Taupe-less: Putting it all out there!

Welcome to my blog “Taupe Shop”, a chronicle of all things fashion, beauty, and trend related, infused with my personal must-haves. I want to start off by briefly introducing myself and the inspiration behind my blog.

My name is Francesca Barker and I am originally from Mobile, AL. I attend High Point University in High Point, NC and could not love it more. During my sophomore year, my parents moved to Angola, Africa due to a work assignment given to my dad which leads to the most asked question I have ever gotten: “So where do you go for holidays, breaks, and over the summer?” Thankfully my aunt and uncle live an hour and a half away from High Point in Cary, NC, making it easy for me to go there anytime I need to. For major holidays, I generally meet my parents and brother at a voted upon destination. As for my summers, I have obtained several fashion related internships in locations such as Apex, NC and New York, NY that keep me busy all summer long. Pertaining to this upcoming summer, I will be completing my business degree and minor in marketing from High Point University in May 2015 and have long-term career aspirations in the fashion industry.

As for the inspiration behind my blog, it stems from several small endeavors that have all added up to where I am today. For as long as I can remember I have been tremendously intrigued by fashion. As a ten year old tagging along to my mom’s hair and nail appointments, I do not believe I ever whispered a complaint due to the fact that upon entering the salon I had immediate access to Vogue January-December of that year. After years of gazing at luxury ad after luxury ad, I decided that I wanted to draw some of my own designs. Therefore at age fourteen I began to sketch dresses, purchase fabrics, buttons, and zippers, and ship all of the above, along with my measurements, to my great aunt (a remarkably talented dressmaker who can construct designs without a pattern to follow) in Puerto Rico. She would sew together my designs and send them back to the states, where I would wear them to any semi-fitting occasion (I basically looked for any excuse to wear them). In my room, I constantly had what I called an “outfit board” (which was really just a cork board with magazine cutouts held by a pin) where I would cut out and put together as many outfits from one magazine as I could. However, it was not until college that I realized designing and styling were concepts that were hobbies to me, while marketing became the front runner for what I wanted my career to entail. Therefore I was persistent in attaining internships during my college summers that would allow me to combine the two. I am proud to say that I have worked for several fashion companies including a small retail shop, a designer showroom, a handbag company, and a jewelry company. All of which have contributed to my knowledge of fashion and the industry.

My blog, “Taupe Shop”, was named after my adoration of neutral colors (taupe being towards the top of the list) and love for apparel and accessories (hence the store name Top Shop arose). It will feature posts containing some of my favorite outfits, fashion inspirations, and more. Next weeks post will feature the details behind the outfit pictured. I welcome your feedback pertaining to likes, dislikes, and any other comments you may have!