About ...love Maegan

An Interview by Carly @ Chic Steals from 2009

2010-03-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

We all know her as that stylish bombshell who showcases classy, droolworthy outfits with a twist, shares fabulously innovative DIY's, and muses on everything from interior design to favorite books to hair-style tips and tricks. A quick perusal of her blog ....love, Maegan is never quick: you get pulled into her signature style, and before you know it, you're whipping up a pair of your own over-the-knee boot-covers or maribou-feather skirt, sympathizing with her personal struggles, and laughing along with her ironic sense of humor that catches you off-guard.

But what really makes her tick? I had the privilege of interviewing her via email, and below are her refreshingly honest answers.

Carly: When, how, and why did you start your blog?
Maegan: I think it was late 2007 ...In April I had started an eco blog as a companion to my eco company {besmartbegreen.com} and when I thought I was pregnant a couple months later, decided to make a personal blog as well. Of course, I wasn't pregnant but the blog remained and slowly became an outlet for all things creative. In all honesty, it helped remind me who I was and what I was passionate about but it wasn't until mid 2008 that I started taking it seriously when I realized that doing what I loved could possibly pay off.

C: How many hours a day/a week do you put into your site, and how are they divided?
M: Sometimes I sit down to write a "quick" post and 3 hours later finally hit publish! Here's a breakdown of my outfit posts: Photography, 5-10 minutes. I set up my camera and shoot all my own photos ....I usually take 10-20 shots per outfit because you never know how many usable shots you'll get. Editing and preparing the post usually takes about an hour. I'd say if you want your blog to be successful, you have to think of it like you would a small business ...it's definitely a full-time job.

C: When do you work on your blog?
M: Whenever I think I need to really.

C: Are you a member of any blog associations or networking groups?
M: I am but I'm not that great at upkeep and follow-through. When I was beginning, I signed up for everything just to get my name out there.

C: How did you learn the ins and outs of blogging and marketing it?
M: I've been designing web sites since 1997 so to me, blogging was just an extension of that. Beyond knowing how to code, being familiar with how the internet and search engines work driving traffic to a site is very helpful indeed. I learned everything else by just doing it ...putting in the time.

C: You work part-time as a graphic designer...do your coworkers know of your site?
M: Yes, I do still work in an art gallery {for an art dealer} 3 days a week as a graphic/web designer. One coworker knows of my site ...she has her own blog {drollgirl.blogspot.com} and a former coworker knows too ...but no one else. It's possible that my boss knows but we have never spoken of it.

C: Could you describe your typical day?
M: Well, it depends on the day really. On T, Th, & F I work in the art gallery from 9am to 3pm. On my drive home I search out a location, park, set up my camera and take my outfit shots. When I get home I upload my images and begin editing my photos and prepare my post to be published the next morning. Check my emails, pay some bills, read a few blogs ...and after that, I hang out with my husband and dogs for the rest of the day, eat dinner, watch TV ...you know, the norm ;)

C: What's the craziest request or comment that you've ever dealt with regarding your site?
M: Um ....lol. I probably shouldn't say but ...an adorable girl kindly offered to be a 3 in a a threesome with my husband and I. She also offered to carry a baby for me if I couldn't get pregnant. It makes me giggle but she's really sweet. In the end, we declined both though. {I shouldn't say "We" because I'm sure if it were up to my husband, it would have ended much differently} lol!

C: Best/Worst things about maintaining such a well-read blog with so many readers?
M: Best: motivation to keep blogging and doing what I love. Worst: feeling badly about not being able to respond to every email and/or comment I get from my readers.

C: Have you ever been recognized by someone who reads your blog?
M: Only later via a comment or twitter. No one has stopped me in public ...and I'm pretty sure my face would turn bright pink with embarrassment if someone did.

C: You're stunning - have you had a lot of random guys try to pick you up? Any funny encounters or awful pick-up lines?
M: First of all, thank you! And secondly, how can I answer this without sounding like a total douche? The answer is yes, guys/men {strangers} have always been ruthlessly obvious about how they feel about me in public. The one that stands out in my head always is from when I was about 13 years old ...a much older man looked at me and said "You can spank my monkey". I learned very young the power of sexuality over men. Because of it, I am extremely guarded when dealing with men because I never really know what their motives are ...which I actually don't like. But I'm getting older so I'm guessing I won't have to worry about it too much longer, LOL. On the other hand, in the Viper Room one night in the mid 90's Chris Farley told me I was "Perty" which to this day makes me giggle.

