In our final Sydney post on the girls of Fashion Bloggers, we speak to Zanita Whittington who started her blog Zanita as a platform to capture her photography journey. Find out what the towering blonde beauty has to say about what makes a great photo, why the idea of a no-internet holiday is so appealing and her take on the fashion scene in Sydney and Stockholm.
You used to be a model, how different was that to being in a TV show about blogging?
There’s a lot of elements I learned while I was modeling that have been of benefit to me for the show – it’s mostly just a confidence thing. During my modeling career I learned who I was and how to make a good first impression on people. When you go to castings you’ve got like two minutes to make an impression and what I need to do is have confidence in myself and share that with everyone I meet.
Tell us more about filming Fashion Bloggers.
It is pretty strange. I’m experienced with working with teams of people so it’s quite fun. The first days were all a little awkward but now that I’ve worked with the same people all the time, it’s become much easier and I’m quite cool with the cameras being around.
How long did it take you to decide to be on the show?
I didn’t think about it at the start because I knew with TV series, a lot of them don’t even come to fruition. Initially I didn’t want to be on TV but it was a long process to get approved and then for me, I was like, ‘I’m gonna go on living my life’ and then, suddenly it was like, ‘Oh, we sold the show and it’s happening. We’re going to come back to Australia and film’ so I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it!’ There was a time in my life where I probably wouldn’t agree to it, it’s just so happen I had good momentum with what I was doing so why not?
What upcoming projects have you got in store for you?
I’m actually building a photography course so people can come and buy it off my site and learn about photography. I’m going to talk about photography in a way that I know it and my personal experience. It won’t be like a technical thing, it would just be me describing what I see through the lens, what inspires me, how I do things and talking about creative things.
You’re a self-taught photographer – what makes a great photograph?
It’s all about that moment. Technically, lighting is paramount to a good shot. I love the connection in the eyes and that’s probably the thing I like the most – to get a shot of someone looking confident, feeling good or like just telling a story with their eyes.
Describe your fashion sense in three words.
My style is comfortable, eclectic and colourful.
What’s the best fashion advice you’ve received?
Roll your clothes in your suitcase. It’s also easier to move things around if you need to find them and it doesn’t crease your clothes very much.
How often do you travel for work?
I reckon I travel around 50% of the time. Right now I actually live in Stockholm. I moved there in April and I’m back and forth all the time. I travel loads but it’s hard to say how much I’ll be travelling in the next part of the year because so many things pop up at the last minute.
How different is the fashion scene between Sydney and Stockholm?
Sweden is obviously a lot colder than Australia, so there’s that and people are much neater in the way they dress, they don’t wear much colour. But the industry itself, they’re kind of like similar sizes and I think that in that respect they operate in a similar way. Although Sydney and Stockholm are quite different in aesthetics; I would say they’re both effortless and easy.
What are some of your favourite brands?
My favourite brand is & Other Stories which is a newer brand that the H&M group has. I’ve gone to meet them and everything they have is made in house. You have to look them up – they’re really amazing. I love Toni Maticevski, Zimmermann, Karen Walker who is from New Zealand, Philip Lim, Acne, Stella McCartney and Chloe.
What about beauty products?
I love anything from Kiehl’s and Clarisonic. Clarisonic is great for jet lag and long haul flights because sometimes I feel like my entire face is going to flake off and it helps bring back that healthy glow you need.
Besides Clarisonic, what’s the best remedy for jet lag?
Set your watch to the time of your destination, you shouldn’t eat too much, try to get as much sleep and drink as much water as you can.
How do you unwind?
My favourite thing to do to unwind is to watch reality TV shows – my favourite is Geordie Shore, it’s my absolute guilty pleasure but I also really like Grand Designs which is about building houses. I don’t get to watch TV very much. I love to exercise whenever I can – go for walks and get outside. For me, the hardest part is switching the brain off. If you work in social media, it’s always present so the key for me is actually forget anything about that and being present with friends. I always accidentally leave my phone behind when I go meet people because I just can’t be around it. My dream holiday is to go a cabin in the woods where there’s no signal or Wi-Fi and read books.
How long do you take to get ready for an OOTD (Outfit of the Day) look?
I’m extremely low maintenance – I don’t do my makeup and hair. 15-20 minutes I guess. I don’t even steam my clothes!
What’s your current obsession?
I’m going to say Geordie Shore but I already say that. Probably long skirts and mid-length skirts. I’ve gone through a tomboy phase prior to this and now I’m going the opposite way.
Catch Fashion Bloggers on Wednesdays, 10pm (Malaysia) and 9pm (Singapore) on E! (Astro Channel 712) with repeats on Thursdays, 8pm (MAL)
*Be sure to also check out our exclusive interviews with Margaret Zhang, Kate Waterhouse, Sara Donaldson and Amanda Shadforth!
**That’s all from our Sydney Fashion Bloggers special – do check out the gallery below to see what went down at the launch party of Fashion Bloggers in Sydney!
