the soubrette brunette: Blogger Interview: Liana from Finding Femme

Happy April 1st! I took a brief hiatus from my blogger interview series, but it's back this month! Today's Q&A is with the lovely Liana from Finding Femme. Liana is a multi-talented, elegant & stylish gal from Australia, and I'm thrilled that she's agreed to share some facts about herself (as well as her beautiful blog photos) this morning. Get to know more about Liana below and be sure to visit her blog!

Name: Liana Skewes

Age: 28

Where you blog: I'm over on Finding Femme. I blog a weekly fashion outfit, usually in a classic fashion style. I also write poetry and talk about things that I find interesting or thought-provoking.

How did you get into blogging? I started in 2006 and initially it was a little bit of clothes, things I liked, beautiful things I saw and events I went to. It was a fun way for me to explore photography and to indulge in creative writing, which I don't do enough. Eventually, my interest in clothes and photography, and my desire to write, became what my blog is today. It was a big thing to commit to posting one series of outfit photos each week, but I've been doing that for a year now and it's become part of my routine.

Where you work or what you study in school: I both work and study. I work at a University in a department that develops and runs academic support programs for undergraduate students. My role includes some diverse stuff like social media and web editing, marketing, photography, content development, and doing fun things with data and spreadsheets. I can go from corporate meetings to walking around the campus in a Wonder Woman cape. It's an amazing job. I also study on top of that. I'm doing a Bachelor of Arts with subjects in literature and history. It's dense stuff. I've had the pleasure of studying everything from Harry Potter and Game of Thrones to fairy tales. The most life changing thing I have studied was a unit on the Holocaust. That unit put my life into perspective and is the context which I use view the world around me.

What's your dream job? An author. It was one of my passions growing up and I don't give myself enough time to work on it now. I try to make up for that during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) though.

Your favorite musician, singer or band: This changes month to month. Electric Mary are my favourite band. Lianne La Havas is probably my favourite singer and songwriter. I also love Phox, La Roux, The D, Kimbra, Taylor Swift, Marina and the Diamonds, Christine and the Queens, Francoise Hardy, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Clairy Browne and the Bangin Rackettes.

Your favorite musical: The Slipper and the Rose, and then Chicago. If you haven't seen The Slipper and the Rose before, you need to check it out. It's a Cinderella story musical and was nominated for an Oscar for best original score.

Favorite book (from childhood or now): Harry Potter. Nothing has ever transported me like these books did.

Your favorite movie? Children of Men

And your favorite Disney movie? Treasure Planet

Your favorite guilty pleasure? This is a tough one. I don't feel guilty about anything I indulge in, so how about a favourite indulgence? Gin. Or Nintendo 64.

What's your favorite season and why? Autumn. Autumn is like the whole world is at peace. It's still mildly warm, the trees turn electric with their colours, the light becomes golden at the end of the day. It's the most romantic season.

What's one thing that most people might not know about you? I have a black belt in Karate. I fell out of training about a year after getting to that level and I want to get back into it. While I was training, I competed in some national competitions doing martial arts demonstrations and have some trophies as tall as I am. I miss it a lot. It used to be my whole life.

Favorite TV show or fictional character with whom you identify: Anne Elliot in Persuasion by Jane Austen.

Drink of choice: Tea. Specifically the Earl Grey by La Maison du Thé.

Favorite food in the world: Tough choice between fresh homemade pasta, scallops, doughnuts, cookies or hot crossed buns.

Do you have a celebrity crush? Jamie Beck the fashion photographer/stylist. I die. Also, Sigourney Weaver.

Which actress would play you in a movie version of your life? Carey Mulligan.

Your favorite place to shop, favorite clothing brand or favorite designer: Miss Patina or Review Australia. I also daily check the Modcloth app for new arrivals.

What's the most beloved article of clothing you own? A houndstooth cape I had made. I haven't blogged it yet, though. Or the Doc Martens I inherited from my sister when she died. I'm always reminded when I wear them that we had the same size feet. It's little things like that that make me miss her.

If you could live during any other time period, what would it be? A long time ago, but in a galaxy far, far away.

Do you have a style icon? If so, who? Jamie Beck, Nigella Lawson, Taylor Swift, Emma Watson.

How would you describe your personal style? Classic. I love having clothes that will look beautiful in ten years, not just for the season. I try not to take my own style too seriously, to give myself room to play and have fun.

Do you have a favorite fashion mantra or piece of style advice? It used to be "beauty is pain." I've learned a few things since then. The most important of which is, buy clothes to fit you now, not the shape or size you want to me. Your clothes shouldn't remind you of your inadequacies, they should remind you that you should love your body as it is.

Go-to accessory? Hat. Cloche or beret. Easiest way to fix bad hair is to hide it.

What are some other blogs that you love? THIS ONE ERMAHGHERD. Also... The Carnabetian Army, Pandora, The Clothes Horse, Buddle and Squeak. There are many many more...

What's been your favorite post from your blog so far (or favorite outfit you've worn)?

I am pretty fickle when it comes to favourite blog posts. I was made sharply aware of this fact when I tried to compile a list of my best outfits of 2014 (it's an awesome blog post with moving pictures. You can find it here!). Anyway, I have a new favourite every few weeks. That being said, my current absolute favourite is the tulle skirt outfit I did at the end of March (which you can find here). I love my fading rose gold hair, I love the skirt, and the lighting we had to do the photos was awesome.

If you could wear only one outfit every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? I don't think I can answer this. It makes me sad just thinking about it. It's like being told you'll only have porridge forever. You might like porridge more than anything, but when you have to have it every meal, nobody likes it.

Anything else you'd like to talk about? I'm a die-hard lover of the old fashioned letter. If you love letter writing, you can start with a pen pal the old fashioned way. There's an amazing organisation called the International Geek Girl Pen Pal Club. You sign up and they pair you with another geek girl with similar interests. Check out the website for more details.

Thanks so much again to Liana for being a part of my interview series! If you're interested in being considered for this Q&A series, feel free to e-mail me so I can check out your blog and see if you'd be a good fit!

Have a great day!

xox Sammi

PS: I also have some exciting news to announce! Tune in to my Instagram later today to get the scoop, or check back here tomorrow for more details! :)