Clutching a bright blue tote and wearing a vibrant yellow sweater, Chloe Lee ’17 leans against the railing on the steps of the Addison Gallery of American Art. Lee walks down the stairs a few moments later with her pale pink Converse crunching the snow beneath. Trailing behind her is Julia Beckwith ’17, Lee’s friend, who quickly snaps photos of Lee moving from pose to pose. Later that night, Lee uploads the shots of her wearing the colorful ensemble, complete with cityscape printed leggings and a fuzzy, navy blue sweater, onto her fashion blog, “Cachet de Chloé.”
“Blogging is a platform where I can write whatever I want, dress however I want to and give others tips at the same time. I have developed my own voice and sense of style through blogging, and I love it,” said Lee.
Lee’s blog documents her personal style which she describes as both classic and adventurous, a mix of both her mom’s and aunt’s styles.
“[My style] kind of ranges. Sometimes I’ll be really edgy and I’ll wear an ear cuff, or sometimes I’ll be super sophisticated and wear a tulle skirt,” Lee said, “My aunt and I have very similar styles because my mom’s very sophisticated in her dressing. She doesn’t really like to take that many risks, but my aunt will wear really cool things or do things that people would never really expect her to do.”
Lee felt inspired to start her blog two years ago while flipping through the pages of “Teen Vogue” magazine.
“I was looking through ‘Teen Vogue,’ and I saw these two pages that were just covered with these cool bloggers that they featured. It never crossed my mind that I would become a fashion blogger, but then, when I saw [the bloggers in ‘Teen Vogue’] and that they had completely unique styles, I was like, ‘This is so cool. I’m already interested. What if I started one myself?’” said Lee.
Lee is now recognized by “Teen Vogue” on “Fashion Click,” “Teen Vogue’s” online network for bloggers around the world. “Cachet de Chloé” once even made its way up to the number three spot on “Fashion Click’s” Top 100 Bloggers List.
“I had originally started [my blog] up as a hobby, hoping for a few readers to look on and get some tips. It was very casual, so when I saw the ‘Teen Vogue’ ranking, it was surreal. I was in shock. It was just weird to think that someone was looking at my blog because of the ranking – perhaps thinking about starting a blog of their own… It made me feel like I was actually inspiring young teens,” said Lee.
In addition to chronicling her own style, Lee devotes a section on the blog called “Eyes on Them” to the clothing and style of other students on campus.
“I started ‘Eyes on Them’ because I wanted to incorporate other kinds of styles – male and female. I wanted to branch out, so I took advantage of the fact that I went to boarding school and started to scout out stylish students,” said Lee.
Lee experimented with different blog names, considering “Curating avec Chloé,” “Béret de Luxe” and “Coco by Coco Leigh,” before deciding on “Cachet de Chloé.”
“I had been brainstorming [names] for weeks. I have always wanted a name with some sort of French affiliation because I have been immersed in the culture ever since I was very little, and [‘Cachet de Chloé’] rhymes,” said Lee, “Choosing a name is very hard because it has to be pithy, memorable and unique. The spelling of all of the words have to look good together without spaces, because that is how people will look at it when it’s in a URL form.”
In addition to being challenged when picking a name for her blog, Lee also struggles to find time for blogging.
“There is not much time in the day to hone many interests, so I really have to try and make time for blogging. I have to be in a good outfit, my photographer has to be available and the lighting needs to be decent. There are a lot of factors that go into planning a post. The background is also important!” said Lee.
Despite all of the demands that come with blogging, Lee’s love of fashion inspires her to continue the blog.
“Fashion is a way to express yourself… What you’re wearing… is kind of a way to either express your mood or feelings without putting it into words,” said Lee.
