Blogger Spotlight! Blair Eadie of Atlantic Pacific

Since starting her blog Atlantic-Pacific almost five years ago, Blair Eadie has balanced a full-time job while simultaneously capturing the true essence of east to west coast dressing on her site. From moving from Cali to the big apple and working at Tory Burch to her latest collabs and more, the in-demand blogger dished to us about the evolution of her career in fashion.

Tell us about your blog!
I started my blog a little over five years ago when I was working at Gap Corporate. It was kind of back in the day when most blogs were still in that street-style layout, like The Satorialist and what not, and personal style bloggers were starting to gain traction. Working at a brand, we create concepts for each season and there was this slow shift of art design and merchandising teams looking at editorial magazines to focusing on these street style and personal style bloggers. I thought it was so cool that there were people out there who didn’t necessarily work in fashion but were helping to shape trends, and I wanted to be a part of it. So five years ago I asked my then-boyfriend, Andrew [Powell], and now fiancée (he’s the VP of Gilt Man) to take pictures everyday of what I was wearing, and that’s how Atlantic-Pacific was born!

How did you come up with the title?
I’m from the east coast; I was born outside of Washington D.C. but my dad was in the military so we moved around quite a bit when I was younger. I lived in Florida several times and then actually ended up there for college at the University of Florida. When I started my blog, I was working at Gap’s headquarters on the west coast, so I wanted the name to show east coast meets west coast style.

Have you noticed a shift in how you dress from switching coasts?
It’s funny because there’s not one thing that I can point to and say why that has changed, but I think it’s a lot of different things. First, to be honest, it’s getting older and just changing the way that I dress as I age. Also, moving from San Francisco, which is a much more casual city in general, to New York where you can pretty much wear whatever you want, changed things. Plus, there are true seasons in New York, and I love that! It was extremely hard being on the west coast and trying to participate in all these fun summer and winter trends when you truly don’t have a summer or winter there, so that’s has been a nice shift and has definitely helped my style evolve.

Why did you move here in the first place?
My boyfriend and I were both working in fashion and there were limited opportunities in San Francisco, so we both sort of knew the move would happen. Plus, both of our families are here, and he ended up getting the job at Gilt. At the time of our move I didn’t have a formal job offer, but soon after, I started working at Tory Burch.

Are you still working at Tory?
Yes! I am the director of merchandising for handbags and small leather goods. It’s a really cool job. I work very closely with the design team and product development team, as well as the buyers for the product. It’s really a dynamic company, but also merchandising specifically is a really dynamic job. Any one day looks totally different than the other, which is why the job is so exciting, but it’s definitely a balance between the left and right brain.

What made you want to continue with a 9-5 job versus going full time as a blogger like a lot of others are doing in the business?
My true passion lies in merchandising. While you’re definitely creating something through a blog by creating a point of view through style, photography, and sometimes even video content and collaborating with brands, I’m really passionate about creating true, tangible products and servicing the customer. Blogging can be a little isolated unless you make the personal choice to hire a team or interns. I like going into a company with creative, like-minded people.

How do you have time to take pictures?
What I post is truly what I wear to work and on the weekends, so we can quickly take pictures and then I edit them at night. I have had a really nice balance in the sense that my blog is organic to my everyday life so I can still run it and have a 9-5 that can be demanding.

Where are some of your favorite spots in New York to shoot?
I think living in the West Village makes it so easy to shoot because there are so many cute, quaint streets, like Bedford Street and Perry Street. It’s also fun to think outside of the box. Some days I’ll wake up really early and will go shoot in a location that’s really, really busy but shoot early enough that there’s not a ton of people like at the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, and this really cool wall in Brooklyn that is covered in huge rainbow graffiti. I was actually laughing because Eva Chen just started the Instagram account @photogenicwalls which is cool.

How do you describe your style?
I tend to lean towards things that are colorful. I love prints, but I think that at the end of the day, the one word that I would use to clearly define my style would be feminine. Whether I’m wearing an outfit that’s more denim and casual or I’m wearing a dress, I always want there to be an undertone of feminine and pretty.

What are you looking forward to this summer?
I have a few upcoming shoots. I just did a great one for David Yurman that Andrew shot in Central Park, which just went live. I have some other brand collaborations that are also in the works. We’re here for the summer and feel lucky because Andrew’s parents have a place up in Connecticut on a lake. We’re looking forward to popping up there!

PLUS! Blair’s Five Tips For Aspiring Bloggers:
1) Definitely distinguish in the beginning what your point of view is. There are so many blogs out there, so figure out what you bring to the table and what you can offer your audience that someone else can’t.

2) Have a strategy! Write down what you want to accomplish and how you’re going to do it.

3) Be patient. That’s probably the hardest one, but it does take time to develop an audience no matter who you are or what your content is.

4) If there’s anything on your blog that has to do with photography, make sure they’re great! Look online for tips and tricks because they make such a difference.

5) Network and reach out to those who you admire and aspire to by getting advice!