My interview with Your Coffee Break

Blogs we like: New York Doll by Aimee Victoria Long

By Sean — September 17, 2012

At just 19 years old, New York Doll‘s Aimee Long is an aspiring fashion production manager, a well traveled fashionista and a local musician. But beyond that, she is building her very own non-profit organisation The Aimee Appeal, where she uses her blog to reach out to fellow fashionistas to donate clothing to special needs children in Africa.

Aimee has a lot on her plate and we can’t imagine how she finds the time, but this girl has the inspiration and the drive to make it work!

Name: Aimee Victoria Long

Age: 19

Where do you go to school and what is your major? I am at UAL – London College of Fashion starting an Masters of Design in International Fashion Production Management.  It’s all pretty exciting and living just next to Brick Lane is rather cool. Most people who have asked ‘what do I actually do on my course,’ I mean the title is a heck of a mouth full, but basically its garment construction, history and management all mixed together. I can go on and run international fashion houses and help the designer translate their ideas to the mass production.  I have only been in the city for two days, managed to get lost, but so ready to start the course at the end of the month.

When and why did you start New York Doll?

I started New York Doll over a year and a half ago as a kind of creative outlet. I had a lot going on at the time and wanted an escape where I could just talk rubbish, share my opinions and show a side to myself people don’t get to see a lot, or didn’t before. I was inspired by the likes of StyleSuzi, Kayla Hadlington and LookBook.

Being that you are a fashion blog in the UK, why did you pick the name New York Doll?

New York is a dream city of mine, I would love to move there. The whole lifestyle is something I aspire to and hopefully one day I will be over there. The doll part, well,  I have always been really small and been likened to a doll. I don’t know if that is a good thing or not, but I just worked the two together and there you have it – New York Doll.

How would you describe your style?

My style has changed so much over the years. I have gone from a Jack Wills aesthetic to a more Topshop vibe when I was at secondary school. Obviously I did like the clothes, but I think it was a more, I have to fit into my surroundings when all my friends at the time were quite preppy and country. That changed when I moved to Southampton last year. There I wore clothes that I liked and didn’t care what people thought, I suppose it changed to be a little bit hipster, but coming back to Yorkshire for summer this year I did get a few looks. I must have been pushing the boundaries a little bit to much for them up, as the hipster aesthetic isn’t as popular as it is down south. Now I’m in Brick Lane where there are so many fashion styles and loads of vintage shops, which I love. I think I  will be able to embrace my inner vintage/hipster girl!

Who are your style icons? I know everyone will say it, but, Alexa Chung. She is incredible, I love everything she wears. Then others like Kayla Hadlington, Jameela Jamil, Fearne Cotton.

Your blog explains that you have been able to travel quite a bit. Where have you been and what has been your favorite destination?

Yeah, I’m very lucky that I have been able to see a lot of nice places, but I would have to say going to Africa was one of the best moments in my life. Being in Botswana allowed me to see a completely different way of life and inspired me to start my own charity type project. I will definitely go back there in the near future, as it’s such a great place! I managed to go to other places like France, America, Greece, Turkey, St Lucia and smaller places in Europe, but would love to go to Thailand one day! It looks like an amazing place.

Do your travels influence your style? I feel like they do, I go through phrases where I am little obsessed with certain styles, celebrities, icons etc and must dress like them/incorporate that cultural aesthetic into my own. I love to go local markets where every I am and buy different items and always end up wearing them more back home than items I have bought from say Topshop.

Right now I am wearing: white converse, a tight black maxi skirt from Topshop, a plain white tee and multiple rings.

My 3 favorite shops are: I don’t know if I have any favourite shops, but I do like Urban Outfitters, Nasty Girl and the Religion.

As a blogger, I couldn’t live without: my Mac, phone and internet connection.

As a blogger, I can’t stand: bitchy girls and people who post abuse on different peoples’ blogs.

The biggest accomplishment in my blogging career is: joining Handpicked Media agency.

On your blog you explain that you have created different Newspapers. Explain the concept behind these and how they differ from your blog:

Basically on my twitter (@Aimee_Victoria) I have created lists of people I follow or just like in general and organised them into categories such as fashion designers, fashion related or the Made in Chelsea Cast for example. So once someone that is in the list tweets it links to my paper.it account and devises a story about all their tweets. It gets updated daily and I think its just another cool way to keep up-to-date on the things I like and enjoy reading. I don’t think that explanation was that good, but basically if you have a look at the generated papers I think it will all make sense a little bit better.

You mention that you are working on mastering Italian. Business or pleasure?

I am working on mastering italian because the language really interests me and I do want to spend some time over in Milan. Like I said I want to move to New York, but live between Milan as well. Rather ambitious and learning the language was initially for pleasure, but with fashion weeks and potential work out there it is turning into business as well. I need to really get back on with my French as well, I did it for A level, but found it pretty hard and left it. I got to a point where I could understand people quite well, but needed to spend a lot more time on vocab but didn’t have enough time. I am hoping I will be able to find the time to master both languages.

What is the idea behind and the goal of your charity The Aimee Appeal?

It all started when I was in Africa. As I mentioned, I went traveling in Africa last summer and I fast became very interested in charity work and I was able to do project work with my secondary school. One of the teachers had connections out there and we were able to help on a rehabilitation centre for special needs children. Seeing the lack of basic items was devastating. I didn’t want to just finish the project and leave it at that, but to continue helping  the school and/or other people out there. We stayed with a couple on their goat farm and they explained to us that even donating clothes helped so much because the people in the country are so poor! I thought; well I write a fashion blog, people who read my blog much have spare/old clothes they don’t want anymore and just raised the idea on my blog when I got back. I had lots of lovely emails coming in and just started getting old clothes/toys etc sent to me and then I ship them over to my contacts out there.

The goal is to a big registered charity and do more work over in Africa with special needs children.

What can we expect next from Aimee Victoria Long? On my blog, there will be more make-up tutorial, street-style, lookbooks and music covers, so everyone has to keep reading. I am starting my own online business, which I hope to launch in the new year. It is basically an online platform for new designers to sell their collections to my audience and will be heavily linked with the blog. That is just in the pipe work at the moment.

Also, I love music and want to start gigging in London, so in the next couple of weeks head down to Vibe bar in Bricklane and catch me up on stage on open mic night, which is every Monday.

Thank you very much for Your Coffee Break for interviewing me and featuring me on there blog, check out there blog here: Your Coffee Break