Celebrating 10 Years of Keep Calm and Chiffon
It began in June 2012 when for the first time in my life, I had nothing to do.
I just graduated from high school and whereas summers growing up were spent at camp, participating in local community theater productions or plowing through my reading list for school, this summer was different.
After spending my senior year as head of the spirit committee of my high school’s student government, playing varsity soccer as the goalkeeper and making it to the state championship, starring as Mrs. Potts in an incredibly elaborate (for a high school) production of Beauty and the Beast and deciding out of nostalgia to participate in every end-of-year activity from a Six Flags trip to a salsa dancing class, I was in need of a break.
It should also be mentioned that for my high school graduation I finally got an iPhone 4 (most of my friends already had iPhones and Blackberries then and my electric blue Samsung Intensity II was on its last legs, dropping most incoming calls).
In the spring of 2012 I downloaded an app called Instagram and posted my first photo—a Magic 8 ball with a black and white filter on it. What a time to be alive.
For the first two weeks of that summer I slept in, watched Project Runway reruns and drove my car to the Dairy Queen in the afternoon to order The Usual: a medium, soft vanilla cup with rainbow sprinkles and M&M’s.
It was a concoction created first for aesthetic purposes—before #foodstagram was a thing—and second for taste, simply because I loved how fun it looked.
By the start of week three, I was feeling restless.
I had a laptop and loved the internet. Fashion blogs were on the rise and the inspiration was endless.
I’d scour BlogLovin’ relentlessly looking for new blogs to follow and check every morning to see if any of my favorite bloggers (Rumi Neely to BryanBoy to Jane Aldridge and Susie Bubble, etc.) had uploaded a new post.
I had grown up reading magazines like Cosmo Girl and Seventeen and to this day old issues still cover most of the floorspace and occupy at least 40% of the closet in my childhood bedroom.
To me, having a blog was like being the editor of your own digital magazine. Only, instead of having a full team, you were the writer, editor, photographer, model and web designer.
I did have a Tumblr in 2011 and early 2012 where I would occasionally upload some of my own outfit photos shot on a self-timer digital camera in my once bright yellow bedroom, but mostly reblog (reshare) other outfits I saw on the platform.
MY blog, I decided, would be a space all my own and I’d focus on sharing my own original content. I secured the domain keepcalmandchiffon.blogspot.com and on June 20th 2012, I published my first ever post.
As I look back, Keep Calm and Chiffon has gone through a few big “eras.” (Yes, I will use any opportunity to make a Taylor Swift reference, one thing that hasn’t changed in 10 years.)
2012-2016: The Personal Blogging era
These were my early blogging years that followed the model of personal blogging that I had seen on other sites: posting a series of photos of a single outfit and writing a paragraph or two to go along with it. I also did my first ever paid collaboration in this era—a blog post in partnership with ASOS.
2016-2020: Online Lifestyle Destination era
While I was working as a magazine editor at Nylon and Interview, I learned how to write in service of an audience. I started publishing more intentional content that was longer than a paragraph (how to’s, guides, roundups) and the magazine influence also led me to expand to additional verticals outside of fashion—first to beauty and then to travel, lifestyle and career.
2020-present: Industry Expert era
During the pandemic, I started learning more about search engine optimization and began to implement SEO practices to my blog. I decided to focus down my blog content to just focus on fashion, beauty and content creation and prioritized writing lengthy, search engine optimized posts to rank in Google and enable me to monetize my site with an ad network.
And that brings us to the present.
MY blog, I decided, would be a space all my own and I’d focus on sharing original content
If you had told me in 2012 I’d not only still have my blog in 2022 but that content creation would be my full-time job, I think little 18-year-old Austen would have just exploded with joy.
She’d also be shocked to hear that she transferred to Barnard, went through two layoffs at magazines, worked at a tech startup, survived a global pandemic and got engaged to the love of her life in Central Park…but I’ll save the details of all of that for my memoir.
As I look back on the last decade, some of my biggest milestones and favorite things I’ve been able to do include:
Going to a Taylor Swift concert at MetLife stadium with ASOS
Launching a YouTube channel in 2017
Attending 8 seasons of New York Fashion Week and see shows like Christian Siriano, Rebecca Minkoff, Staud, Nanushka, Tanya Taylor, and so many more brands I admire
Being published in Nylon, Interview, The Zoe Report, HuffPost, Fashionista, Refinery29, Teen Vogue and more of my favorite publications
Traveling to cities like San Francisco, Dallas, and Cincinnati and provide coverage for hotels on my social media pages
Launching a professional website with a whole branded photoshoot in addition to my blog to display my writing and consulting services
Walking in a fashion show on New York City’s High Line with Sorel
Earning money from working with brands like L’Oreal, Amazon, Walmart, The New York Times, Garnier and more even as a micro-influencer
Building a community of fellow creators on platforms like TikTok and Clubhouse to make the industry more transparent for all influencers
Landing interviews on platforms like Business Insider, Her Campus, and more
Proving to myself and to everyone that I can make it on my own, twice
To celebrate the 10 year milestone, I tapped my friend Jessie who also happens to be the longest contributing photographer to Keep Calm and Chiffon.
Her first contribution was in December 2012 when we decided to do a spontaneous photo shoot session in the art building of Muhlenberg College and she photographed this milestone post where I marked 5 years of blogging, among many, many others.
We rented a studio space in Brooklyn and shot five outfits in total, but I wanted one look in particular to be in celebration of my 10 year blogiversary featuring a particular set of props: balloons, a noise maker and of course, a disco ball.
(Want to host your own photoshoot? Use my Peerspace referral link HERE to get $50 off your first booking!)
To me, the green dress I chose by a brand called Winter Muse represents a classic Austen outfit: fun and fashion-forward, while still prioritizing comfort. I rented it from Nuuly (you can get $10 off of your first Nuuly here.)
I also wrapped one of my mom’s vintage silk scarves around my waist and where I’d normally pair a louder piece with a black or nude shoe to balance it out, I opted for my pink Steve Madden slides.
To be able to hire a photographer, rent a studio space and conceptualize this special shoot truly got me in my feels.
There have been plenty of challenges along the way, but working through them, creating solutions and learning to adapt to this ever-changing digital world has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Whether you’ve been a reader since day one or if you’re new to the fam, I sincerely can’t thank you enough for being here to check out my little corner of the internet.
While other jobs have come and gone, this world that I created for myself has lived on because people find value in it, share it with others, and resonate with my writing and the gratitude I feel for all of you is off the charts.
I hope this also serves as a reminder to celebrate YOUR successes and milestones, no matter how big or small.
Are you one week into your fitness journey? A month into a new relationship? Celebrating six months at a new job? Give yourself permission to acknowledge the journey as much as the destination.
Because one thing’s for sure—even after 10 years, I’m confident that this is just the beginning.
yours,
Austen
Outfit details: Dress from Nuuly, shoes from Steve Madden
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