A passion for fashion: Blogger Sam Smith dishes on her favorite places to shop, and how to be an 'original'

At 17 years old, Sam Smith of Cobden, Illinois, has a sweet disposition, a wise outlook on life, and big plans for her future. A lifelong lover of clothes, she created a fashion blog for a high school assignment, but has continued to share her thoughts on style, shopping and life in general at originalsamsmith.com. She spent her summer working at Philanthropy in Cape Girardeau and is headed to Lindenwood University this fall. Her greatest goal? To own her own shop someday.

"The positive response I have gotten from readers and store owners has definitely been very encouraging, and I hope I can continue to share my clothes and experiences," she says. "Original Sam Smith has been such an exciting journey and I pray that it continues to grow and that I can hopefully inspire others with what I'm doing."

Read on for more about Sam's fashion inspiration, and how she's stayed true to herself:

__Flourish: OK, let's start with some background on you: Where did you grow up and go to school? You're going to college this fall, right?__

__Sam Smith:__ I grew up and went to high school in Cobden, Illinois, and am going to study business at Lindenwood University in the fall.

__Flourish: How did you get interested in fashion? What do you love about it?__

__Smith:__ I've always loved clothes. I can remember when I was little, I would take forever to get ready for anything and my mom would say, "It's not a fashion show, let's go." It's always been a way for me to express myself. I went to a very small high school where clothes and fashion are not very prevalent. Everyone was always talking about sports or other things that I was never very interested in. Fashion was, and still is, a way I can be different and do something I love.

Fashion blogger and stylist Sam Smith poses for a photo inside Brickwood Boutique at the Indie House in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, July 12, 2016.Laura Simon

__Flourish: When and how did you start your blog? How does it work, and what do you hope your readers take away from it?__

__Smith:__ Over the past few years, as social media has become so prevalent, I've been noticing "influencers" or "bloggers" all over the place giving the illusion that their job is real-life dress-up! I began reading a few different blogs and watching YouTube videos, and I thought it was something I might want to do, but putting myself out there on the internet was kind of intimidating, so it was something I put on the back burner.

Fast-forward to my senior year of high school, I am in a business class called "CEO," and the majority of our second semester grade is starting a business. Owning my own store is a dream of mine, but I didn't think that was a realistic option in high school, so I started bouncing back to the blog idea. After I decided blogging was what I wanted to do, I spent January to March researching what I needed to do to make a blog successful, and then I spent the month of March (with the help of my dad) designing the actual site. On April 1, I launched Original Sam Smith. Initially I thought I would do it for the class, maybe keep pursuing it if it worked out, but if not, whatever. Well, on my very first day I got over 950 page views, something I did not expect at all! It was definitely very encouraging!

As the majority of my current audience is local, I have been teaming up with local stores to showcase some of their items. This has probably been my favorite part. I have made so many contacts and friends and learned a lot about what goes into owning a store (which is great, because that is a long-term goal of mine)!

I hope I can inspire my readers to do what they love, no matter what others think. I never really fit in while I was growing up, but now I realize fitting in doesn't really matter. It sounds cliche, but I really want people to love themselves and be independent and confident in who they are. It's not about the clothes; it is about how people feel about themselves.

__Flourish: You're also popular on social media. Tell us about your pages and your "fans."__

__Smith:__ Social media is really fun for me, and usually a place where I draw inspiration from. Instagram is my personal favorite, but I have also been connecting on Facebook. It's kind of strange to think of my followers as "fans," but I would say most of them are high school or college girls on Instagram, and a variety of age and style ranges on Facebook. I've gotten so many positive comments on social media, so it's been a really awesome platform to connect and find out what my readers are loving or what they want to see.

Fashion blogger and stylist Sam Smith poses for a photo inside Brickwood Boutique at the Indie House in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, July 12, 2016.Laura Simon

__Flourish: Where do you get your style inspiration?__

__Smith:__ I draw a lot of inspiration from celebrity styles and TV shows, and I also watch a lot of YouTube videos and read other blogs. I will notice the clothes on a TV show or Instagram picture before I will pay attention to the dialogue or read the caption.

__Flourish: What are your favorite places to shop, and why?__

__Smith:__ Since launching the blog, I've gotten super into local stores and boutiques. I honestly didn't realize how many trendy stores were in this area. They all have different styles and I think the quality is usually higher. I also love that most of them have a limited amount of a certain product, so I feel like I am getting something that not everyone else has. In Cape I love Stash, Philanthropy, Brickwood, Annie Em's at Home and Bloom Studio and Gifts. In Southern Illinois, I love Eccentrics, Perfectly Posh, Love of Family and Home and WLB Style. When I'm shopping at the mall, I am a sucker for a good sale. Lately I've been finding cute stuff at American Eagle, Old Navy and PacSun. I also find that Macy's usually has really cute workout apparel. And, I've been trying out thrifting, too. I've found some Tommy Hilfiger and Levi jeans at Goodwill that I've distressed and love.

__Flourish: What trends can we look forward to this fall? Any tips on how to make those trends work for us right here in Southeast Missouri?__

__Smith:__ Right now and into the fall I'm thinking a lot of '90s trends will be coming back. I've been seeing choker necklaces, plaid, graphic tees and boyfriend jeans. I love this because these items are super comfortable and will be easy to style. I love to tie flannels around my waist and buy my graphic tees a size up so I can achieve a loser fit.

Fashion blogger and stylist Sam Smith poses for a photo inside Brickood Boutique at the Indie House in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, July 12, 2016.Laura Simon

__Flourish: Your blog slogan is "For the girl choosing to be original in a world where it is easier to blend in." Why did you choose that as your focus? And, what is your advice for pulling that off in life or in fashion? It's tough!__

__Smith:__ I was bullied pretty bad when I was in elementary school, so I had to learn at a pretty young age what it felt like to be the outcast and how to respond to hatefulness. When you go to a small school, there is not a lot of diversity in interests and, in my case, I was pretty outcasted for not fitting the model. Both of my parents really supported me in what I loved — cheer and clothes — which were the two things I was picked on the most for. Because I didn't have a ton of friends at school, I had to learn to be confident in who I was as a person. This was a hard lesson to learn when I was 10 years old. I can remember wondering why people didn't like me or what I could do to change, and my mom just telling me to be kind and to try and forgive. It wasn't until I got to high school and made real friends that I realized she was right, and it just does not matter what people think. I'm definitely not saying it's easy to accept criticism or hate, but when you can be confident in who you are as a person, things are a lot easier. I wanted to dedicate my site to other girls dealing with similar struggles and trying to stay true to themselves as well.

__Flourish: What's next for you? Any fun projects or jobs coming up?__

__Smith:__ I am working with another blogger/store owner to style pieces for different ages. This is especially exciting because we both agree there is a misconception that once you reach a certain age, you can't wear cute things. This is going to be a way for us both to connect with a larger audience and show that you can style items to make them comfortable and chic for a variety of age ranges. Also, I am in the researching phases of a formal newsletter. I want to be able to connect with the people who come back every post. I am hoping to include exclusive content and showcase some of my favorite posts.