Bianca Caampued and Mallory Blair have taken the business world by storm. As the brains (and beauty) behind Small Girls PR, they use height to their advantage. To them being petite is a USP, something to make them stand out from the crowd. Even the name ‘Small Girls PR’ is honest, confident and refreshingly personal. Corporate hotshots that seem accessible. We caught up with them to talk Yoda, Scandinavian teens and how to dominate boardrooms while still being cute…
Photo courtesy of The Style Line
1. How has being a ‘small girl’ shaped your style and your attitude to business?
Bianca: It has actually allowed me to think ‘the sky’s the limit’ in terms of both style and business. I know how to fashion anything I like, no matter what size it is, to fit my body – including menswear. Large tops become flowy unstructured pieces, men’s shirts or sweaters become dresses, etc. The same goes for business- we show people how we can work with anything that we believe is a fit. Sometimes we have to jump a little higher to make people see eye to eye, but our vision and passion shine through our approach and our work.
2. Why did you name the company ‘Small Girls PR’?
Mallory: My cofounder & I are both under 5’3” – we thought the name was to the point, memorable, and quickly communicated a personality. If we’re advocating that brands be more personable with their approach, no better way to practice what we preach.
3. What is in your handbag right now?
Mallory: I’m out of town at GE’s leadership conference right now so I have my travel essentials in tow – that includes trèStiQue cosmetics (portable mix & match makeup for a 5-minute beauty routine), a Karma hotspot for wifi access anywhere, and Yosi Samra’s foldable ballet flats for insta-footwear changes.
Bianca: A mini-projector for our office retreat to Cancun, a Star Wars notebook, half a bag of potato chips from yesterday’s Wired Business Conference, a Galaxy Note 4 (because I love how you can write on the phone like a notepad), and my Jawbone ERA bluetooth headset (because the Galaxy Note is as big as my head).
4. Who are the celebrity petites you look to for style inspiration?
Mallory: 98.6% of my style inspiration is from Scandinavian teens on Instagram.
Bianca: As a duo, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Personally, Rachel Bilson, Yoda, and Alexander Wang’s niece.
5. Are you conscious of showcasing your brand through your wardrobe? How do you dress to impress clients? Is your work style different from your personal style?
Mallory: Bianca and I coordinate complimentary outfits together for photo shoots & talks, often incorporating our brand’s colors or bows & studs (which are in our logo). We have fun with it and don’t take it too seriously. That said, we do Spirit Week at the office once or twice a year. This year, one of the themed days was “Dress like a Small Girl” and everyone interpreted our company’s aesthetic as an outfit. There were lots of blush tones & leather jackets – polished with an edge, I like to think(!)
Bianca: While Mallory mentioned that we’ll coordinate outfits for shoots, I think it actually happens naturally in most cases. We’ll come into the office with similar or complementary looks. Our styles came before the brand and was actually infused in the creation of the brand (our color schemes of black and nudey peach, leather/studs, pink/bows). I actually don’t try to dress my to impress clients (I dress up our decks to do that), but I’m aware of what might be more appropriate for a meeting, an event, or an activity. The outfits fall into a spectrum of the same basic aesthetic – for example, I might wear a fancy white leather jacket to a meeting or event vs. a worn-in one with holes that I’d wear in the office, silk sweatpants vs. cotton sweatpants, high waisted leather shorts vs. denim cut-offs, etc.
6. Where do you shop?
Mallory: Lots of Timo Weiland. I also own the same one-piece suit from Ted Baker in about 3 different styles because it’s cute and coquettish but also says, ‘Hello, I am here to dominate this board room. Thx.” Though Rachel Antonoff just came out with a mint-colored leather suit that I’ve been having dreams about it, so might be time to switch up my game.
Bianca: Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, thrift stores, the Container Store, Target, Kmart, Amazon, my bf’s closet.
7. What’s your life motto?
Mallory: “lol”
Bianca: ‘Breathe’ and ‘Take the next right action.’ Those go together, but I like to think of them as separate thoughts.
8. What is your go-to piece for a night out? What’s your routine for getting ready?
Mallory: Platform shoes. My half-hour routine for getting ready is responding to the emails in my inbox for 25 minutes, then scrambling to get ready with the remaining 5.
Bianca: This cross body bag that was gifted from Ann Taylor. It’s just the right size to fit my phone, cards + cash, my cigarettes and keys. I can have it on while running around and dancing, without having to put it down or think about it too much. I usually get dressed, take selfies and send them to friends, dance around a little bit to get my energy levels up, then walk out the door.
9. Favourite trend of the season?
Bianca: Whatever the old ladies are doing these days.
10. Name a song, designer and TV show you love right now.
Mallory: I am going to skip the other two in an effort to dedicate more space to how much I love the BBC miniseries “The Paradise” – it’s a fictional account of the first department store in 1890’s Newcastle & its shopgirl who rises up through the ranks by coming up with brilliant marketing campaigns in a pre-marketing era. Boom.
Bianca: Phantogram, Black Out Days – It’s kind of an old song but I listen to it on repeat and dance to it in my head when I’m walking down the street. Timo Weiland – My wardrobe is very Timo Weiland-filled from his last few friends & family sales. Grace and Frankie – I’ve watched it all on Netflix and now I’m sad that there’s nothing left to see. Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin are heroes in so many ways.
