EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Hannah-Rose Yee
Hannah-Rose Yee is a fellow blogger and writer.She writes with such ease, glam, and romance; she truly is blessed with the unique talent of transforming the mundane into a divine version of it. I have no idea how I stumbled upon her blog, but believe you me, it was fate! For Hannah captured everything I love and adore in one place.
Hannah is a 22 year old girl from Sydney, Australia, she just graduated from university so the world is her platform. She's already published in Harper's Bazaar Australia, Broadsheet, and more recently in Undone Journal. I strongly believe that her name will be everywhere sooner rather than later... I'm so proud of this post because it's just inspirational and enriching. It already made me open my eyes to new experiences. Here's the interview...
F:Who is Hannah-Rose Yee?
H:I am a writer, and that above most else. I have just finished uni, I blog a bit- sometimes too much- and I live in Sydney.
F:You write for the likes of Harper's Bazaar Australia & Broadsheet , Is fashion editing something you want to do in the future, I do believe you have an eye for these things, and if so which magazines would you want to work for?
H:Fashion editing has always been the dream. It's tricky, especially at the moment, with the environment that we are in, to think too much about 'down the track' and not enough about the 'now'. Fashion magazines may be very different things in the 5, 10, 15 years it takes me to get to that position. But I've always wanted to work for them and I doubt that dream will change much, even if it never becomes reality and I get caught up with other stuff on the way! My favorite magazines are the ones that I read cover to cover and they are the ones that I would love to work for. They are Elle UK, who has the best features in the business, and is an intelligent, considered and above all, playful magazine (a quality that shouldn't be overlooked nowadays, a sense of humor is important!). And The Gentlewoman, how could I forget the Gentlewoman? No-one writes better fashion features than The Gentlewoman, no-one has a better breadth of interview subjects than The Gentlewoman, and no-one has a more thoughtful approach to the way modern women get dressed than The Gentlewoman. Like I said, it would be a dream to work for either of those publications.
F:Writing is a very creative process, an idea can create a piece or an essay on anything and everything. How do you write & what inspires you and pushes you when you have deadlines?
H:I have been thinking about this a lot recently actually, as I have been writing freelance since I returned from an overseas trip and trying to formulate a routine. Sometimes I stick to that routine - I get up early, I brew a pot of tea and I sit at my dining room table with my research spread out around me and write until the tea gets cold. Sometimes it just won't do well to stick to a routine, mostly because you can't (have you heard that writers get procrastinated a lot? Well, they do), and those are the days you have to just let it wash over you a little bit. Getting caught up in procrastination is OK, sometimes, it can even be helpful in the long run. I just try and not let it happen too much.
When writing professionally or for a job what inspires me most is the deadline. That sounds silly but it's true, I work best when I know that a deadline is coming, and I work even better when I've just done my research or my interview and all the information is fresh in my mind. The deadline is often enough to push me to completion, especially if it's a big task or commission.
When I'm writing creatively it's different. I can be inspired by a book that I have read, or a movie I have just seen, or the way the light hits the fruit that sit in the basket on my windowsill - right in my eye line as I write at my computer. In some ways it's a lot easier to write for my blog than it is to write professionally; I can say whatever I want, I don't have to worry about length or tone or subject, but in that respect it can also be a lot more difficult. The thing that writing needs most is time. Time makes writing better. Being able to come back to something and re-read it, to check for spelling mistakes, to make sure that you made your point clearly, all of that makes your writing better.
F:What was the best fashion advice you've ever gotten and who gave it to you?
H:The best advice I've ever gotten was from my oldest friend, who, when I was distraught and in despair about what to wear to a wedding she told me, 'oh, wear whatever you want, it's you she wants to see not some elaborate get-up'. I've found that this rings true for almost every occasion, and yes, maybe you're not supposed to wear just anything to a wedding, but really, it's you that people want to see, not the clothes.
F:I love your blog 'Capture the Castle', it's a breath of fresh air, I love the cinematic style posts each one opens my eyes to details I haven't seen before, why did you start your blog and how often do you update it?
