Encompassing fashion, lifestyle, travel, and home decor through, Damsel in Dior, Jacey Dupree, the adorable blonde behind the hit blog, chats about her journey to becoming one of today’s bloggers du moment.
Why did you start your blog?
I started out as a journalism major at DePaul University. I worked for NBC and Oprah Winfrey in Chicago and then eventually moved to LA where I worked for E! I thought I’d get into entertainment news because traditional news wasn’t fulfilling or making me happy, so for quite some time I worked in the whole corporate America game. Every day when I’d go to work people would ask me what I was wearing—I actually looked forward to getting dressed for work more so than actually going to work! Also I grew up in a really small town in South Texas, where working in the fashion industry wasn’t an option. No one did it, no one talked about it…I didn’t even know what an editor was. I didn’t know what that would mean but I started my blog back when Fashion Toast was becoming huge and WhoWhatWear was killing it (they still are). I had no idea you could make money doing it, I just started doing it for fun. After about a year of just having this blog that my peers would go check, I left E! News and was in pursuit of a new job. I thought it would be a good idea to build myself a resume website so I’d have all of my work when applying to jobs in one place. Looking for a job, by the way, is a full time job. When I built this website, I was also taking classes on graphics and Photoshop because I got really into it. I’m kind of a computer nerd. I wrote to all of my friends and shared the link and they were like ‘Oh my god did you make that? Can you make one for me?’ So I started building websites for my friends and started charging small fees, but it kept me afloat during this unemployment stint. I was also working more on my blog because I was learning how to make it look pretty. Eventually, the blog started to slowly get more readers and I dedicated more time to it. My husband and I were on our honeymoon and one of the pictures I took got featured, which brought in a new slew of readership. A month later it also got featured in a PopSugar ad for Levi’s, which was my first paid gig. Things just started to happen and I was like, maybe I could do this…I’ve been doing it full-blown ever since for the past three years. I haven’t looked back since.
Where did you come up with the name?
My husband did! He’s really good with names. We knew it needed to be something a little witty. Having no idea what it would turn into, we thought it was catchy and never dreamed that I would even be going to a Dior show.
You seem to travel a lot!
Really? I feel like everyone is. I guess I have the travel bug. But it’s predominantly business related…about 90%. I’ve been working a lot with hotel groups this summer because everyone’s looking to go somewhere. Hotel groups will invite me to come out and try their new renovated hotel and write a review about it, or a brand will want their product shot at a particular place. I just went to Tulum, Mexico with Solodus because they wanted their shoes shot on the beautiful beach. How could you not be stoked to be able to go somewhere and take pictures of beautiful clothes! I’m still shocked I’m able to do it.
How do you describe your style?
I think it’s pretty girly and playful but hopefully with a bit of edge to it and, very transitional!
What are your three summer essentials?
White. I am obsessed with anything white; white shoes, white dresses, you name it. I also think a good nude lip is great. I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup during the summer, so I’m all about a light powder and a light lip…not about that pop of red right now! Lastly, a fun clutch! I’ve been carrying around this Olympia Le Tan New York book clutch and I think it’s so fun. Summer should be a fun time to pop out a wild accessory. Statement clutches are having a moment!
Are you big on Snapchat?
Ha, yes! I’m really, really into it. I didn’t snap for two days because I was sick and I just snapped last night and I got a really wonderful response from my followers like, ‘Yay, she’s back!’ I was initially very nervous about the way it would be received, but I just started doing it without the thought or idea that anyone was watching and I’ve just continued with that mentality. It’s been slowly growing into being my strongest platform. I think readers like Snapchat because it’s very unfiltered, unedited, in the moment, and you can’t fake it. They see the side of me that I’m a normal girl who drops F’ bombs and gets wasted on a Wednesday night.
How did you become such good friends with Catt Sadler at E! Entertainment?
We met at E! News about eight years ago. I was the assistant to the executive producer of The Daily 10 show, and I walked in on my first day and I started introducing myself to everyone. I walked up to Catt Sadler and I said ‘What do you do here?’ And she was like, ‘I’m the host of the show!’ We became best friends ever since. She’s an incredible, positive, funny, human being who I just adore. We travel a lot together as well, which is fun.
What’s your ultimate career goal?
If I could just continue doing this everyday I’d be very, very happy. I’d like to grow the brand. We’re trying to push it more into a website, not just a personal style blog. We want to introduce new categories on the site. We’ll be doing this interior project in the fall, which will allow that category to strengthen. I’m also working with a brand on a clothing capsule collection, which is fun. I think the pipe dream of all of this would be to either work as an editor-at-large or ambassador for a magazine or brand. It’s wonderful to do that for my blog, but to earn that respect amongst the larger umbrella of the fashion industry would be absolutely incredible.
PLUS! Jacey’s Five Tips For Aspiring Bloggers…
1. Start a blog! Some people just talk about doing it and they never actually do. It’s the hardest part.
2. Make all of your names consistent. If you’re Damsel In Dior, be that on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc so it’s easy for people to find you.
3. Be consistent with your theme. On Instagram, stay consistent with the filters that you use, and be consistent with time of day you post your blog, and how often you post. You’d be surprised how important that is. I tend to post my blog everyday at 5AM New York time so that they have something to wake up to, and I post 6-8 Instagrams a day.
4. Don’t sell out no matter what! If a brand approaches you and you’ve never worn it before, don’t sell out because people will be able to sniff that out and they won’t be able to trust your word.
5. Have fun! This is a fun job. Obviously, it can be time consuming, stressful and frustrating, but it really is fun, and we’re lucky to be able to do that, so keep it in check and don’t be a diva!
