It’s hard to be fashionable in army greens. Just ask Julianna Christensen, West Point grad and Nashville fashion and lifestyle blogger, who began her blog in 2015 as a weekend outlet for her style passion after spending the week in uniform.
The blog, Blush and Camo, is filled with stories to help the everyday woman elevate her style with practical tips and tricks. Over the past three years of blogging, Julianna has built a great community of people who follow her style journey—including us at Unclaimed Baggage.
We had the opportunity to meet up with Julianna, dress her in some amazing Unclaimed Baggage luxury finds and talk with her about her style!
At what point did you decide to start your blog?
I was a West Point graduate and an army officer, and when I was deployed overseas, I realized I want to combine my tomboy side and my super girly side. Julia Ingle at the time had started her blog and was farther along in her blogging than I was. I remember I kept going to her Instagram and her website and I was like, this is amazing. She makes a living off of this. So as soon as I came back, I had all these blogging books and I was reading everything, and I sort of threw myself into it in February 2015 when I officially launched the blog.
That’s where the title Blush and Camo came from. It was my army tomboy side combining with my girly side. That’s where the blog was born.
Why did you decide to go to West Point?
I was recruited to swim at West Point. I didn’t really think that the army was an option for me just because I don’t have any military in my immediate family. But when I got this recruiting letter in the mail, my mom made me fill it out, and me being stubborn, I went to mail it but I threw it in the woods instead. Little did I know that my mom had been talking to the swim coach, so regardless if I submitted it or not, I went for a visit. I fell in love with the challenges it would bring and the opportunities it would bring. As corny as it sounds, the idea of being part of something bigger than myself was very appealing to me.
What brought you to Nashville?
I was stationed at Fort Campbell in Clarksville. I was with an infantry unit — the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. I wasn’t infantry, I just happened to be in an infantry unit. I did human resources and supported the infantry unit. I think some people get confused. But that’s what brought me to the Nashville area. I transitioned out of the army, and it was an easy transition to go from Fort Campbell to get a job in Nashville. My husband and I now live in Nashville.
What are some of the best parts about blogging?
I’ll pick my three favorite things. The first is the ability to meet other bloggers. The community is amazing. Just surrounding yourself with women who have the same passion and are creative. The second thing that I like is the community I’ve created around Blush and Camo and the women I get to talk to every day who follow the blog or who follow me on a social media platform. That has been amazing because It didn’t matter where the army stationed me, I always had this community of bloggers and women who enjoy my content that I would always be able to interact with on a daily basis. I’ve formed some great friendships from that.
The third thing I love about blogging is being able to style outfits and being able to share those style tips with women. I love being able to be creative in photo shoots and then translate that to a style tip or a blog post that someone finds useful.
What are some of the biggest challenges of what you do?
Blogging is constantly changing whether that be the Instagram algorithm or the content people are looking for or the latest and greatest technology for your blog. Things are constantly evolving, so being able to keep up with that can be a challenge. Another thing, too, is finding a balance between your personal life and your virtual life. Instagram a lot of the times is a highlight reel. People think that’s your actual life, when in reality you’re just showing the highlights of it. You can also be on your phone a lot as a blogger, so being able to take a break form your phone and be in the present that’s another thing that is difficult.
What advice do you have for people thinking of starting their own blog?
Just do it—to steal Nike’s quote. A lot of girls will try to talk themselves out of it and say the market is too crowded or they’re not creative enough. They’ll have that excuse. But my advice is to just throw yourself into it and you’ll be surprised at where it takes you.
What is your signature style?
Back in 2015-2016, my style was very feminine, very preppy. I wore a lot of dresses that were pastel colored. That’s just where I was in my life then. I think the army played a huge part in that because I wore a uniform five days a week that was baggy, and I couldn’t be cute. On the weekend I’d paint my nails and go in the complete opposite direction. I think that my blog reflected that.
Now that I’ve transitioned out of the army, I don’t feel the need to do that anymore, so I would consider my style more causal and everyday vs. over-the-top feminine. I wear a lot more jeans, graphic tees, leather jackets and tennis shoes. I think with style you’re constantly evolving as a person and style is a reflection of how you feel that day or where you’re at at a specific point in your life, so I think it’s ok for people’s style to change.
Where do you usually get your clothes from?
I get a lot of my clothes from Rent the Runway. I have an unlimited subscription, so I have high volume of clothes and quality of clothes, but I don’t have the price tag of a designer piece. Other favorites include ASOS, H&M, Nordstrom and Madewell is probably my all-time favorite. That’s where I shop the most.
What do you know about Unclaimed Baggage?
I think that it’s an amazing concept, and I had no idea that was a thing. I want a designer handbag so bad, but I just can’t wrap my head around the price of a designer handbag. I’m always looking for ways to get one not as expensive as it normally would be. I knew about Tradesy and RealReal, but how did I not know about Unclaimed Baggage as a resource to find items like that?
Do you have a favorite clothing item?
I’m really into high-waisted skinny jeans. Madewell has the most comfortable high-waisted skinny jeans. I’ve been pairing those with graphic tees, tennis shoes, heels … you name it, I’ve been styling those jeans with it.
What is one piece of clothing every woman should have in her wardrobe?
I would say a pair of go-to shoes that you can dress up or dress down that are comfortable. I have a pair of those, and I wear them with everything, and they make me feel special. I could be wearing sweatpants, and I put these shoes on and I feel like I can conquer the day. My recommendation is to splurge on these a little bit. They would cost more but if you would wear them more often, then it would work out.
Which shoes are those for you?
Mine are the Chloe scallop flats. I wear them with everything. I had a navy pair that lasted me from 2013 to 2017, may they rest in peace. I ended up getting a tan pair that I now wear to work every single day, and I wear them on the weekends as well because they go with everything. They were definitely my splurge this year, but since I wear them more than anything else in my closet, it was definitely worth the extra money.
For our photo shoot, we brought Julianna two pairs of her favorite Chloe flats we found at Unclaimed Baggage! What are the odds? We asked her thoughts on those and the other items we used in the shoot.
I loved every single item as evidenced by the fact that I wanted to buy all of them. They were also reasonably priced. I would never be able to go to eBay or Tradesy or Real Real or anywhere else and buy items at this quality with the labels at this price, so I loved it.
My first pair of Chloe flats, the navy ones, I got them from eBay and they were over $250. I thought that was a phenomenal price. The second pair of Chloe flats … I had to pay full price for them. But then you brought these here and said they were $69.99, and I was like, am I stealing these? It was a no brainer. I couldn’t believe the prices on them.
Will you be coming to visit Unclaimed Baggage?
As a blogger, you want quantity and quality (for clothing). So I’ll be making lots of visits. You’ll probably have to kick me out the door!
We hope you enjoyed following along on our journey with Julianna! Make sure to mark your calenders for NOVEMBER 3RD!! Our annual Winter and Ski Sale Event is going to be one for the record books.