An extraordinary woman, Yvonne

Life and Fashion through the Lenses – From Chartered Accountant to Fashion Blogger

Life takes us to unexpected places, and love brings us home. And the journey home can take different shapes and teach us valuable lessons which would otherwise remain unavailable. Many of us were taught from a young age to get a good job that pays well, as this would be the fundament of our lives, and everything will revolve around it – family life, social life. Some people follow the rules without ever questioning the authorities. Other people take a leap of faith and defy convention to pursue a passion – and get home to what they love. Yvonne, the owner of FunkyForty.com, is one of these people.

Yvonne is not your typical fashion blogger from so many points of view. She is unapologetically young at heart, believes chocolate can cure almost anything, and rocked the finance world before getting to business in fashion in her late 40s. Yvonne worked as a chartered accountant in New Zealand (her home country) and then in England before relocating to Switzerland in 1990. After the relocation, she worked in the finance industry – banks and reinsurance.

“I worked in the finance sector for around 25 years, and one day, I just decided enough was enough….”

From her childhood, Yvonne had a clear vision of what she wanted in fashion and clothes.

“I can’t sew. However, even at a young age, I was better at drawing what I wanted and giving my drawings to a friend. Then she would sew it.”

Later in life, one of her positions in New Zealand was with a clothing company. She was working in the finance department, but she knew what was going to sell and what wasn’t. Fashion is a calling for some people, and Yvonne is obviously one of them.

“I have always been a personal shopper for all of my friends. And my mom, and dad, and everybody. I’m still a personal shopper. You know, even my daughter comes to me and wants me to shop with her.”

Funkyforty.com is a project Yvonne started in 2015. She was almost 49 years old at the time and had a desire to do something for women over 40 years old who had little to look for in terms of fashion blogging and ideas.

“It was a lot happening for younger people. But there wasn’t anything decent at the time for an older woman over 40. And so I was determined to do something.”

“I love that it leads me to do things which I would otherwise never be able to do.”

Yvonne is now a recognised street style photographer; she gets to go to Fashion Weeks and fashion shows and also publishes her photos in well-known magazines. She gets to travel and enjoys the freedom of being her own boss. It’s a world away from her two and a half decades of experience in the finance sector, but doing what you love is fulfilling and a life purpose in itself.

Self-expression through clothes made according to our wishes

Expressing our true selves through fashion choices, words and facts is a courageous act. It speaks about our vulnerabilities and makes us stronger in the process. It can start small, with a simple, black top, but this doesn’t make it less remarkable.

“I still have the top my mother sewed for my 21st birthday. It’s just a simple top, made of taffeta, black, with about four or five layers of sequins along the neckline. For me, it is very special because my mom made it.

Redesign life as often as needed. Change paths.

Yvonne has quite a non-typical career path, from being a chartered accountant in New Zealand to a street style photographer and fashion blogger in Switzerland. But all she did was pursue a passion she had since she was a child. She redefined what the 40s mean for a woman in terms of fashion and, in the process, showed us that the late 40s could be the perfect time to start a new business, change career paths and do something you love every single day.