Chriselle Lim: "I’m Very Vulnerable Online Now, And I Think People Appreciate That"

With over 721k followers on Instagram and counting, fashion blogger Chriselle Lim is nothing short of a bona fide social media star. But despite her sizeable following, Lim remains delightfully bubbly and affable. We sat down with the influencer over breakfast last Sunday right before her two hour-long meet-and-greet session at Coach Wisma Atria to talk fall fashion she's coveting for the new season, favourite filters, and finding a voice on social media.

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Harper's BAZAAR Singapore: Could you describe your personal style in 140 characters.

Chriselle Lim: I would describe my personal style as feminine, classic, simple but with a tomboy edge and also with a bit of street style. That’s not a 140 characters, right? (laughs) I think my whole philosophy is that, though I naturally gravitate towards naturally feminine things, I don’t like looking like a cupcake. So it’s like a balance of feminine and masculine, and it's a really big thing for me.

HBS: What are three key items that you’re adding to your wardrobe this season?

CL: I would have to say first thing, everyone needs a good statement jacket, so the Coach letterman jacket (which I just got) is a really good one. Next, I would say a pair of really great booties that will give you the most mileage in the fall. I've literally been wearing these every day that I’ve been here. These are so comfortable, they’re edgy, they have studs and a cool little heel to boot. Lastly, a statement pouch. I’m a mum so I carry around big diaper bags for the most part during the day, so I always have like a nice little clutch in my bag. If I have to go out for the evening, I’ll just kind of take it out and that’s my statement accessory.

Chriselle's picks:

HBS: What are your favourite photo editing apps? 

CL: Oh yeah! Of all the photo editing apps my favourites are VSCO and Snapseed. There’s nothing better than Snapseed because it’s pretty much the same thing as Photoshop. You can select certain locations and brighten it or darken it, or sharpen it. So I think Snapseed is my number one. I have Meitu, but I don’t really love the super Photoshopped look on people’s faces because I think it’s very obvious, but I have a lot of bruises on my legs so I use Meitu to kind of cover the blemishes on my legs. Facetune is great because it’s the only app that allows you to go in and sharpen certain details.

HBS: Could you share your favourite filter on VSCO with us?

CL: My favourite VSCO filter is, I think it’s S2. I go in between A6 and S2. S2 just makes everything whiter and brighter, while A6 gives photos a more moody vibe. But sometimes if it’s too much, I’ll just tone it down.

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HBS: So in your opinion, what is your secret to social media success?

CL: I think social media has gone through so many waves: Like when it first started it was all about organic content and then all of a sudden it started to become super curated, and it became part of people’s portfolios. Now I see the trend going to back to more organic content because of [new social media channels like] Snapchat, people just love real, authentic content. For me as an influencer, I kinda toned it down a bit on really staged photos. Yes, you need to showcase your talent and your work, but also, show the real side to you as well! And I think that’s how I grew my social media—it’s been growing faster than ever just because I’ve been posting up more authentic content.

HBS: How do you find a distinctive voice online? 

CL: I think it’s a journey. I don’t think you start off online as, “This is who I am”. And even though you think you know who you are, maybe in a year or two it might be different. That’s definitely how it was for me: Compared to when I first started off seven years ago, I’m a completely different person than from who I am now. I just evolved, and I think that’s the beauty of social media.

HBS: How did you find yours?

CL: The key thing in finding your voice is not thinking too hard about it. It’s just putting yourself out there and how you’re currently feeling. For me, when I first started out, I was trying to figure out like what kind of voice do I really want to be. Like, who do I want to be? And it was really hard for me to figure that out. And that’s when I realized that I’m just going to be myself, and that’s when things really started to take off for me.

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HBS: It’s really great that you’re connecting with people online and sharing experiences that people can relate to.

CL: I started off with fashion, of course. Because I wanted to teach people about beauty and styling tips that I’ve learnt from my past as a stylist, but it’s evolved from that. It’s not just a platform to showcase my best styling work. It’s really become a platform where I can share my struggles and hopefully it can help someone. And I can say that I’m very vulnerable online now, and I think people appreciate that.

By Pakkee

Shot on location at The Craftmanship Bar at Coach Wisma Atria