H:I started my blog almost 6 years ago now!!! because I was studying for the HSC, which is the leaver's certificated in Australia, and I needed something to distract me. It was quite different back then, but so was I, and we've grown together as our tastes and interests have changed over the years. I used to update it quite a bit, maybe once a day even, but it's scaled back a tiny bit over the last year. I had a pretty crazy final year at uni, which meant I couldn't give as much time as I could to my blog, and the repercussions of that have carried across to now. That doesn't change the way I see my blog, though, as a refuge for me, as a creative outlet, as a place where I have total control. I wish I could post more often, though!
F:Who are your style icons?
H:Ashley Olsen, always and forever. I liked her when she was grungy and dingy, and I like her now in her New York City society doyenne phase. I like the way that she wears what she wants and doesn't listen to critics, I like the way that she doesn't dress her age (why do we need to do that, anyway?), and I like the way she isn't afraid to wear lots and lots and lots of volume, even though she's a small girl like me. She's sort of the only person in the public eye who dresses like I want to dress, most other people who I admire for their style don't have style that is even remotely similar to mine. It's nice to have just one person as a touchpoint, I think.
F:What are your favorite cities? (list your favorite restaurants and shopping spots in each city)
H:Paris - This one is the big love, the city that you can never get out of your head. I'm always gonna love Paris, even if I never live there, even if we never get that moment in the sun. It's a romantic notion, yes, but it's one I'm never going to get over. Paris is the one. In Paris, I love to breakfast at Claus or Telescope, shop at Merci, Shakespeare and Co and Damman Freres(for tea!), sit in the Places des Vosges for hours on end, and eat everything, always at The Rose Bakery.
London - Some people don't like London and I think they're silly. I love London for it's history and I love it for its majestic, stately beauty. People who don't think London is beautiful should see it in April, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and sometimes, just sometimes, you might get a blue sky. My first stop in London are always the bookshops in Bloomsbury, like Persephone books, and then a slice of cake after at the London Review bookshop. I also love Ottolenghi for being truly wonderful, Fortnum and Mason because it's the way department stores ought to be if they possibly can, and spending afternoons drinking tea in heaven, aka Petersham Nurseries.
Hong Kong - I will always have a soft spot for Hong Kong because it's where my family is from, and those who have been will know that there is something infectious about this city's energetic buzz. There's always something to see and do, and there's always a new restaurant or shop to visit. My favourites are Tea-kha, a cafe tucked away in hilly Sheung Wan, where you can get a moment of peace and quiet away from everything, 22 Ships for a meal you'll never forget, and wandering through the hustle and bustle of the Mong Kok flower markets, just because you can.
Sydney - Home, sweet home. After I've been away for a long time I come back to Sydney and wonder why on earth I ever left. Today, with a breeze coming in the window that smells a little bit like the sea, I can see why. We're lucky here, being so close to the ocean, so close to the city, so close to everything, really. Sydney does a lot of things well and often we forget that. If you're ever in Sydney you'll find me at Room 10, my favourite cafe because it's small but perfectly formed and Bread and Circus, my favourite place because it's not small, it's not perfectly formed, and why would you want it to be anyway? Both of them are some of the best foodie experiences in Sydney and I can't seem to find anywhere else that matches them.
F:What do you do in your spare time?
H:I read a lot! That's one of my favourite things to do in my downtime. I love to catch up with my friends at some of my favourite cafes, talking about everything and nothing as friends do. I love to go to local farmer's markets, like the ones at Bondi Beach or Potts Point, to lie in the sun with an iced chai. I like going swimming in ocean water pools, and seeing movies by myself and buying too many magazines than I should.
F:List 3 items that are always present in your bag?
H:Lip balm - I don't wear makeup but lip balm is something that can make you look fresh with very little effort. At the moment I like the Aesop SPF lip treatment.
Passport - this is a little bit politically incorrect but for some reason I don't like to be without it. I know I shouldn't carry it around everywhere but I haven't lost it yet(touch wood!)
Notebook and pen - I'm a writer!
