Tricia has gone places

From blogger to author with ‘150 Style Essentials for Every Girl,’ Tricia Gosingtian talks about crossing another item off her bucket list.

Candy magazine editor-in-chief Marla Miniano couldn’t have said it better herself. “Tricia’s pretty, polished style has been an inspiration to girls everywhere for years. Her fashion book is concrete proof that this well-loved blogger is definitely here to stay.”

Once upon a time, 24-year-old Tricia was a bachelor of fine arts student majoring in information design at the Ateneo de Manila University. Armed with her penchant for graphic design, photography, and a style that seems to be cut out from the pages of a Japanese fashion magazine, she found herself on the worldwide web (posting various looks on deviantART with her signature soft lighting), eventually her blog Tricia Will Go Places, and becoming, well, a worldwide wonder.

While she has remained a top fashion blogger in the country, even making an appearance on the cover of Preview’s September issue last year, alongside blogger friends Laureen Uy and Camille Co, she has channeled her passion for fashion into helping girls be confident with both their style, and lifestyle — especially with the launch of her first ever book, 150 Style Essentials for Every Girl.

 YOUNG STAR: Talk about the book in a nutshell.

TRICIA GOSINGTIAN: With 150 Style Essentials for Every Girl, building or improving your wardrobe becomes a lot easier. The book aims to inspire girls to shop smarter and be better by trimming it down to certain essentials that they can mix and match for every occasion. 



How did this partnership with Summit Publishing come about?

No one saw it coming, including me. I never thought I’d be the first one among my contemporaries to get a book deal. Maybe once or twice in the past, I considered creating a photo book of my travel photos but I figured I still had a lot of places I wanted to go to. I never thought about creating a stylebook until the idea was brought up by Summit. The final concept was a collaborative effort between me and the editors who helped me out with the book. Every few months they come out with new books, so they already know what works and what doesn’t. And they were convinced that partnering with me would totally work, being a first-mover of sorts in my field and generation. 

What was the idea behind it?

I pictured myself in the shoes of a girl who is only starting to build her wardrobe but has no idea where to start. I thought I could only wish that I had something similar to my book when I was younger, but soon realized that I can actually make this wish come true for other girls. Through the years, I’ve come to terms with my personal style and how I wear fashion to fit my lifestyle, and I’ve learned that it shouldn’t always be about what’s hot and what’s not, but instead about what you feel good about wearing. One can be stylish and beautiful with the right amount of confidence. Hopefully, this book can contribute to this style and lifestyle transformation. 

In the book, you give out 150 style essentials for every girl. Realistically, is it possible to get all 150? Or best effort?

You don’t have to get all 150+! I don’t think I even have all these things in my closet, especially since it’s important to take into consideration personal tastes and body types. The style essentials are only suggestions, and it’s not like you have to get all 150 to be the best or most stylish. This is not Pokemon (LOL). Go with the ones that you feel good about, and I’m pretty sure that you’ll be good to go.

What are some of the influences that you drew inspiration from in putting this thing together?

I drew a lot of inspiration from Japanese models and personalities. I’m such a fan of how the content of their personal blogs is always so relatable and how most of them didn’t have to go through the “fashion victim” route to be considered style icons. Most of them just stayed true to themselves, and this is exactly what I’ve always wanted to impart with my blog and my personal style. I was also encouraged by regular e-mails asking me for style tips! This book was also created for them.

Describe the girl who should be reading or grabbing a copy of your book. Who do you dedicate this to?

This is a book for every girl (as in the title!). One of my ultimate goals in life is to make fashion friendlier and to make people value their own personal styles. I’m just an ordinary girl like everyone else, but I work around my flaws and imperfections by styling outfits to let the positive aspects of myself shine. This is why styling is so powerful, it can make you feel better, and you can tweak it according to your lifestyle!