I HONESTLY THINK September 2014 | Page 40

DANIELLA ROBINS

OF

LELLAVICTORIA

Fashion blogger Daniella Robins, the creator behind 'LellaVictoria', talks about life with M.E. as well as the inspiration behind her unique and effortlessly stylish ensembles.

How does M.E affect you?

M.E has and continues to affect my life in lots of different ways. There are so many symptoms; some that you get used to and some that you don't. It can be very unpredictable, never really knowing how you're going to wake up feeling from one day to the next, which makes things like appointments very tricky. I find it's best to say yes and just hope for the best. M.E is very misunderstood and is often an invisible illness which many people struggle to accept especially amongst professionals. I definitely feel that there is still a long way to go in terms of learning and the acceptance of this illness. Like others who suffer from M.E, I'm sure it can affect me when I'm out and about because I look fine and therefore treated like I am fine, which is okay as I expect that, but if I'm in a position where I need to mention it, I have at times been instantly faced with judgmental attitudes and that never seems to become easier. However, as difficult as M.E can be, it has led me to where I am now and I can't really complain about that. It's forced me to take a different direction to most people but I have come to accept this as it has taught me a lot of life lessons and has helped me to grow mentally and spiritually in ways which I would not have if I didn't suffer with M.E.

Has fashion always been a passion of yours?

I don't know if I can say that fashion has always been a passion of mine but personal style has always been a big part of who I am. Ever since I can remember I've been opinionated about what I've wanted to wear.

How do you feel about bloggers that constantly wear gifted items and write sponsored posts?

I have a tendency to look at things from all angles. Firstly, each to their own; if that's what they want to do then that's their prerogative. I think it's kind of unfair that it always seems to be the bloggers that get the bad rep for doing this. Rarely do I hear of a brand being pulled up for just giving away clothes regardless to whether the blogger is fitting to their brand identity! It takes two to collaborate. For me personally, it's not something I'm striving for. I've collaborated with brands and designers and a couple of times I have written sponsored posts but it's important to me that I relate to the brand. I have to look at the clothes and think yes, I would love to wear that regardless to whether I was collaborating or not. It has to feel authentic to me otherwise I'd be terrified of eventually not knowing who I was or what my style represents.

whether I was collaborating or not. It has to feel authentic to me otherwise I'd be terrified of eventually not knowing who I was or what my style represents.

What inspired you to create ‘LellaVictoria’? Was there anything in particular that made you start blogging?

LellaVictoria came about very naturally. First I kept an outfit diary, just taking photos of my looks and then I found Lookbook.nu and after uploading on there for a while, I felt the next step was to start a blog. I had always been put off before that because I knew to make a blog somewhat successful it would take a lot of time and dedication but I'm glad I did it.

What positive experiences have you experienced though blogging and the blogging community?

Positive experiences definitely seem to exceed my negative ones. Meeting people through blogging and being able to connect with people from all over the world is a pretty amazing experience. I just love that clothes, fashion and style can bring you together with people that I wouldn't of met otherwise. Another big positive was being approached by Creators of Desire after only a few months of blogging, it was very reassuring and it meant a lot that Anouk (the main lady behind Creators of Desire) could see potential in me.

Conversely, what negative experiences have you experienced though blogging and the blogging community?

There is nothing more deflating than when you are faced with meeting a fellow blogger who's style you admire and who's blog you follow and then they come across just...rude! It's like, ah man. But that really is so rare and pretty much every blogger I've met is truly so lovely and who knows, I may of misread the situation and god knows my shyness has been mistaken for rudeness many times I'm sure.

Have you experienced any hate regarding your sense of style on your blog or social media? How do you deal with it?

Fortunately I can't say I have had much hate thrown my way through my blog or my social media (not that Im aware of anyway). I've had the odd comment here and there but I'm always aware that it is very easy to misread things when there is no tone. f I did have anything said to me, I'd try my best to ignore it, simply because negativity isn't worth my attention.