Take it from me and read Hannah's blog over a cup of tea, all night long...
www.capturethecastle1.blogspot.com
Hannah is a 22 year old girl from Sydney, Australia, she just graduated from university so the world is her platform. She's already published in Harper's Bazaar Australia, Broadsheet, and more recently in Undone Journal. I strongly believe that her name will be everywhere sooner rather than later... I'm so proud of this post because it's just inspirational and enriching. It already made me open my eyes to new experiences. Here's the interview...
F:Who is Hannah-Rose Yee?
H:I am a writer, and that above most else. I have just finished uni, I blog a bit- sometimes too much- and I live in Sydney.
F:You write for the likes of Harper's Bazaar Australia & Broadsheet , Is fashion editing something you want to do in the future, I do believe you have an eye for these things, and if so which magazines would you want to work for?
H:Fashion editing has always been the dream. It's tricky, especially at the moment, with the environment that we are in, to think too much about 'down the track' and not enough about the 'now'. Fashion magazines may be very different things in the 5, 10, 15 years it takes me to get to that position. But I've always wanted to work for them and I doubt that dream will change much, even if it never becomes reality and I get caught up with other stuff on the way! My favorite magazines are the ones that I read cover to cover and they are the ones that I would love to work for. They are Elle UK, who has the best features in the business, and is an intelligent, considered and above all, playful magazine (a quality that shouldn't be overlooked nowadays, a sense of humor is important!). And The Gentlewoman, how could I forget the Gentlewoman? No-one writes better fashion features than The Gentlewoman, no-one has a better breadth of interview subjects than The Gentlewoman, and no-one has a more thoughtful approach to the way modern women get dressed than The Gentlewoman. Like I said, it would be a dream to work for either of those publications.
F:Writing is a very creative process, an idea can create a piece or an essay on anything and everything. How do you write & what inspires you and pushes you when you have deadlines?
H:I have been thinking about this a lot recently actually, as I have been writing freelance since I returned from an overseas trip and trying to formulate a routine. Sometimes I stick to that routine - I get up early, I brew a pot of tea and I sit at my dining room table with my research spread out around me and write until the tea gets cold. Sometimes it just won't do well to stick to a routine, mostly because you can't (have you heard that writers get procrastinated a lot? Well, they do), and those are the days you have to just let it wash over you a little bit. Getting caught up in procrastination is OK, sometimes, it can even be helpful in the long run. I just try and not let it happen too much.
When writing professionally or for a job what inspires me most is the deadline. That sounds silly but it's true, I work best when I know that a deadline is coming, and I work even better when I've just done my research or my interview and all the information is fresh in my mind. The deadline is often enough to push me to completion, especially if it's a big task or commission.
When I'm writing creatively it's different. I can be inspired by a book that I have read, or a movie I have just seen, or the way the light hits the fruit that sit in the basket on my windowsill - right in my eye line as I write at my computer. In some ways it's a lot easier to write for my blog than it is to write professionally; I can say whatever I want, I don't have to worry about length or tone or subject, but in that respect it can also be a lot more difficult. The thing that writing needs most is time. Time makes writing better. Being able to come back to something and re-read it, to check for spelling mistakes, to make sure that you made your point clearly, all of that makes your writing better.
F:What was the best fashion advice you've ever gotten and who gave it to you?
H:The best advice I've ever gotten was from my oldest friend, who, when I was distraught and in despair about what to wear to a wedding she told me, 'oh, wear whatever you want, it's you she wants to see not some elaborate get-up'. I've found that this rings true for almost every occasion, and yes, maybe you're not supposed to wear just anything to a wedding, but really, it's you that people want to see, not the clothes.
F:I love your blog 'Capture the Castle', it's a breath of fresh air, I love the cinematic style posts each one opens my eyes to details I haven't seen before, why did you start your blog and how often do you update it?