C: You've been making and sharing fabulous DIY's with your readers for so long...have you always been making clothing/jewelry etc.?
M: Actually, yes. We didn't have a lot of money when I was a kid, raised by a single mom, I had to work to help her pay for my private high school education. I knew if I wanted something I was going to have to figure out how to make it myself. And I did.

C: How did you learn to sew?
M: My mom taught me how to sew when I was a kid. I had a little plastic sewing machine that came with pre-cut pillow patterns of Russian dolls I think. I had very little patience for patterns though and following lines {and rules}. But soon I moved up to using my moms machine ...which I still use today because it's my favorite! It's from the 60's and she actually found a duplicate for me a couple years ago but it doesn't work as well so I steal hers. I have both sitting in my hall closet right now.

C: Were you interested in being a fashion designer at all or going to fashion design school?
M: YES! Actually one of my first dreams was to be a fashion designer. I went to school but never finished. While attending school, I actually met someone who was an emerging leather accessory designer who would 6 years later become my fiance ...we broke up on year 7 of our relationship and then I met my now husband 6 months later. In those 7 years, I put my heart and soul into his company and in the meantime learned everything there is to know about leather ...not to mention a bit about the fashion industry {mostly as far as Hollywood is concerned though: stylists, films, celebrities. More so than, let's just say, producing fashion shows}. But I never got the credit I longed for and deserved from him and regret giving my all to something that would ultimately never have my name on it.

C: Any regrets in your life in your career path or choices?
M: I gave up a lot of myself in that 7 year relationship I mentioned above. I gave up fashion design because I thought I was going somewhere career-wise with that person and I gave up acting as well. Those are my regrets ...I guess the main regret is the relationship, I suppose. You live and you learn.

C: If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self..how old would your younger self be and what advice would you give?
M: I would tell my 23 year old self to follow your heart ...not in men but in life passion. And do not, under any circumstances, forget who you are because others tell you to be someone else. If only I knew that then I'd be in a much different place now, I'm sure of it.

C: What are your plans for the future (career...blog etc.)?
M: Originally, I had hoped my blog be successful so that I could be a stay at home mom and raise kids while doing what I love. But since I'm not getting pregnant, I may have to rethink everything. For now, I'm just taking it one day at a time ...but more relaxation would be a plus :)

C: And lastly...do you have a style philosophy?
M: If you're unsure about what to wear, go with a classic, timeless look. You may not be fashion forward but at least you'll look chic and pulled together. But in the end, you should wear what makes you feel good.

If you haven't checked out ...love, Maegan, be sure to swing on by and see why it's so darn addictive!

Thank you, Maegan, for your time and for agreeing to be interviewed! (If you guys hadn't already guessed, she's one of my blogging idols, so it was a real treat to be able to do so.) :-)
xoxoxo
Carly

Thank you so much Carly for this great interview!

Go to Chic Steals for more

Birds of a Feather: …love, Maegan

2009-06-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

Birds of a Feather will highlight strong, confident, and beautiful women in the fashion community. We got in touch with this week’s featured blogger, Maegan, because her independent style, massive talent for DIY projects, and radiant confidence completely drew us to her blog,…love, Maegan, like moths to a flame. Her daily “Gratuitous Outfit Posts” are not only inspiring, but her commentary will leave you smiling.

Name: Maegan Tintari
Occupation: Graphic/Web Designer …and Blogger
Age: 33
Location: Los Angeles

Hi Maegan! Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed! Jennifer Nicole and I love your adventurous-yet-chic style, and definitely want to pick your brain a little bit!

Thank you!

* Firstly, how do you feel about being on the aesthetic side of blogging I your early 30s, when the majority of “Fashion bloggers” are in their late teens & early 20s? (We’re also curious because, at 24 and 26, we’re not exactly prime fashion blogger age, either!)

Well, originally, my blog wasn’t going to be a fashion blog at all. But when I started posting my outfits from my work iMac my stats and comments grew tremendously. So I figured, why not?

