Wish Wish Wish with Carrie Harwood

Flea Market – 5D Mark II 24p from Miguel Santana da Silva on Vimeo.

Carrie Harwood has been plugging away at Wish Wish Wish since May 2008, creating a little pocket of the internet devoted to the fusion of beautiful vintage finds with new collections from contemporary designers. Having found praise from the likes of Elle Spain, Mod Cloth and the Weardrobe Top 100 of 2009, it’s no wonder Carrie’s forayed (quite successfully, we might add) into the world of video.

Assisted by her photographer/videographer boyfriend, Miguel Santana, Wish Wish Wish is a shrine to English life, beautiful clothes, friends, love and happiness. Carrie was gracious enough to answer a few of our questions about her experiences with fashion and Wish Wish Wish.

Portable: Where did Wish Wish Wish start out? What did it stem from?
Carrie: I began blogging in May 2007. Initially I planned to use the blog as somewhere to post all of my creative outputs, such as photography or art, but I became so inspired by all of the fashion blogs online that I thought I’d have a go at it too, from my own perspective. I’ve always been interested in having my own online space to store my inspiration so blogging seemed like the ideal way to achieve that.

WishWishWish is a place to share beautiful and inspiring images, usually of clothing and personal style, but also interiors and places too. Posts can range from what I got upto on the weekend to catwalk reviews during fashion week. I like to treat my blog as a visual diary, so it’s very personal to me.

Portable: In a city like London which is brimming with different trends, how do you define your own style? Is it hard to ‘stand out’?
Carrie: It is immensely difficult to stand out in London! I come from the middle of the countryside, so now I live in London I put on something that I think is a little crazy or retro and there are always people that look a hundred times crazier…in a good way! It is very inspiring – I think my style is changing all the time because of that. it’s hard to put my finger on what my style is exactly, but at the moment i’m loving everything 60s and 70s inspired.

Portable: Who do you imagine is the typical Wish Wish Wish reader?
Carrie: The girls that read WishWishWish are interested in the same things that I am – collars, stripes, polka dots and all other variations of vintage clothing. The girls that visit come to be inspired, or to find out where to buy pretty jewelry, or even just to see what I’ve been upto. I wish I could take them all out for tea – i’m sure we’d all get along very well!

Portable: What would your advice be to girls who are struggling to find their ‘style’? Should we pay attention to trends?
Carrie: Trends become boring very fast, especially when you’re in this industry, they’re thrown at you from every available angle. I think the only time i’m into trends is when they feature something that fits into my own wardrobe and makes the clothing I like available in high street stores, for example, i’ll happily wear a cape this winter!
I think the key is just wearing what you feel comfortable in. When i’m walking around a shop, and I see something that gives me that excited feeling..that’s when I know I’ve got to get my hands on it, not because it’s in this season. So I suppose my advice would be just to stay true to your own tastes – wear those items that get you excited!

Portable: Think about life after your blog. Where do you want to be?
Carrie: Eek! That’s a scary thought! I’m currently studying fashion design, styling and promotion at university, so I would imagine something in that field. My dream would be to own a boutique of my own I suppose, stocking independent designers and quirky homewares..but..we’ll see! Watch this space!

Portable: Finally, who are your top 3 up and coming designers that we should keep an eye on?
Carrie: I’m not great at keeping upto date with everything fashion, but one of my favourite affordable up-and-coming designers has to be Family Affairs, their collections and lookbooks always blow me away and i’m a proud owner of a few of their pieces. Secondly, everyone is talking about them at the moment, British designer Binbin McNiven and her label TBA – she creates the clothes that I yearn for – I couldn’t help but order myself a dress from their new collection just a few days ago!
Last but definitely not least, italian designer Vivetta is a lady after my own heart – her super-girly collections are the stuff of my dreams!