When we first discovered Jenelle, she was raving about some Celine Shadow sunnies that she had been coveting for quite some time. She had just entered a giveaway contest we were hosting at the time with Vicki of TheFashionableMum, and even though she didn’t win the giveaway, we contacted her ourselves to make sure she could finally receive her dream sunnies.
We could tell right away that Jenelle was an eyewear guru. Her Instagram feed immediately revealed her affinity for Celine glasses and Spektre sunnies, so we knew we had found our girl. We were also pleasantly surprised to hear that she knew who we were and frequently shopped her eyewear and contact lenses from us online at VisionDirect.
However, it wasn’t until we asked her a few questions about her career and lifestyle blog in a short interview that we realised her true love and dedication for fashion. That’s where Inspiring Wit comes in, Jenelle’s inspiration hub for any and all women who seek adventure and create their own world.
With her wit and charm and keen eye for trends, Jenelle inspires her readers with style advice, natural beauty tips and fashionable get-fit guides. She enjoys writing about her day-to-day style, which encompasses chic activewear, her favourite travel looks, and the best beauty products.
Jenelle is based in Perth but she has called many cities her home over the years, which is where she draws much of her inspiration and creative ideas from. She’s an avid traveller and doesn’t plan to stop exploring anytime soon.
I have spent weeks living and travelling in Prague, Paris and London and would love to go back to live in Paris or Prague. – Jenelle
“I was born and grew up in Adelaide, I initially moved to Perth to study but have spent some time in Melbourne as well. I have spent weeks living and travelling in Prague, Paris and London as well and would love to go back to live in Paris or Prague. Sydney would be my other city of choice but I haven’t ventured to the US yet and I think I’d find somewhere on the west coast I would be happy with too.”
Once Upon A Time…
So, what really motivates creatives to start blogs? Everyone needs an outlet to express themselves, but for some it may be music, or painting, or even the theatre. What makes blogging so important to certain individuals? With this question in mind we dove into our interview with Jenelle, where we discovered her idea to begin a blog blossomed unexpectedly.
“I was studying at a performing arts academy and one of the ex-students encouraged me to start a blog so she could see behind the scenes of my shows,” Jenelle begins. “I was designing costumes and sets, so initially I shared the process from the design concepts, sketches, fittings, build, sourcing, rehearsals and the final production shots. I got into reading other blogs and gradually the blog began to incorporate my personal style, inspirations and travels. It gave me a voice and an outlet to create as I built my business.”
And what started back in 2010, continues to be a constant channel of expression for Jenelle to this day. “After a few years I rebranded and took blogging on as a serious project,” she continues. “It continues to grow and I am happy to focus on building it more, we have some grand plans!”
So what exactly is the life of a fashion blogger like? Surely everyone’s just a bit curious. As readers, we see the lovely photography, delicious food, designer brands and the inside of luxurious hotels. Are there any downsides?
Balancing two jobs isn’t easy but Jenelle says she wouldn’t be where she is now in her career without a few sleepless nights.
She explains, “I’ve worked on awesome travel projects that feel completely surreal! I have pinch myself moments all the time. I generally work for myself during the day then at my other desk job at night, which makes for really long workdays back to back. The results for the blog I hope come across as fairly effortless but there are long hours in front of a computer getting everything just right.”
And when we asked Jenelle if she ever has writer block or times where she struggles with new ideas, she smiled and said, “I don’t tend to get lulls in creativity as I have such a huge list of things I want to work on and share. The best rewards come from people coming up and telling you that they read the blog and that it helped them in some way to piece together an outfit or holiday and so on. I’ve also made wonderful friends through the connection people have felt through the blog.” Sounds to us like she has tons more inspiration to share!
Witty Style Inspiration
I know I do, and many of my friends have style icons that we always keep a close eye on when it comes to fashion inspiration.
No doubt for a successful fashion blogger like Jenelle, you have to constantly refresh your palette and be in tune with the latest trends to keep readers interested. When we asked her who she looks to for inspiration, she unraveled her style icon hit list with names such as Vanessa Paradis, Ashley Olsen, Mary Kate Olsen, Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling and Jane Birkin.
“I learned a lot about beauty in Paris, spending time there helped me to accept my quirks and feel proud of them. – Jenelle”
When we asked her to describe her personal style, she responded coolly, “My personal style is comfortable but chic, with a rock and roll twist. I love music so rock and roll culture has always influenced me. I have also been hugely inspired by Parisian fashion, I love that they are undone, comfortable and unapologetic but elegant at the same time. I learned a lot about beauty in Paris, spending time there helped me to accept my quirks and feel proud of them.”
Eyewear Expressions
And when it comes to Jenelle’s own personal style and eyewear preferences, she tries to match glasses to the right occasion and attire.
“Coloured lenses are playful, round frames feel a little cheeky and some glasses just make you feel tougher,” she begins. “The right glasses can make the look more complete or trip it up if you choose a style that doesn’t reflect the right attitude or mood. I love to play around with eyewear- it can be so expressive.”
When we asked Jenelle why the Celine Shadow sunnies caught her eye in the first place and she exclaimed, “It has been years! I love that they cover up half of your face! The block-oversized shape makes you seem smaller; I enjoy the irony. Besides this I think they toughen up an outfit- either by being juxtaposition with a feminine look or by elevating an otherwise casual outfit such as jeans and a knit.”
“I love to play around with eyewear- it can be so expressive. –Jenelle”
Although Jenelle is creative with her eyewear styles and colours, she admits to having a few favourite brands that she always goes back to.
“I tend to shop for Celine, Ray-Ban or Tom Ford but have discovered Spektre recently and love them,” Jenelle explains. “I will always have a place for tortoise shell, a black wayfarer, and a gold aviator. I like to mix things up with a bright reflective lens- they just stand out in such a fun way.”
Looking Towards The Future
Just as the world of fashion is constantly changing, eyewear styles also come and go. When we asked Jenelle for her ideas about trends for this Winter and next Spring/Summer she gave us some great insight into what we can expect to see in the coming months.
She tells us, “While we were in Paris last year I was obsessed with everyone wearing round glasses in both eyewear and sunglasses, I knew I had to find myself a pair! There are also some cool geometric framed Ray-Bans that I borrowed for Fashion week which were the coolest thing ever. I think that modern twist on the 70s classics will come into their own in the next year. Especially with coloured mirror lenses.”
Just For Giggles
To end our interview we dove in to discover some of Jenelle’s personal secrets, like what she goes for when she gets home at 4am after a night out and she’s craving something sweet.
She laughs and replies, “I am in my 30’s now and this hasn’t happened to me in a long time, but my snack of choice is generally granola, coconut yoghurt and strawberries. I make my own gluten free granola so that I always have it on hand as a snack. I’d definitely also opt for Chamomile tea before I sleep as well.”
And when we asked her if she has any unique interests or hidden talents, she paused to think and remarked, “It’s been a while since I painted or drew, but as I come from a design and arts background those are skills I spent many years developing. I also can build and love working with power tools.” So she’s handy to have around the house too!
To see more of Jenelle’s fashion world, check out her lifestyle and fashion blog Inspiring Wit and be sure to follow her Insta for weekly style inspiration!
All photos credited to Jenelle Witty of Inspiring Wit.