H:I started my blog almost 6 years ago now!!! because I was studying for the HSC, which is the leaver's certificated in Australia, and I needed something to distract me. It was quite different back then, but so was I, and we've grown together as our tastes and interests have changed over the years. I used to update it quite a bit, maybe once a day even, but it's scaled back a tiny bit over the last year. I had a pretty crazy final year at uni, which meant I couldn't give as much time as I could to my blog, and the repercussions of that have carried across to now. That doesn't change the way I see my blog, though, as a refuge for me, as a creative outlet, as a place where I have total control. I wish I could post more often, though!
F:Who are your style icons?
H:Ashley Olsen, always and forever. I liked her when she was grungy and dingy, and I like her now in her New York City society doyenne phase. I like the way that she wears what she wants and doesn't listen to critics, I like the way that she doesn't dress her age (why do we need to do that, anyway?), and I like the way she isn't afraid to wear lots and lots and lots of volume, even though she's a small girl like me. She's sort of the only person in the public eye who dresses like I want to dress, most other people who I admire for their style don't have style that is even remotely similar to mine. It's nice to have just one person as a touchpoint, I think.
F:What are your favorite cities? (list your favorite restaurants and shopping spots in each city)
H:Paris - This one is the big love, the city that you can never get out of your head. I'm always gonna love Paris, even if I never live there, even if we never get that moment in the sun. It's a romantic notion, yes, but it's one I'm never going to get over. Paris is the one. In Paris, I love to breakfast at Claus or Telescope, shop at Merci, Shakespeare and Co and Damman Freres(for tea!), sit in the Places des Vosges for hours on end, and eat everything, always at The Rose Bakery.
London - Some people don't like London and I think they're silly. I love London for it's history and I love it for its majestic, stately beauty. People who don't think London is beautiful should see it in April, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and sometimes, just sometimes, you might get a blue sky. My first stop in London are always the bookshops in Bloomsbury, like Persephone books, and then a slice of cake after at the London Review bookshop. I also love Ottolenghi for being truly wonderful, Fortnum and Mason because it's the way department stores ought to be if they possibly can, and spending afternoons drinking tea in heaven, aka Petersham Nurseries.
Hong Kong - I will always have a soft spot for Hong Kong because it's where my family is from, and those who have been will know that there is something infectious about this city's energetic buzz. There's always something to see and do, and there's always a new restaurant or shop to visit. My favourites are Tea-kha, a cafe tucked away in hilly Sheung Wan, where you can get a moment of peace and quiet away from everything, 22 Ships for a meal you'll never forget, and wandering through the hustle and bustle of the Mong Kok flower markets, just because you can.
Sydney - Home, sweet home. After I've been away for a long time I come back to Sydney and wonder why on earth I ever left. Today, with a breeze coming in the window that smells a little bit like the sea, I can see why. We're lucky here, being so close to the ocean, so close to the city, so close to everything, really. Sydney does a lot of things well and often we forget that. If you're ever in Sydney you'll find me at Room 10, my favourite cafe because it's small but perfectly formed and Bread and Circus, my favourite place because it's not small, it's not perfectly formed, and why would you want it to be anyway? Both of them are some of the best foodie experiences in Sydney and I can't seem to find anywhere else that matches them.
F:What do you do in your spare time?
H:I read a lot! That's one of my favourite things to do in my downtime. I love to catch up with my friends at some of my favourite cafes, talking about everything and nothing as friends do. I love to go to local farmer's markets, like the ones at Bondi Beach or Potts Point, to lie in the sun with an iced chai. I like going swimming in ocean water pools, and seeing movies by myself and buying too many magazines than I should.
F:List 3 items that are always present in your bag?
H:Lip balm - I don't wear makeup but lip balm is something that can make you look fresh with very little effort. At the moment I like the Aesop SPF lip treatment.
Passport - this is a little bit politically incorrect but for some reason I don't like to be without it. I know I shouldn't carry it around everywhere but I haven't lost it yet(touch wood!)
Notebook and pen - I'm a writer!
Take it from me and read Hannah's blog over a cup of tea, all night long...
www.capturethecastle1.blogspot.com
A gorgeous interview with such a glorious young woman. Thankyou for sharing!
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