Chris Glabb from Christopher’s Fashions interviews incredible fashion blogger, Caroline Topperman from www.styleontheside.com

Caroline Topperman is a Canadian fashion and beauty blogger who is currently living in Poland, obsessively discovering the most beautiful bags, shoes, jjewelleryand makeup the world has to offer through a journey of striking textures, fabrics and colours:

I have always loved writing and I decided to pursue this passion by earning a Fine Arts degree in screen-writing. One of the screenplays which I edited won award at Barcelona, New York and Vancouver film festivals. As a teenager, I learned photography on my father’s old Rolleiflex. Since then I have upgraded to a Nikon DSLR, but analog film will always be my first love. The arts in general have always been near and dear to my heart and I also spent many years training in dance, which included performing at a professional level.

I speak English, Polish and French fluently. I have traveled extensively through Europe and have great familiarity with its many different cultures, architecture, arts and design.  From Morocco to Poland and everywhere in between, I discovered how much fun accessories can be and since then they have played a large role in my life. I then put theory into practice by managing and designing storefronts for a boutique bags and accessories store in a prestigious Toronto shopping district.

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Chris: Who is your fashion inspiration? When did you discover them? And how?

Caroline: My fashion inspirations have come into my life at different stages. They first began at home with my mom and my grandmother. They were both strong women who loved beautiful clothes. My classic inspirations would be Jackie O and Audrey Hepburn. If we are looking for modern day fashion icons, I’m a huge fan of Rachel Zoe not only because I love what she wears but also because I love that she’s built an empire around it.

Chris: I envy that you had fashion icons as a kid, because growing up, I didn’t really know what fashion, style or trends were. I was that kid who wore a blue t-shirt on plaid, green shorts… Not good! Not to mention that nobody in my family was really a “style” person back then. My mom is a black shirt, and jeans kinda gal, and the rest of my fam: the same.

Chris: What inspired you to create your own website?

Caroline: Good question. I’ve always loved writing (I have a degree in screenwriting) and I’ve always loved the idea of putting images to my words. In addition, after years of personal training people, I got used giving advice and helping others. So it seemed like a natural progression to start my own site.

Chris: -This, is sooo inspiring! And the perfect reason to start a blog! I mean, why not share your thoughts with the world, and get a few fans out of the deal? Also, you CLEARLY have some killer talent, so why the heck not?-

Chris: What is your most causal daily go-to outfit?

Caroline: I work from home so I (sadly) don’t usually dress up. My go-to outfit are skinny jeans and a comfy tee.

Chris:-Why not? I mean, work and be comfortable too? It’s a win-win situation!-

Chris: Which fashion magazine is your favourite?

Caroline: InStyle and Vogue are the first to come to mind but now that I’m living in Poland I’ve come to really enjoy reading Polish Elle.

Chris: -I just Googled Polish Elle Magazine, and they are soo trendy! Why is Europe so ahead of the fashion industry than North America?-

Chris: What are the differences in fashion trends between Canada and Poland?

Caroline: I could probably write a whole essay on this topic! Let’s start with Vancouver (where I lived for 13 years) and Warsaw. Whereas Vancouver is workout wear and very casual, Warsaw is a lot more dressed up.

Toronto (where I grew up) is more sophisticated. They get a lot of their style influence from New York. Warsaw, where I’m currently living, has pretty much all the same big chain stores as North America. For example, I just recently bought jeans from American Apparel.

Chris: -Toronto is literally an hour away from where I live! I’d love to spend all my time there! And, I had noo idea anywhere outside The States and Canada had American Apparel! They’re literally my go-to for pants! (Not to mention how she looks so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear!)-

Chris: Which is more classy: an all-white outfit or an all-black outfit? And why?

Caroline: I think it depends on the event and the outfit, but if pressed then I’m going to say all white. The way I see it is that all white is more unexpected than black and you always want to standout.

Chris: -I’m thinking you should talk to Ellen DeGeneres… Did you see her People’s Choice Outfit? I think she has more swag than Justin Bieber. I see all white becoming a huge trend in 2015. You just wait.-

Chris: -So that’s it! I’d like to give a huge thanks to Caroline for this interview and Marianne for setting this up!

Make sure you visit Caroline at www.styleontheside.com

Though he is only 14, Chris Glabb loves blogging, and you can read his stuff at www.christophersfashion.com. He’s Canadian, an avid cat lover, and a style trendsetter.

One of my most frequently asked questions is… should accessories really match? I find this question so intriguing because it was a question I really had to ask myself before answering. I decided the best way to do it was to Google some outfits, look at my faves, and finally decide for good if they should really match? While searching through photos (all rights reserved to the original owners, I chose the photos for content, and do not own any of them)

Finally, I got my answer.

In these outfits, the accessories don’t totally match each other, but they match and add to the outfits!

Another example is this one.

The gold colours in these three rings do not match. One is a rose gold, another regular gold, and the last a white gold (or possibly silver). And yet, I love these rings! They’d go great with a black leather bracelet, like this one.

Which is yet another example of why accessories do not have to match.

But here is an example I love, where the accessories do match!

And, I love it just as much as the first 2!

Now, the question was ‘should the accessories match? ‘. I’m sorry to everyone who asks this, but this is my final answer…

I think that accessories shouldn’t match… And I also think they should!

Your style is something you create. Something only you can change. If you like your accessories matching, match them. If not, then so be it.

Just remember, accessories are used to add to an outfit, and they’re not the whole outfit themselves… They can’t be.

Join the conversation! What do you think? Should accessories match each other? Should they not? Your opinion matters! Leave a comment below telling me what you think!

Don’t forget to read my personal blog here!

Chris 🙂

Hey readers, I’m Chris Glabb! I’m a Canadian teen & male fashion blogger. Definitely not you’re average blogger!  Today, for my first post, I’d like to talk about my personal style and what my fashion sense says about me. I’m going to map out an average day outfit for me, and why it’s oh so reliable!

First of all: Pants. Beige pants to be exact.

You can buy these here!  They’re so critical because they never disappoint. When I’m having an off fashion day, I pull these babies on and I’m good to go!

Next, would be my denim jacket.

It looks a little something like this, and I love to roll the sleeves to elbow length. There’s just something so… SO amazing about owning that perfect jeans jacket! If you wanna read about more about styling these jackets, then head over here.

Next would be hightops.

I’m a strong believer that nearly no outfit is complete without some shoes that cut above the ankle. This rule has exceptions including loose fitted pants and overalls. Anyway, these can be purchased here!

Finally, the accessory!

The best way to create a high class outfit is to use accessories that not only add to the piece, but complements it. In this case, the blue beanie complements the tan pants. It all goes together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Chris blogs over at Christopher’s Fashion. Drop him a line in the comments section. He’d love to hear from you!

Boden UK website is worth a browse – both women’s and girl fashion. If you like skirts, there are some great looks to choose from.

Blee Inara have some awesome fashion jewellery to choose from, and we suggest you check out the whole website.