Fashion Influencer: Blogger Margaret Zhang

Margaret Zhang/Shine by Three

There must be something in the water in Australia as it has churned out some of the most influential—not to mention, addictive—style bloggers on the planet. Think Nicole Warne (aka Gary Pepper Girl), Zanita Whittington (of Zanita Studio), and 22-year-old student Margaret Zhang whose online journal Shine by Three, which she started at 16 to relieve her boredom, has become one of the country’s biggest blogging success stories. Why else do you think Louis Vuitton, Clinique, and Swarovski came knocking? Zhang, who is a regular at New York Fashion Week (when not studying, that is) and whose CV now includes fashion consulting and photography, was recently interviewed by a local current affairs program.

Here’s some intel from the style trailblazer and eye candy from her blog. You’re welcome.

On her personal style…
“I think I dress like a boy; my style is quite eclectic. There is always just that masculine/feminine edge. Like if I’m wearing a blazer, maybe there’s some lace element to make it a little more feminine. I’m not a girly-girl, that’s for sure.”

On her blog…
“It was not what I expected. This was just kind of a me-project, and now it’s become something much bigger. There was no intention of any commercial elements or making any money from it, or even really building an audience. At the time, it was very much just for me.”

On her parents’ fashion confusion…
“I speak Mandarin…my parents won’t speak to me in English. They don’t fully understand what it is I do. I think my dad still thinks that I have a shop…he tells people that I have a store.”

On her success…
“Age is no inhibition to your dreams or your goals. Society tells you that as a young person you need to intern and you can’t really do your own thing, and that you need to be in a degree. It doesn’t need to be that way. There’s really no better time than now to just start your own thing. My parents are super hardworking. I get it from them—being able to work constantly and push myself and be ambitious.”