How long have you been wanting to launch this blog? What does Girl of a Certain Age mean?
"The idea was pretty recent: like this winter. Girls of a Certain Age became the name because there are a whole bunch of us in our 40s — I'm 48 — who are approaching adulthood in a different way than our mothers did. We've got big responsibilities, and lives and families, but occasionally still wish it was 1994 and we were at a Pavement show wearing a little X-Girl skirt and kicking back Rolling Rocks. At the same time, none of my friends are much into the whole "40 is the new 30!" thing. We're all pretty pleased to have arrived at this moment, and clear on the fact that we don't aspire to dress or act like we did a decade ago."
What was the impetus or inspiration? Tell us the genesis story...
"Well, part of it was my friends lobbying for me to start a blog. I'd be going off on one topic or another and they'd say "Kim, why don't you WRITE about this?" Mostly I think they were just trying to shut me up. And they were right: I needed a venue. I started posting in December, and it was private: just a handful of friends and a few others. They were all immediately very supportive, and so I kept on going. In late February I decided to make it a real thing and hired a designer."
Before this, you were the very awesome editor of Lucky for a decade. Have you missed it? And other than this...what have you been up to since you left?
"I took a big fat long break after I left the magazine, and it's been wonderful to wake up to the real world again. I've been doing some writing pretty much the whole time, but I mostly just let myself do something I hadn't done in a decade: chill out. I do miss being around talented and smart people all day, but I do not miss being an editor-in-chief. It's a tough gig, and you have to really want to live that life. I had never set out to have a job like that. It was wild the way it happened, and I loved it, but it wasn't, on some very fundamental level —me. And so, when it was taken from me, I felt less like I lost my identity than that I rediscovered it."
The blog seems very personal, and seems to hearken back to your earlier days as a journalist. Was it intentional...being such a stark contrast from the big glossy fashion experience of Lucky?
"It is about as first-person as a blog could possibly be, right? I tell readers on the About page that if they are not fans of personal pronouns, this might not be the place for them. And I definitely think it has a lot more in common — content and tone-wise — with the stuff from my early days. When you represent a brand, which I did for so many years, you have to reign yourself in. I've really, realy loved not feeling that restriction anymore."
What other blogs were you looking to for guidance or inspiration?
"There's a ton out there that inspires me, but for starters: Go Fug Yourself, because Heather and Jessica are so funny and smart, and because the site has such a strong point of view. Also, they are a great from-the-ground-up story: They found their audience first and then the rest fell into place. My friend Elise Loehnen moved out to L.A. to be the editor of Beso, and she's got a great blog there. When it comes to spotting new talent, and Elise has one of the best eyes out there. Refinery29 and Racked both cover shopping and style in a very approachable — but still very cool way — which is right up my alley. I'm not a huge fan of personal style blogs, but I do love Man Repeller, because Leandra just lets her freak flag fly."
What can we look forward to on Girl of a Certain Age?
"More interviews with chic, smart, funny and smoking hot Girls of a Certain Age: boutique owners, rock critics, designers, musicians, and the like. I also definitely want to expand the Girls of a Certain Age experience to include other voices than just mine. And cute stuff to buy, all day every day."
Photo: Billy Farrell/PMc