Blog Spotter // Blog Spotter: Dressed Up Alligators
A man once said, “Blogging is graffiti with the use of punctuation.” He was so far from the truth. Despite this, one blogger, who goes by the name Diana Janec, was extremely passionate about the fashion industry. While reading a variety of blogs, she developed an intelligent approach to get into the industry that allowed her to share her style and work ethic with prospective employers. After doing some brainstorming, Dressed Up Alligators was born — the eccentric name pulled from a song in Ugly Casanova’s Things I Don’t Remember.
However, prior to this, Diana originally planned to go to college and study medicine. But fate would have it another way. Even in a competitive and intense industry, Diana was certain that she could not live a life that lacked imagination and originality. And so, she switched her major to marketing and advertising – the first step in achieving her goal to grow and learn in a career she wants to thrive in. Hailing from Boston, she gained her fashion knowledge from her own blog and aims to inspire her readers to enjoy the world of fashion by mixing patterns, creating unique looks and not to taking it too seriously. After all, it is a way of cultivating your own perspective.
Courtesy of Diana Janec
Fashion is based on the notion of being comfortable in your own skin. It is a form of art and design, the coming together of beautiful fabrics, textures, thoughts, designs and colors to create beauty. It has to be appreciated and desired, but like all art forms, it is also to be absorbed elegantly with various degrees of maturity.
Diana was kind enough to provide CK with an exclusive interview on her daily inspiration for her blog, while sharing tips and advice for our readers!
CK: What is Dressed Up Alligators all about? When and why did you begin blogging?
Diana Janec: Dressed Up Alligators is a personal style blog that chronicles what I wear on a daily basis as well as what trends I like and how I would style them. My approach to fashion and shopping has always been creating great outfits that look expensive but were found on sale or at discount retailers. I love hunting for deals, and find it is much more rewarding to discover something I’ve loved months later for a great price.
I started blogging about two years ago one summer when I had nothing to do and wanted to start something productive. I would spend hours creating outfits that I would want to wear, and it seemed disappointing that I couldn’t document them somehow. So when I discovered blogs I remember being immediately attracted to the idea of it.
The original plan for Dressed Up Alligators was to serve as a portfolio to show potential employers when I began applying for jobs. But it has since bloomed into an everyday hobby and passion. It has given me to great opportunities and skills I probably wouldn’t have found if I never started.
CK: Walk us though an average day in your life. What do you do apart from blogging?
DJ: For the past year, I had been juggling five classes, an internship, and blogging and commuting from Providence to Boston five times a week, so my time was very structured. Since I graduated in May, there has been a huge shift from being always busy and on a schedule, to a schedule that changes daily, so I don’t think I have an average day at the moment. For now, I am blogging, job searching and enjoying the summer.
CK: Your blog has been in many well-known fashion publications including Teen Vogue! What’s it like having this type of exposure?
DJ: Ever since I was a kid, it was a dream to be involved in some way with Teen Vogue, so when I became a part of their blogger network I couldn’t be happier. It’s been amazing and so humbling to have my style posted to their website among so many other great bloggers. I am also in the Lucky Style Collective network, which has also been a dream come true. It pushes me to create even more interesting outfits, content and stories to post.
