A Beautiful Mess
Zooey Magazine
By: Michelle Zaporojets
With the fast-paced fashion industry, styles can change instantly. You cannot wait around for the
next issue of Zooey or the next televised red carpet award show to come. Daily bloggers are the
most accurate and most reliable source of fashion advice and of the latest styles. A praised
vintage fashion blog, “A Beautiful Mess” (www.elsiecake.com), gives insight on the fashion
world for anyone that wishes to reignite 60s fashion.
In 2004, Elsie Flannigan started "A Beautiful Mess" for the pleasure of her friends and family, as
well as for the enjoyment of blogging. Since then, her blog has expanded significantly and
become a prominent fashion blog – receiving over 200,000 unique page visitors each month.
“I’m proud to have such a strong and loyal blog readership,” says Flannigan, “It’s always
growing and I couldn’t be more thankful for my little home in internet-land.”
Her interest in vintage and fashion didn’t come out of the blue though. Flannigan loved vintage
fashion since high school, and continued developing her interest through the next few years –
thus slowly forming her vision for her future. “Thrifting and stalking fashion magazines have
always been my hobbies.”
This formed her interest in creating "A Beautiful Mess," where “[She] blogs daily about [her]
shop and also give style tips, DIY projects and post pretty things… including fashion, vintage,
and styling tips. It’s always colorful, positive, and aims to inspire.” She has taken her own style,
as well as the high-end designs from magazines, and formed a blog where Flannigan shares her
personal taste with the world.
“A Beautiful Mess” isn’t just a vintage fashion blog though. Flannigan considers it to also be a
“lifestyle blog” in which she shares adventures from her “daily life… Things like studio time or
coffee shop dates!” Flannigan’s personal additions about her life make it a blog like no other.
Readers are able to relate to Flannigan on a personal level, while acquiring fashion advice from
her as well.
Additionally, Flannigan hosts monthly interviews of a featured sponsor, such as the most recent
February interview with Moorea Seal – a young jewelry designer and blogger. “A Beautiful
Mess” also treats their readers with monthly giveaways from their multiple sponsors.
At only 28-years-old, Flannigan has already found her dream job – starting her own brand, Red
Velvet (www.shopredvelvet.com), with the assistance of her sister, Emma Chapman and best
friend, Rachel Denbow. “Red Velvet is my brand that I've been developing with my sister and
best friend since it was just a day dream. My business, Red Velvet, is my baby.” Red Velvet is
located in Springfield, Missouri, where they sell various pieces of vintage clothing items and
accessories, which can also be found on their online store. “My sister also runs a cupcakery in
our local shop called Red Velvet Sweet Shoppe. It's a dream job.”
“My blog has enabled me to work full time at my dream job, starting my brand!” Flannigan just
released her own collection of unique dresses for the upcoming Spring/Summer season. “I plan
on launching a fall dress line later this year, as our spring dress line was a huge success. We sold
out of over half the inventory in the first 2 hours! The dresses that I produced this season are my
first adventure in the fashion industry!”
“My dress designs are vintage inspired and reflect the trends that I love to wear myself. That's
not to say that every dress is designed with me in mind (because they are not) but I do tend to go
for looks and patterns that appeal to me and inspire me. Creating a new dress design, sourcing
the fabrics and watching those designs come to life is probably one of the most rewarding
experiences!” Flannigan’s favorite dress from her Spring/Summer collection is the Record Store
Jumper, but “it’s so hard to choose. They are all [her] darlings.”
Flannigan’s inspiration for blog posts and her dress collection designs primarily comes from
“[her] grandmother Corina’s 1960s photo collection” and a variety of style icons from that era –
such as wife of President John F. Kennedy, Jackie O and world renowned actress, Audrey
Hepburn – two of the greatest fashion icons of the 50s and 60s. “[My grandmother] is the perfect
style icon, if you ask me… [She] mixed her vintage pieces with a lot of Southwestern pieces.”
Flannigan’s grandmother passed down a few of those vintage items to her, which she wears
today, while also mixing in her own style to create a fashion statement.
“I’ve always been keen on the 1950s and 1960s. That era makes my heart throb and the classic
feminine designs are what inspire me the most.” Flannigan’s dresses this season consist of bright
colors and patterns – elements which definitely capture the essence from the 50s and 60s.
When she’s not busy designing or blogging, Flannigan likes to take little road trips with her
fiancé and play with her pug, Suki – as well activities any woman would enjoy, such as thrift
shopping and collecting shoes from her favorite designer, Jeffery Campbell.
“I spend most of my time designing dresses and making accessories,” says Flannigan, “I love
that fashion never stops changing and evolving. I’m a fan of changing my look each season, so
the fashion world keeps me on my toes. [It’s] such a wonderful creative industry. I love seeing
what designers come up with season after season… I love Kate Spade, Orla Kiely, and Marc
Jacobs – just to name a few.”
Her fashion interest continues to thrive as she see’s no signs of stopping anytime soon. “It’s
never easy to get started. Dream jobs almost never happen overnight. They are usually the
product of years of hard work!”