DLD Fashion: Meet Abby of All Dolled Up!

This lovely lady is Abby Doll of the fabulous fashion blog, All Dolled Up. We are ever so thrilled to be teaming up with Abby to bring you helpful & hip fashion posts here on DLD. Have you ever had an event to attend and you're not sure what to wear? Or maybe you've wanted to put together a fab outfit for a night out with the girls or a date on the town with your man, but you haven't known where to start... well that's where Abby comes in! She's a highly qualified fashion expert that knows how to make you look fantastic without breaking the bank! We love that her taste & style look so expensive, but that in reality the pieces are things most any of us can afford! She's a superstar & we're so excited to be working with her! We'll be featuring outfits that Abby puts together specifically for our readers, so feel free to contact us to let us know what kind of outfit inspiration you need! Now, read on for an interview with Abby-- there's some great advice you won't want to miss!

Q: What has been your favorite fashion-related job?A: I love the challenges and leadership responsibilities of my current job with Macy's, but I would have to say that my very favorite fashion-related job was when I was the Senior Footwear and Handbag Buyer at Sundance Catalog.  Not only did I have the chance to travel all over the country to attend market to buy goods and seek out new artists, but I also had the opportunity to work with vendors all over the world to design and develop my own shoes and handbags for the catalog as well.  It was a pretty darn fun gig and inspired me to hopefully have my own handbag line one day.Q: What are your staple wardrobe pieces?A: My first staple would have to be a black blazer.  It's the perfect piece for work, a night on the town, lunch with the girls-you can really make a piece like this work for just about any occasion.  Next on my list would be a comfy pair of pumps.  And I recommend always having a go-to neutral and black pair your closet.  Third would be a classic black leather handbag.  And last but not least, a great pair of rhinestone or pearl stud earrings (or diamonds if you're lucky!).Q: When selecting an outfit, do you have a particular format or piece you start with?A: I definitely love to build outfits around specific pieces.  If I have a new pair of shoes, or a fantastic statement necklace, you can most definitely be sure that I am building outfits around my "it" item of the moment.  But if I had to say, more often than not, my outfits tend to be inspired by my shoes or a handbag.Q: How long have you worked in the fashion industry?A: I have worked in the Fashion Industry since 2004, so for about 9 years now.  My first gig was as an Assistant Buyer at a small boutique and I have worked hard to move my way up into an Executive level position from there.  It's still crazy to me that I have been able to make it work in Salt Lake City of all places.  Makes me feel pretty blessed that I get to do what I love everyday in a city that I adore. Q: What is your advice for those that feel they don't have any fashion sense?A: I think the best advice that I can give is knowing how to dress your body.  To me, fashion isn't about what labels you are wearing, or getting exactly every trend just right. I prefer to think of fashion as an amazing tool that we can use to feel good about ourselves, share our creativity, and build our confidence as women.  I say this on my blog a lot, but one of the things I really love about what is happening in fashion right now is that pretty much anything goes.  So if there is something you love, then you should rock it with confidence!! I started my blog because I don't think fashion is something that we should be afraid of or intimidated by, but rather something that we should all embrace and use to elevate our self-esteem!Q: What's the biggest fashion faux-paus you've seen?A: I'm going to have to go with the Canadian Tuxedo for that one.   And for those of you who have never seen one, that's a denim shirt, jacket, and jeans in the same wash all worn together at the same time.  Awesome!!Q:  What element of fashion is your favorite?A: That is a really tough one, but I would have to say handbags.  They are my weakness and my fashion true love.Q: Do you have an overall favorite outfit?A: You really learn a lot about yourself when you start chronicling your daily outfits.  And I mean a lot.  But one thing that I have come to realize is that I am pretty darn boring when it comes to getting dressed in the morning.  And while writing All Dolled Up has been a great way for me to push myself outside of my comfort zone, experiment, and change up my looks more frequently, I still find myself constantly gravitating towards my favorite skinnies, a buttondown shirt, a pair of pumps, and the same simple jewelry.  What can I say?  I am a creature of habit.Q: Where is your favorite place to shop?A: I am a HUGE fan of Macy's (and not just because I work there!), JCrew, JCrew Factory, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Forever21, H&M, American Eagle, and Express.Q: Recommendations for online shopping & how to do you do it right?A: Because I work in the fashion industry as a buyer and know what things really cost, I have a hard time paying full price for anything.  In fact, I pride myself on being a bargain hunter.  To me nothing is better than the thrill of the chase and the challenge of finding a good deal. That said, I am beyond obsessed with froogle.com (Google's shopping search engine).  You can look up any item you are on the hunt for by store and then sort by price from lowest to highest.  For example, if you were looking for a Michael Kors watch, you would just type that into the search engine and then be able see all of the different stores that carry it and their current pricing. Froogle has saved me so much money over the years.  It's the best.  eBay is another great way to save money on high end items like handbags and boots.  Just be sure you buy from a reputable seller with a significant amount of positive feedback, some sort of return policy, and an authenticity guarantee.  I also steer clear of the ones that are shipping direct from China when buying name brand goods.