up to date on her outfits but also the little glimpses of her personal life that she shares like her two adorable little ones. That’s right, she’s a mum of two and still looks this fabulous. Pregnant in heels and still impeccably styled, that was Lena during both of her pregnancies. Clearly she has really fabulous style, very model-off duty with a touch of European flair and an occasional hint of borrowed from the boys accent pieces. It’s no wonder that her current style inspirations are Olivia Palermo and Julie Sarinana.
So besides writing your own blog and being the mum of two adorable little ones, you also have a pretty cool background in fashion. Tell us about it!
I studied in Fashion Marketing over 10 years ago, maybe even 15 (sshhhhh), at International Academy of Design. It was a 1 year intensive program. That’s where I fell in love with the concept of being a buyer. During my studies, I worked retail jobs. At the end of my term, I did an internship at a Montreal based retailer as an Assistant Buyer in the children’s department. I loved my 2 week training as did they because they then kept me on board. I am no longer at that company but have been in the business ever since. I am currently on maternity leave with my second baby but will soon return to my career as a Buyer.
You have a job every fashionista would love to have, what is being a buyer like?
You shop for a living, ain’t nothing bad about that 🙂 While it is fun because you’re in the fashion field, it can get pretty stressful in the sense that you’re buying for others and not for you. You can find an article of clothing extremely trendy and absolutely love it, however it might not necessarily be what your market is looking for. So you have to see fashion through your customer’s eyes and put your taste aside. It can get frustrating at times however after the many years that I’ve been working in this field, I wouldn’t trade my job for anything else.
What or who inspires your own personal style?
Other bloggers out there and celebrities inspire me the most aside from magazines and fashion websites. I love seeing how different people put different trends together. The celebrity who I most follow and love…Olivia Palermo. The blogger currently at the top of my list…Sincerely Jules. Their outfits are so perfectly put together and look effortless.
What are 3 items from your closet you couldn’t live without?
My black Gucci bag, my black suede pumps from Steve Madden, and a classic pair of blue jeans from Zara. All 3 are staples in my wardrobe and go with everything.
Where do you shop for yourself?
The stores that are a must for me to walk in and buy from are Aldo, Zara, H&M, and Forever 21. You can get everything and anything you need from just these 4 stores and the prices and styles are unbeatable.
What designers or lines do you love?
I love the black and white looks of Marc Jacobs Spring 2013 collection. There’s not one designer that I just love, they all have their pieces that make me wonder what they were thinking. I like different items from all different designer collections.
What trend do you wish would die?
hmmm…let me think! I guess for the moment it would be crop tops. Only because I haven’t gotten rid of my baby belly yet and cannot wear them. I’m being selfish 😉
Coat: Sheinside – Shoes: yeswalker – Jeans: Sirens – T-Shirt: Sheinside – Hat: borrowed from the Hubby – Sunglasses: Ray-Ban – Bag: Chanel
