fashion in Carmel - Carmel Monthly Magazine

October 2019 The city of Carmel may be attracting younger people for its world-class amenities, developing culture and thriving performing arts community, but it is also attractive to young influencers such as Kathleen Post, a Carmel native and fashion maven who created an internet sensation—the Lemon Blonde brand. Post moved back to Carmel after living in Los Angeles and other areas of the country with her husband, Cort, and is contributing to the growing fashion scene by promoting local and national brands to her 200,000-plus national and international Instagram followers. According to Post, the greater Indy area is rising up on the fashion radar as a place to buy and exhibit today’s latest fashion, beauty and home decor trends. Post is inarguably contributing to the area’s status on that claim. Post, a graduate from Indiana University, earned her marketing degree from The Kelley School of Business. After a brief stint in a corporate environment, Post quickly realized that she was being called to walk along a less “traditional” career path, one that would feed her creative spirit and ingenuity. “I started my first ‘adult job’ after graduating from IU,” Post shared. “It was a typical 8-to-5, Monday-through-Friday office job. About one month into it, I quickly realized that was not the path for me. I immediately started thinking of ways to have a creative job, and that’s when I decided to start a blog.” Post explained that the blogging industry was already established at that point, and she saw the potential for a career within the industry. “I started my blog , and at the time, it was a hobby, but it was also very intentional because I wanted it to eventually be my career and to be my full job.” Post began with posting photos of her outfits, beauty tutorials and tips and home decor. “I reached out to a lot of local businesses and boutiques in the Broad Ripple, Carmel, Zionsville and greater Indy areas, asking if we could work together,” Post said. “I would take pictures of their clothes and accessories. I was offering them content that they could use on their social media and websites, and it was my way of getting my face out there, building my brand and building relationships with the brands that I love.” Post’s brand and credibility as an influencer grew, and it wasn’t long before both local brands and national brands started beseeching Post to work for and to represent their brands. At this point, Post quit her “adult job” and put all of her focus on monetizing and expanding her blog career. “There's a lot of brands that I'm excited to work with like lululemon, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, lots of beauty brands and big fashion brands that I personally shop,” Post said. “Now I'm working with them on a month-to-month basis and sometimes on a yearlong contract with some of them.” “It's really exciting when the brands I love are coming to me—consistently—to the point where I can take on all the projects I want. It's an exciting place to be, and I'm only picking the ones that I'm really fired up about.” Although she's well-traveled and spends time in fashion meccas such as New York City, Post has maintained her Midwest roots and her own unique style and voice, which makes her relatable to her hundreds of thousands of followers. “There’s a part about living in the Midwest and being a normal girl who lives in the suburbs of Indiana that is relatable,” Post said. “I don’t live this super glamourous city life. I love my life. I love Carmel. I think people can relate to that, and that represents a lot of the people that follow me all over the country and even out of the country. I think it comes down to finding someone you can connect with and sharing things in common, whether it’s fashion, beauty, fitness or home decor, and it doesn’t matter where you live. That is the cool thing about having a job that’s on the internet and social media.” Kathleen’s Fall Favorites What is huge this season that we should be paying attention to with regard to fashion trends? Animal print has been big and is going to continue to be. Specifically, faux snakeskin. That is really big for fall and winter, as well as different types of animal print like zebra and giraffe. Leopard and cheetah prints are still considered big too. What are this season’s colors and patterns? Lots of neutral tones and monochromatic pieces. I’m wearing tan boots, tan skirt and a tan sweater, so it’s going to be a lot of tonal shades and pieces put together. Lots of checks and plaids this fall and holiday season with plaid blazers and plaid pants. I’ve also seen a lot of jewel tones and deep magenta, blues and emerald greens, which will be really big for the holidays as well. The ’80s and ’90s appear to be resurrecting in today’s fashion? Should it have stayed in the catacombs of time or are you excited to see some things trending again? I'm definitely seeing a lot of ’80s- and ’90s-influenced styles. I think there’s a way to do it and make it your own with the flared pants or the overalls. You can put your own twist on it in a way that you don’t feel like you’re stuck in the ’80s or ’90s. You can definitely modernize the look. Oversized sweaters, chunky knits and mock necks are big this season. I think fall is all about scarves and cozy, oversized comfort clothes. What about shoes and accessories? Lots of snakeskin boots, heels and flats. Lots of great brands like Steve Madden and Sam Edelman have great faux snakeskin designs. Faux leather and suede with pointed toes that are western-like with stitching and block heels are big this fall and winter too. For jewelry, I like delicate gold layers and little charms on your necklace and earrings. Another fun trend is the resin, plastic look. It’s a retro look, so like tortoise shell resin pieces or some that are translucent or see-through. Hats: I love felt fedoras. There’s lots of fun stuff for fall and winter. It’s definitely my favorite time of year. Follow Kathleen Post on Instagram @Kathleen.Post and visit her website at lemonblonde.com.

Kathleen Post: A Worldwide Influencer in Women’s Fashion

Kathleen Post: A Worldwide Influencer in Women’s Fashion