Meet Rachael Forster: Fashionista, performer and fabulous lifestyle blogger

Instead of graduating into the corporate life of Wall Street, Rachael Forster left Harvard to embark on a modeling career in LA.

The Class of ’13 Psychology major, who went to Harvard Extension School, is now a performer, fashionista and food blogger based in Venice Beach.

The Tab chatted to Rachael, who works as the Creative Director for CouturedonBleu and has an 8000-strong Instagram following, about her fabulous life.

Rachael Foster, Harvard ’13

Hey Rachael! Thanks for talking to The Tab, so just to get you acquainted with our readers, and to rehearse the questions every freshman asks each in Annenberg, tell us about yourself?
I’m from New Jersey/New York. I studied Psychology. I was Class of 2013. It kind of feels like it was forever ago.

What clubs were you most involved in? You mentioned you participated in Identities? 
I did act in a few productions with the HRDC but yes, Identities and Vestis. I was a Creative Director for Identities, which was a lot of fun. I loved coming up with a theme for my segment and styling the models. Vestis was a great launch point for starting my own blog.

I was looking at your website, CouturedonBleu, super fashionable if you don’t mind me saying, can you tell us what’s your website about?
CouturedonBleu (a play on Le Cordon Bleu, the culinary school) is meant to be a destination. I wanted to create a space that is inclusive, engaging, and exciting. The things that excite me most in life are food, fashion, and travel so it’s my hope is to bring you on a stylish, tasty, and sometimes jet-lagged filled adventure. That’s a pretty awesome life if you ask me!

I see a lot of Insta pics and modeling pics, do you model for anyone in particular?
Mostly I shoot for my outfit of the day photos for CouturedonBleu. But between the blog and acting, I’ve been offered a lot of modeling gigs or jobs representing a brand. I love it. I only choose brands I believe in. I’ve been lucky to work these brands but mostly, lucky to meet the people I have on these shoots or events.

I read that you were featured in some independent films, which one was your favorite and how so?
After school, I worked on a film in NYC titled The Girl In Book. It was a really small cast and crew which made it a lot of fun. I bonded with a lot of people who I’ve remained friends with. I also got to talk to actors like Emily Van Camp and Michael Nyqvist who are much further along in the game. It was nice to get a bit of advice from more seasoned actors, though to be honest, we all talked about The Food Network a lot.

Do you ever miss Cambridge? I’m sure LA is a little bit different…
I do miss Cambridge and Sundae Sunday. I look forward to making a trip up there from New York while home for Thanksgiving. Honestly, at this point, I’d pay someone to mail me a box of orange and yellow leaves… People don’t realize you can miss the season until you move somewhere without any.

Los Angeles is an extremely different place. It has so many different pockets of culture in one city and it’s all so far from each other. I would say everything is different. Not just the weather but the people, the rhythm, the values.

You talk about always being on the move and having this affinity for adventure, what’s the next move in your life?
I really love the idea of living multiple lives in one. One of the best ways to experience that is to travel. Everywhere I go I learn something new about myself. I think  you should always try something new and push yourself.

As far as my next move, my husband is looking at MBA programs and our hope is to go to Europe. During that time, we will be working on, not only expanding our blog, but starting our own Ready To Wear clothing line. That’s the long term plan.

I couldn’t help but agree with one of your pictures which says “Live a Fuck Yes Life”, what does that mean to you?
That one made me laugh so I had to post it! I think my brand isn’t just about fashion and food. It’s also about who I am too. I’m pretty snarky and cheeky as my friends could tell you.

A “Fuck Yes Life” is about doing something in your life that makes you get up excited every morning. If you’re asked to do something or offered a job, why take it if it only makes you say, “yeah, OK”. Do things that make you say, “Fuck Yes”.

Lastly, any advice for a Harvard undergrad? 
I would say, find something you are really passionate about. It’s easy to do what you think you’re supposed to or what your parents expect of you but that won’t make you happy. Take this time to find what you really love. Envision what you want and who you want to be in, one year, five years, 30 years from now.

Continue to act, work, and be that person and stick to your vision. The world will undoubtedly knock you down but if you can stay true to yourself, then your words will align with your actions. That’s when the magic happens.