When did you start renting/lending from Style Lend and why?
I started renting/lending from Style Lend last summer (2014) and have been obsessed with it ever since. As a blogger, I absolutely love the concept of renting designer RTW pieces for those more laid back events and blog photos. It makes the idea of playing dress up more mature and realistic to participate in for someone blogging as a business.
Shopping habits (do you shop online, flash sales, in person, etc.)
With my crazy schedule, shopping online is 10x easier but I do get hesitant from buying outside my brand comfort zone – the sites I know will fit. If they don’t offer free returns, I usually abandon my shopping cart. In person I feel more comfortable trying the pieces on, but styles are limited and practically everyone’s my size.. Basically shopping for me is either a hit or miss, depending on the day, time and place I decide to shop.
Favorite brands/designers and why?
Retailers: Asos, Nasty Gal, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Top Shop, H&M, Club Monaco
Designers: Coach, Rebecca Minkoff, James Perse, Elizabeth & James, Vince
I love all these brands/designers because they best describe my style every season of the year, as well as stay reliable with sizing and pricing. I know what to expect when shopping from each of them and rarely disappointed in my picks (other than the occasional buyer’s remorse..)
What are your favorite things to do in NYC?
Brunching, without a doubt. It’s borderline a religious activity on both Saturday and Sunday where you get to indulge without criticism and people watch all at the same time. I honestly feel I understand the city I call home much better on weekends and fall in love with it all over again.
Can you tell us a little blurb about your background, job, and how long you’ve lived here?
I started my blog To Be Bright in January 2013 as a junior year in college with hopes to score a coveted fashion/retail public relations internship in NYC. As someone who was born and raised in NJ, the Big Apple is practically my second home and where I felt the most independent and secure while still having the comfort of home nearby. The goal was to get that internship that would lead to a job where I could secure that location of freedom & family – TBB would be the place where I show a little more about myself and my personality in a visual form, something a paper resume could never do.
I rode horses my entire life, competing nationally up and down the east coast since age 10 at a serious & competitive level. The University of South Carolina recruited me my senior year of high school to compete on its Division I NCAA Equestrian Team, which I did for the first two years of my college career. Fashion was always an interest but something I could never “get into” because I didn’t have the time for it. However, I made sure to always dress for class and took a lot of pride in the pieces I owned and kept in my closet.
When I resigned my position on the team to pursue other interests, I got involved blogging and soon becoming the online editor and PR director of our student magazine. It was then where I discovered my love for writing/sharing content as well as using social media to the best of my ability for a business, so to speak.
So launching TBB was originally to share the work I did for the magazine, but it soon became the platform of my style and shopping habits. When I saw such a strong and positive feedback to my fashion-related posts, I decided to focus a bit more on that. It wasn’t until I was being asked to feature products and share my opinion on a broader spectrum that I realized I could make this a real business. Two and a half years later, To Be Bright is a fully-focused life & style blog that came to be in the most organic way possible – I couldn’t be happier with the direction my passion has taken me and I cant wait to see what the future holds for it.
Any little quirks?
Superstitious and I blame my dad for this one in the most appreciative way possible. He always made me think in an optimistic manner, work hard for the things I desire and stay hungry. That being said, he would consider certain moments and things to be considered “lucky” and to act upon them when appropriate to encourage a positive mindset. So if I catch the clock at 11:11 or see a penny heads up, a wish will be made and a coin will be picked up and pocketed. I also have a small habit of checking my zodiac app every morning, just to mentally prepare what may or may not happen to me that day…because you never really know.
What do you love most about being an influencer?
What I love most about being an influencer is the ability to help someone out with a dilemma, in the form of clothing or by a change of perspective. When someone comes up to me and compliments my blog or tells me that it’s helped her in some way, it makes me so happy to know what I’m putting out there is bettering another person. At the end of the day, that’s what I want my blog’s presence to represent.
How would you describe your style?
Transitional – as I’ve grown and documented my fashion timeline for the past two years, my style has been a direct reflection of who & where I am during that time in my life. Since college and moving into NYC, my style has become more structured, minimalistic yet thought-provoking enough to take a second glance, and thrifty nonetheless. I score at sample sales, online sales and discounted stores & consignment shops to balance the budget I need to stick to and the appearance I want to maintain. In a year from now, my style might be completely different in the way I shop and share but for right now, it’s representing the very place I’m in with my real life.
One thing that would be your “dream item” to rent on Style Lend?
Probably anything Chanel (duh) but honestly, a nice Louis Vuitton tote would be fun to carry around for a hot second – it’s been a secret wish of mine to get but I’m being patient with my indulging, for now.
Why do you like the concept of renting vs. buying?
Renting is great because it’s an “in the moment” action that can satisfy a luxury need – like an event or photo – while not having to commit to the price and redeem the “payoff.” For someone on a strict budget but looking to expand her designer reach, Style Lend is the perfect platform for me to push my blog in the direction it needs to go without having to pay for the consequences, no pun intended, of sacrificing bills over a moment of style.
We had a blast getting to know Tilden and we thank her for letting us come over. Love her style? check out her blog To Be Bright or some of her favorite items at Stylelend.com or download our app.
The StyleLend Insider 