I have been into fashion {& DIY} since I was a kid so really, it was second nature for me but I guess I never wanted to act like an “authority” on fashion like so many other fashion blogs do …which sometimes leaves me questioning them. I think it’s more important that women and girls find their own style within the trends and learn that while having designer items is nice, it’s much more fun to be unique and mix designer/expensive with vintage {my fave!}, DIY, and inexpensive items like Forever 21 …and to dress for your body.

As far as age is concerned, I think there are a lot of women in their late 20’s and 30’s who despite not being 19 still want to look fashionable {and FABULOUS!} and talk about clothes and what will work for them. And other than looking at celebrities our age and what stylists are dressing them in, there isn’t much out there focused on our demographic.

Being 33, there are definitely trends right now I would love to wear that I just cannot …I did get to wear them the first time around {lol} but let’s be honest, if I put on a pair of cut-off jean shorts with sky high stilettos and a motorcycle jacket or furry vest, I would look more like a trashy ho than cute and fashionable! {although my husband would be in heaven}

* What inspired you to start your environmentally friendly company, Be Smart Be Green?

I’ll start off by saying that when I was going to school for fashion in my early 20’s, I took an Environmental Science class that struck a chord and quickly became a newfound passion. Around April of 2007 {over ten years later} I think I was simply talking about environmental issues with a friend and the idea just popped into my head. I’ve been doing graphic design since 1997 so coming up with different slogans was fun and easy. And CafePress allows you to create your products/concept without having to fork over the cash to get your business started. I focused on it solely for a full year but when everyone else and their mothers started selling eco-totes and it was trendy to be green, I kind of lost my steam. I still try to live as environmentally conscious as possible. To help others be a bit more eco-friendly, I give away a free eco tote bag of choice to one of my …love Maegan followers at the end of each month.

* Does your eco blog and activist lifestyle influence your fashion choices from a consumer standpoint? If so, how?

I wish I could say that it 100% does …but I cannot lie. I definitely recycle my clothes …meaning, when I’m done wearing them in their original form, I can usually come up with some way of recreating the item. I just recently made three fringe necklaces out of old gap t-shirts …and I love them! I have always done this as well as shop a lot of vintage and donate anything I don’t want to thrift shops. I’d prefer not to buy from huge corporate chains {like Forever 21} but sometimes the deal is just too good to pass up. I also prefer hanging most of my clothes dry, as well as my husband’s rather than using the dryer …which is more about the life of the clothes than anything else but it’s eco as well.

* How would you desribe your style? What is your husband’s “Boyception” of your style?

Ya know, I’m not exactly sure how to describe my style. When I was younger I always looked up to women who had a classic “signature style” and thought that’s what I wanted to be like …but I get too bored with wearing the same thing. So, I wear what I like …I wear what works for my body type. Sometimes I like to be sexy and sometimes I like to be trendy and sometimes I like to be masculine and sometimes classic and sometimes girlie. It really depends more on how I’m feeling that day I suppose. I’m a Gemini! I guess I’m more “trendy” than “indie” but I do have a bit of a sense of humor with it as well. If I put something on and it makes me giggle, I’ll totally go with it. I just asked my husband what his “Boyception” of me was and he said “Rebellious Trendy ” …but really, he’d prefer me naked over anything else.

*We saw that you posted about your favorite vintage Levi’s recently, which definitely plays into the 1990s-inspired trends that are huge right now. What trends fit your body the best, and which do you have trouble with?

Oh man …I really love when fashion is open as it is now …in the sense that you could wear a 20’s inspired outfit – a 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and now 90’s inspired outfit and be “in style”. It’s really so much fun to get dressed when the rules aren’t as strict as they were, let’s just say, in my mom’s time. {I am a big fan of 60’s shift dresses though …they’re very forgiving}

I’m definitely into the 90’s coming back …which is a trip actually because I was in high school from 90-94 …wearing so much of what I see young girls blogging about thinking it’s original now ..lol!!! Other than “indie” {which makes me feel frumpy instead of adorable } I can usually pull off any “look” …but that’s really more about confidence than anything else. You have to own it or it won’t work …which reminds me of that scene in Pretty Woman . ..”work it. ..own it” .lol.

Thanks again, Maegan, for taking the time to talk with us! We really respect your fashion authority and continue to enjoy your blog, …love, Maegan.

Thank You Jennifer Nicole & Elle!

The Demoiselles