blogger profile: NEON BLUSH.COM
BY GRACE LIU
Jenny Ong is the perfect picture of a Californian girl, inside and out. Hailing from LA, she combines her laid-back yet sharply curated style with her photography into the blog Neonblush. com (formerly Jennyfromtheblock.com). The blogger has since gained a solid fan base among the fashion-conscious crowd and was recently nominated for Chictopia’s Most Influential Blogger of the Year. Here, Jenny talks blogging, life, and the importance of keeping it real.
GL: HOW DID IT ALL START? JO: I was always tagging along on my older sister’s shopping trips and flipping through her Vogues and InStyles. After I started dressing myself up in 8th grade, I would get Best-Dressed in school, which really encouraged me to pursue my personal style. I spent the first few years of college ignoring the little voice in the back of my head that told me there has to be more. I needed an outlet for my creative streak. My outlet eventually came in the form of a blog, which I started senior year.
GL: FASHION-WISE, WHO INSPIRES YOU? WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR “LOOK”?
JO: I’m really bad at describing things. I am a horrible blogger [laughs]. But I would say I’m attracted to the clean-cut,
structured look. Designers like Balenciaga, Proenza
GL: HOW DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO BLOG WITH YOUR BUSY WORK SCHEDULE? JO: I work full-time and sometimes overtime on
[Schouler], and Philip Lim do it very well. I also play
weekends. When I get some downtime, my boy-
up my casual looks with bright colors that pop and
friend would help snap photos of me while we’re
well done prints.
about town. But it gets tiring to always have to take
GL: WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WORK FOR A DENIM HOUSE LIKE KASIL?
pictures, because sometimes I just want to relax and
JO: Working on the latest collection has really given
have to blog for yourself. Being so busy that I have to
me an idea about what aspect of fashion I want to
set aside time is a reminder that I want to do this.
pursue. I discovered that I enjoy working on the big
in coming up with the concepts, details, and fit for
GL: THAT’S A VALUABLE TAKE AWAY. WHAT OTHER ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ALL THE HOPEFUL BLOGGERS OUT THERE?
the pieces.
JO: In terms of photos, definitely take the time and
picture, which includes the comprehensive brand image and look-book. I assist the creative director
live the moment. One thing I’ve learned is that you
patience to pick out the best few of the bunch. Your pictures are the meat of your blog, so a keen eye to detail and variation definitely shows. With the fashion blogging scene expanding so rapidly nowadays, I would say the most important thing is to know what you’re getting into. Most bloggers go into it expecting to get sponsors, gifts, clothes…. and when that actually happens, its very easy to lose yourself and your style in order to keep the offers coming. Always remind yourself who you are, because without that you become a billboard for someone else. It is better to represent your own fresh take on fashion, and that, frankly, is what will get you noticed.