It's been a long, long road, folks. A road that's taken our lovely competitors through breaking style news, single pieces worn five ways, runway makeup looks, and $100 street style-worthy outfits. But, now the votes are in, our choices have been made, and the only thing left to do is announce the winners of the Second Annual Next Big Style Blogger Contest. A drumroll and the envelope, please.
And the winners are....
The Grand Prize Winner and recipient of a Refinery29 contributing gig at our NYC offices and $1,000 to spend on the clothes it takes to look the part is Ann Kim of Andyheart! Ann impressed Editor-in-Chief Christene Barberich and Creative Director Piera Gelardi with her sense of style, resourcefulness, eye for design, and prose style. Ann, why don't you step up to the mic and say a few words about where you got your sense of style and what blogging and winning this contest mean to you?
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"Thanks! I'm a proud L.A. native and inherited my sense of style from my father, an architect who always got the details right. (Thanks, Dad!) I went on to cultivate my love of fashion at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and as a senior designer at Ferroconcrete, a branding firm, where I work on personifying brands like Pinkberry, TBS, and Hustler Toys.
"Blogging is a full-time job on top of my design career. Wherever I go, whatever I do, I devote time into my blog, Andyheart. It's my love letter to style.
"Being chosen in the top five was amazing enough. It meant that someone out there really appreciated what I was putting out into the world. Winning the contest is a great privilege, especially since blogging is so new to me. Without my blog, I wouldn't have this amazing opportunity to further develop my passions. Thank you, Refinery29!"
And thank you, Ann. Really beautiful stuff. We can't wait to see you around the offices.
But that's not all — we've got more accolades to pass out. The winner of the First Prize chosen by Macy's bar III to represent them as a brand ambassador on a tour of America's top flea markets is...
...Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What! Dani wowed bar III with her cute, chic picks, nose for new brands, and great foot-on-the-ground style skills. Dani, why don't you tell us a bit more about yourself and about your big win here today?
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"I'm thrilled to be Macy's bar III Brand Ambassador! A few years ago, I would have never seen myself here today. Becoming noticed in the fashion industry seemed galaxies away, and it feels like some of my dreams have already come true.
"I started my blog seven months ago when I first transferred to FIT. My goal was to put together a lookbook of daily outfit inspiration by photographing street style to share with people who weren't surrounded by fashion every day and simply didn't know what to wear. As my blog quickly grew, I realized my personal style posts were resonating with my readers, which brought me to where my blog is today. It's funny, I have always been a bar III shopper and was most excited about this prize when I first entered the Refinery29 contest! The brand is a perfect fit to my personal style, and I can't wait to begin traveling on the flea market tour!
"I want my readers to see me winning this contest as a beacon of hope that they, too, can achieve their highest goals if they work hard. I've come so far in such a short period of time, and I couldn't be more thankful for all the help along the way."
Inspiring, Dani. Thanks so much, and good luck out there on the road. Remember to check in with us.
Now we'd like to thank our other contestants — you're all stars in our book — and we wish you all the best of luck in your sure-to-be-stellar blogging careers. Also, we'd like to thank all of you for tuning in, voting, and sharing your opinions, and bar III for being such amazing creative partners. Most of all, we want to remind you to keep blogging, styling, and keeping your eyes open, because before you know it, it'll be time for our Third Annual Next Big Style Blogger Contest!