Blogger Of The Moment: Milk Teeths
Ashley Baluyut began her blog Milk Teeths when she found herself stuck in a fashion rut—and not only did she rediscover her personal style, but she also launched one of the most charming blogs around. Over the years, Ashley has cultivated a site dedicated to her love of thrifting and knack for tossing together creative outfits out of dime-store finds. She's been accumulating vintage clothing since the age of fifteen, so she has quite the closet to choose from.
In fact, she's turned her love of rummaging through thrift shops galore into a bona-fide business—her own vintage shop on Etsy, Three Feathers Vintage. Despite her blogging and business success, Ashley is remarkably down-to-earth because of her humble demeanor and the fact that all her cool ensembles can be recreated for just a few bucks, a far cry from other bloggers clad head-to-toe in expensive designers. In-demand brands don't equate to covetable style, as Ashley expertly points out with her quirky and unique fashions.
- 1/11
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Date Started Blogging: July 2010
Why did you initially decide to start a blog?
Long story short, I was in a style rut (day after day of skinny jeans, oversized vintage t-shirts, oversized grandpa cardigans and high tops) and thought that chronicling what I wore would be a good way for me to not only try to dress better but to also actually take out and wear all the beautiful vintage dresses and pieces that I've accumulated since I was fifteen and hey, it worked!
- 4/11
What is the story behind your blog's title?
Milk teeth is an old fashioned way of saying baby teeth. I have a fondness for antiquated terminology so when I had to name my blog, it just popped into my head so I ran with it. However, I'm still not over the fact that "milk teeth" was taken so I had to plop the S on the end despite its redundancy. Hrmph.
If your blog had a mission statement, what would it be?
Dressing well for under $20 isn't impossible.
- 5/11
What do you do when you’re not blogging?
I’d most likely be inside a dusty little thrift store, scrounging around for beautiful vintage clothing and unique odds and ends. Or eating fish tacos at the beach.
What are your personal favorite blogs? Why?
I like blogs that aren’t solely based on fashion but give you a peek into the life of said blogger. Those are always the most entertaining to browse through. Liebe Marlene Vintage and Bleu Bird Vintage are my top two at the moment.
- 6/11
Who inspires your wardrobe and why?
Not really a who, but I'd say in a general sense, history informs my clothing more than any single person or designer. Learning about past times and the people and subcultures who lived and thrived during an era, whether it's Zelda Fitzgerald in 1920's Paris or 1960's English teddy boys, greatly influences me. I never want for inspiration, that's for sure.
- 7/11
Any advice for anyone who wants to start her/his own blog?
Stick with it. Update regularly. Get out there and leave genuine comments (not "omg so cute! Look at my blog plz!") on the blogs you like which will most likely prompt others to check out your blog too. Most importantly, don't be a phony. Blog about stuff you genuinely like and have a passion for. If your blogging is driven by some sort of ulterior motive and you are more concerned with how many followers you can rack up or how many comments you can get on your posts then maybe blogging isn't for you.
- 8/11
What are the best aspects of running your own blog? What are the hardest aspects?
The best is that I am my own editor and boss when it comes to my blog. I update when I want, about what I want, whenever I want. That sort of creative freedom is enthralling. The hardest part, for me, is being so connected to the internet 24/7. I was a mass communications major in college and a lot of my classes dealt with the struggle between how modern technology can allow a person to connect with people around the world while simultaneously isolating them from immediate social relationships. This paradox is one that I think about way too much and it makes keeping up with all of the different social media platforms that I've joined since starting my blog harder since I'm always so tempted to deactivate my accounts!
- 10/11
What type of camera do you use?
I use two: a Canon Rebel XS and when I'm feeling lazy and don't want to carry the Rebel around I'll stick my Canon Powershot SD1400IS in my pocket and call it a day.
Where are your favorite places to shop?
Thrift stores, always and forever. And I do mean thrift. Not vintage, not second hand, but a thrift store filled with racks and racks of terrible 1990's shapeless floral muumuus and bedazzled t-shirts that say "princess" on them. When you find, for example, a pristine 1960's peter pan collar baby doll mini dress in all that racket, it makes the search and the find so worthwhile.











