The rise and rise of the Fashion Blog
A select group of fashion obsessives are bringing fashion to the masses: Fashion Editor Saskia Verhagen explores the burgeoning online world of fashion blogging
The fashion industry has always been deemed inaccessible, elitist and perhaps slightly indimidating by general consensus. It seems only natural, then, for people to start taking fashion into their own hands, and out of the perfectly manicured talons of the fashion editrixes at Vogue and the like. Such is the world of fashion blogging. Now very popular, just a few have gained a loyal following, and even fewer have earned endorsements from the heavy-hitters in the fashion world – PRs and designers alike – gaining entry into runway shows and press days alongside the very editors who have always held fashion at arms reach, on the page of a magazine, on the body of a supermodel.
The scope of fashion blogs range from street style blogs, where budding fashion photographers roam the streets in search of the sartorially inspired, to personal style blogs, where individuals exhibit their own inspirational styling. What is so special about them though, is the fact that each is completely unique; anyone interested in fashion can find a fashion blog that appeals - and if you can’t, start one up yourself!
Some of my personal favourites are below – though I implore you to take a look for yourself, and find yourself inspired without having to flick though the pages of a magazine.
Fashion Toast
Rumi Neely, personal style blogger behind Fashion Toast, is one of the pioneers in making fashion blogging a career. Spawned from her blog has come a modelling contract with US fashion giant Forever 21, a jewellery collection with Dannijo and a capsule wardrobe collection with RVCA, whose previous collaborators have included supermodel Erin Wasson. Her signature is effortless SoCal style – loose, draped lines, an excess of heavy metal jewllery – rings and necklaces are a favourite – combined with unexpected designer accents: Chloé platform boots, Dolce and Gabbana wedges or an Alexander Wang Diego bag. The secret behind her huge popularity is her penchant for accessible fashion - Topshop, Zara, H&M and thrifted/vintage pieces feature heavily, making a clear case for fashion being for everyone, not just for those who can afford it.
Sea of Shoes
Texan-born Jane Aldridge has gained one of the highest of accolades in the fashion blogging world: an endorsement from none other than Mr Kanye West. A fellow appreciator of the very finest in footwear, it would seem that Kanye enjoys Jane’s flamboyant, too-much-is-never-enough vintage/designer style. Her personal style posts are always rich in colour and luxurious textures; both Jane and her mother are collectors of all things fashion: from vintage couture to the most unusual accessories (they both have something of a fetish for animal jewellery). All this, combined with a shoe collection to make any fashionista’s eyes water. Jane recently posted a photograph of her Shoe Wall: you name it, it’s on there - Margiela cowboy boots, YSL cage shoes, Chanel bow booties, Prada chandelier sandals... Every iconic shoe a girl could want, and more.
The Sartorialist
One for the gentlemen, The Sartorialist is arguably the most famous of all fashion blogs. Scott Schuman is a New York-based street style photographer with an eye for classically elegant sartorial style. His particular favourite subjects include Milanese gentlemen (clad in bespoke three-piece suits, complete with cravats, leather gloves and perfectly formed handmade brogues), cute New York girls on bicycles and Anna Dello Russo and the Vogue Nippon editorial team (wearing super-luxe designer couture – fresh off the catwalk, of course). Together with his girlfriend, fellow fashion blogger Garance Doré, whose blog has a huge following of its own, he is a fashion week regular – particularly funny to watch are the fashionistas standing outside the catwalk tents vying to catch his eye and be deigned with fashion blogging’s greatest honour - a portrait shot on The Sartorialist.
www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com
Clothes Whisperer
Kristin Knox, fashion writer, author and proud owner of an MPhil from Oxford, has cornered the market on an intellectual approach to fashion with her fabulously witty writing and flawless New York-comes-to-London style. With posts ranging from in-depth runway analysis (scholar-style) to her signature Style Whispering (photoshoots in designers’ showrooms, putting her own spin on their current collections), each one provides a peek into the world of fashion. Funny, envy-inducing and always truthful, in addition to the innumerable pictures rife in all fashion blogs, Kristin’s is one of the only blogs out there whose text is actually worth reading. Particularly entertaining are her posts on the “Champagne and Canapé Diet” - a self-admitted fashion addict, Kristin prefers to spend her cash on clothes than food, and so, makes the most of the fantastic spreads provided at press days!
