An Inspired Chat with Grace Gonzalez of Denver

We recently had the chance to connect with Grace Gonzalez and have shared our conversation below.

Grace, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Sewing! I learned some of the basics during Covid lockdown but haven’t touched my machine since. I’m finally getting back into it, and the satisfaction of completing a project—or tailoring a clothing item to fit perfectly—is unlike any other crafting endeavor I’ve done before. Of course, it’s not without its frustrations when I inevitably thread the bobbin wrong or jam the machine, but that makes the toil of the finished project that much more gratifying.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Grace, and I’ve been running the fashion blog Grace per Wear (formerly Graceful Rags) for the past nine years. Grace per Wear is where my love of fashion and my analytical mindset meet. I have always been interested in cost per wear and have tracked every clothing item I own in a spreadsheet for the past decade. Now I include cost per wear details in every outfit I share to inspire others to make sure they’re wearing the clothes they already own and are making more informed decisions when shopping new. For me, cost per wear started as a fun way to put my newly-learned Excel skills to use. Now it has become so much more—a way to save money, be less wasteful, and only buy pieces I know I will reach for time and time again. In an age of overconsumption and fast fashion, more people are looking for ways to buy less and make their closets more sustainable. Cost per wear offers a unique approach to do that.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
That I’m unique. I don’t mean that in a self-deprecating way—of course I know I have a lot to offer, and the older I get the more comfortable I am with knowing my strengths (and weaknesses). But the fact of the matter is that every thought, feeling, and idea I have is most likely something that someone has already experienced before me. Maybe that’s a pessimistic view. Or maybe it’s comforting to know you’re not alone. Either way, I think accepting that fact allows me to let go of whatever I *think* makes me unique and live unapologetically how I want. It also gives me better perspective when choosing people to surround myself with—someone who can make you feel special even on the most mundane of days is a friend worth keeping around.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
If you had asked me this question a year ago, I would have said “constantly.” I have considered quitting the world of social media too many times to count. I’ve taken month-long hiatuses. I’ve thrown tantrums. Last year I gave myself an ultimatum to either make something happen with this whole “blogging thing” or quit by the end of 2025. I think what largely kept me going for at least five of my nine years of blogging was the sunk cost fallacy—I had already dedicated so much time and effort into my blog. I was so embarrassed by the idea of failing that I kept going, even though there were many days that I didn’t want to and probably much better ways to spend my time.

I finally sat down with myself last summer, on a warm sunny day, to do some serious reflection. What would make me feel successful? And how much of that was truly in my control? I realized what my blog needed was a new name and a fresh website. I spent weeks adhering to a strict project schedule and even learned some coding to get my website just right. I teased the big project on social media, and when the day finally came to hit “publish,” I launched Grace per Wear. I was overwhelmed with kind messages and love for the new name. And almost immediately something clicked for me—after years of floundering, I finally understood what my brand was about and how I needed to communicate that to my audience. Most importantly, for the first time, I felt proud of what I had created. There are still frustrating days and I’m not even close to the thousands of followers that everyone expects me to have after nine years, but I haven’t thought about giving up since.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I try to be authentic on social media—to an extent. I believe very firmly in boundaries when it comes to posting on the internet. I like to show my goofy personality in videos, and I never shy away from sharing a funny or unflattering photo of myself. I hope if people watch my videos and then meet me in real life, they feel like I am one in the same. But I will not share my struggles or anything deeply personal online. My platform is about fashion, and I try to keep it about fashion. I want people to get an essence of who I am offline through my blog and social media, but if they can “know” me just from the internet then I have shared too much.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Ten years is a difficult timeframe. If I knew I only had one year left, I would immediately quit my day job and spend all my money crossing off as many bucket list items as possible (including, but not limited to, going on an African safari and attending a masquerade ball). Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s realistic to take that approach for 10 years—I would run out of funds very quickly.

My gut reaction, then, would be to quit blogging and social media. I love sharing my outfits online, and it always makes my day when someone reaches out to tell me my videos inspired them to create a new look or gave them more confidence in what they were wearing. If my time was limited, though, I would not want to waste any more hours mindlessly scrolling or obsessing over the perfect lighting or edit. For all the joy I get out of blogging, there is also a lot of frustration and, quite honestly, meaningless crap that comes with social media. The two can’t be separated, which is why I know one day I will decide to delete my social media accounts altogether. Not because I’m giving up, but rather because the silly competition and pursuit of external gratification, which are inherent to social media, are no longer worth the benefits. With only ten years left, that becomes an easy decision. As cliché as it is I would try to spend as much time seeing with my own eyes rather than living through a lens.

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Image Credits
Grace Gonzalez

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