#STYLISHPITTSBURGH // MEET KIM SMITH

Photo thanks to Lindsey Thompson  www.ElectricLimeStudios.com

Kim is the girl behind fashion blog, Life on a Dot, where she shares her fantastic quirky style and encourages readers to experiment with their own style and be confident and comfortable in their own skin.  She’s been calling Pittsburgh home for 10 years now, so I was interested to hear what she had to say about Pittsburgh and its style.

I love that she touches on the sense of pride that Pittsburghers have for their city, and the thriving creative community and start up business that are contributing to the city’s unique culture, as I believe these play a huge roll in making Pittsburgh a great place to live!

Scroll down to read the whole interview!

Tell me a little about your blog and what inspired you to start it and what motivates you to blog?

I have always loved using fashion and style as an outlet for self-expression! My style changes with the seasons and after years of my friends and family saying “start a blog, I’d totally read it”, I decided to give a go. 

 At the end of the day, Life on a Dot is so much more to me than showing people what I wear and where I got it. I want to inspire others to take style risks, express themselves, be comfortable in their own skin, and hug a lot.

Your blog has only been running for 6 months, but it looks so professional! You clearly know what you’re doing.  What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting one?

Thank you! I am a full-time graphic designer and digital marketer by day and a blogger by night, so it doesn’t hurt to have those skill sets under my belt. I am also lucky enough to have supportive and talented friends to bounce ideas off of. My life-long best friend Lindsey, of Electric Lime Studios, has been a tremendous asset in regards to the photography. She takes most of my outfit photos for the blog and I couldn’t do it without her.

As someone who is just starting out in the blogging world, I still have so much to learn myself. My advice for someone who is just starting out is to put your best foot forward from the very start. Keep it focused, spring for your own domain name, choose a blog template that works WITH your goals, create a content calendar (the BIGGEST challenge for me), only put out content you’re proud of, and hit up all the free webinars on blogging and social media!

How long have you been living in Pittsburgh and what do you think makes it a great city to live in?

I grew up about an hour north of Pittsburgh, but have been calling this city home for about 10 years! I have fallen in and out of love with Pittsburgh so many times that it could easily be considered my most complicated relationship. Pittsburgh is thriving with creativity, start-ups, and a unique culture that I haven’t experienced in other cities. There is never a lack of things to do, new restaurants or bars to try, and there are always cute boutiques popping up around town. There is such a strong sense of pride that Pittsburghers have, even if we don’t agree on anything else we can all agree that we love this city!

What do you think to Pittsburgh’s fashion scene and how would you describe the Pittsburgh style?

Pittsburgh’s fashion scene has come a long way in the past few years! I am noticing now more than ever that there is finally an excitement surrounding personal style. I think the fashion scene here really revolves around simple, put together, casual style. We’re not a city that puts a ton of value on high-end brands for everyday, but you’ll see a lot of classic staples for exploring this great city!
I used to joke that Pittsburgh was about 10 years behind the current trends, but I truly don’t feel that is the case anymore. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still see some interesting outfits out and about, but that really is the beauty of this city. We’re not overly materialistic.

Where are your go to places when you’re shopping for clothes? Do you tend to shop in malls or are there a selection of local boutiques that you head to again and again?

I do a lot of shopping on ModCloth.com! Most of the items in my closet are from them. What is super cool to me about ModCloth is that they actually originated here in Pittsburgh! I am also a huge advocate of shopping local, some of my favorite boutiques are No. 14 Boutique, Wildcard, and Three Rivers Vintage.

How would you describe your own style and what or who inspires you?

My personal style can be a little all over the place. I choose a lot of pieces based on how I am feelings that day. Sometimes I’ll be dressed in 1940s and 1950s vintage finds and other times I’ll rock a plain tee, ripped denim and a pair of converse. Sometimes my outfits are incredibly colorful and other days I will wear all black everything. For me style is a form of self-expression, so I don’t really set limits to what I’ll wear…if I like it, I am wearin’ it!

I literally want to buy every single thing that Zooey Deschanel owns. She has my dream closet!

What’s your most treasured item in your closet?

I am currently in the midst of a total closet overhaul! I have a lot of pieces that have seen better days that I am holding onto, so picking just one item is SO hard. I am currently pretty sweet on this vintage rainbow crop top! As soon as I saw it, I knew it was meant to be mine. However, I do have this Queen t-shirt that I bought in 2005 while vacationing in Myrtle Beach. It has been worn to death, but I just can’t part with it. It its the ONE item that I always fall back on when I don’t know what to wear.

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If you’d like to check out the other stylish Pittsburghers I’ve interviewed, and find out more about #stylishpittsburgh campaign then head over here!

And if you'd like to be featured, or know someone who you think deserves to be featured, get in touch!!