Bloggers vs. the rest of the fashion world

I came across an article from The Global Herald called London Fashion Week AW 2010 – New Digital Era Spells Trouble for Fashion Bloggers.

It highlights the gap that is closing between fashion bloggers and the fashion elite (editors, buyers, writers, PR, etc) and how fashion weeks are dealing with what to do with the growing army of said bloggers.

This article specifically talks about the mass of bloggers at London Fashion Week taking over the press area and whether they should be considered press.

Lately there have been many articles talking about whether bloggers should be allowed to cover shows, much less sit in coveted first-row seats. With the rise of Tavi (Style Rookie,) BryanBoy, Garance Doré, Sea of Shoes, Fashion Toast, Style Bubble and more, fashion bloggers seem to be taking over the fashion world with their alternative insight into style and thousands upon thousands of devoted followers.

There is no doubt that many of these bloggers have intelligent insight, experience, style and thoughtful, smart writing. They fill in the void that mainstream fashion publications can't give to the public such as unbiased commentary and a different viewpoint on style without the interference of advertisers.

But the real question is: How much credibility do they have and wear should they sit in the fashion heirarchy?

Many people questioned whether Tavi, a 13-year-old American girl, should have been sitting in the front row of Dior, when a more experienced writer or editor from a major publication could be sitting there.

They argue that Tavi, and many other young bloggers (it seems that a lot of these fashion bloggers are quite young, in their teens and twenties) don't have the experience that writers and editors have.

While that may be true, that doesn't mean take their insight any less worthy. Bloggers are invited to fashion shows for several reasons; fashion houses are hoping that the bloggers will write favourable reviews of the shows resulting in readers buying their products; they are also starting to realize that the Internet is a powerful tool to bring in new customers and influential style bloggers can bring in those customers that mainstream publications can't.

But I think the divide between bloggers and the mainstream is starting to close, whether Condé Nast likes it or not.

Blogging is not just a fad; in fact social media is just really starting to pick up steam. Fashion houses are only just starting to use Twitter and Facebook to draw in people to watch their shows live and buy their products.

In the end, it's very smart for businesses to use bloggers to help promote their product. And in that respect, bloggers are kind of like magazines and newspapers; they help to sell fashion brands.

Fortunately, bloggers aren't dependent on businesses to survive. They can say anything they want to and not lose readers or advertisers.

But back to this whole credibility issue: Sure, Tavi was barely alive when Marc Jacobs first started at Louis Vuitton, but many established writers weren't around when Monsieur Dior was alive, and they seem to get by just fine.

I think that intelligence and a unique point of view are more important than experience. And the fact that these bloggers are honest with their readers, that gives them enough credibility to be able to cover the same events and interview the same people as the mainstream fashion elite.

So future fashion weeks, be prepared to install a bigger press room; the bloggers need their space too.

For more related reading:

Fashion world agog over blogger

Elle editor leads backlash over 13-year-old blogger

What's Your Persona

Last Friday I met up with fellow Toronto blogger Krist Papas, of the blog whatsyourpersona. Krist is a street fashion and portrait photographer who has also contributed to Toro and Toronto Life.

We had fun talking about photography (Karl Lagerfeld is a genius), fashion (does anyone wear anything besides H&M in this city?) and blogging (how influnetial is it?)

Check out some of his beautiful photos:





(Photos courtesy of Krist Papas)

Must-haves

Sometimes when I'm at work I dream about things I really want. Call me materialistic, whathaveyou, but let's face it: Work can get boring sometimes and it's fun to daydream about stuff you want. Like today for instance, my friend Chris and I were talking about what we would do if we each won millions of dollars. Both of us immediately thought about moving to Paris and shopping along the Champs Elysees. Our other dream is to own a modelling agency heh.


But I was also dreaming about less-expensive things to get.

For example, Scott Schuman aka The Sartorialist, is publishing a book of his photographs, which comes out in August. Scott was in Toronto last week at Holt Renfrew to promote the book. Holt Renfrew by the way made window displays inspired by fashion bloggers such as Sartorialist, Sea of Shoes and Garance Doré.



Scott also told a Globe and Mail reporter that he wants everyone to know that he's good in the sack. A stallion with style.

Next on my fantasy list are The September Issue ringtones!


I can't decide whether I want to get Andre Leon Talley's "It's a famine for beauty honey" or a mignon saying "Anna's Wintour's office."

Third on the list is a pair of those ubiquitous Ray Bans I am seeing on every celeb.
Check them out on Rob Pattinson:


The beauty about them is that they look good on any face, no matter what the shape. I think they're called the Wayfarer Square. I saw a guy wear them today and he looked hot. That's a good enough sales pitch for me.


In non-fashion news, I'm going up to my cottage tomorrow for a week where I'll be lazying about in the sun, swimming, boating and getting into trouble with my cousins.

Ta ta!

What inspires you more?

This:

Or this:

This:


Or this:


This:


Or this:



This:



Or this:

This:
Or this:


This:


Or this:

This:

Or this:



Continuing the theme of yesterday's post about how influential style bloggers are; I've picked two of my favourites: fashion toast and karla's closet and compared them to American fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar, Elle and Vogue.

Which ones did you pick as the most inspiring?

For me, nine times out of 10, the style blogs win. Don't get me wrong; the magazine photos are beautiful but they aren't nearly as exciting and fresh as the bloggers.

Independent bloggers are free to be their most creative and experimental. Even if something looks totally wrong, it's still cool to look at. Usually they are spot-on with their clothing and accessory choices because they aren't slaves to trends and seasons. They don't wear couture or designer clothes; they wear vintage and finds from Top Shop, Forever 21 and the flea market. Their styling makes us sartorially-challenged folk see how we can dress fashionably without spending a fortune on clothes.

When I look at Rumi's (fashion toast) latest outfit adventures, I go "ah! So I can pair that navy military blazer with jean shorts, tights and high boots and it will actually work on me!" I don't get relevations like that when I'm looking at the pages of Vogue.
When I look at fashion magazines I see beautiful photographs that I love looking at but they don't inspire me or help me dress better.

Fashion bloggers make me see that I shouldn't be afraid to experiment with clothing and accessories. They give me hope!

(Pictures from karla's closet, fashion toast and the fashion spot)

Fashion magazines: next on the endangered list?

For the past few months I have practically stopped buying fashion magazines (save for a flurry of mad magazine spending a week ago) and have taken little interest in my subscriptions to Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle.
At first I thought it was because I was getting bored with fashion but I realized that that wasn't true because I was (and am) obsessively reading fashion blogs and keeping up-to-date on the latest shows, news and trends online.

I've been thinking a lot about why I don't seem to care about fashion magazines anymore. But the answer is obvious: the internet, stupid!

I wrote about the monotony of (American) fashion mags a while ago; specifically how Vogue was getting boring and stale. After writing that post a few months ago I still find it true that the magazine is uninspiring and dull. I was hoping that in this doom and gloom environment, Vogue would be putting out something more creative and exciting. Now all I do is flip through the pages and yawn.

International magazines fair a bit better; their photographs inspire me and frankly it's the editorials that make me buy them, not the articles. Yet still; I haven't been obsessively collecting every international issue of Vogue, Elle and Harper's every month the way I used to.

It seems that they have run out of ideas; every month it's the same. The pages look the same, the colours are the same, the models' poses are the same; the pages are the same format. I swear sometimes that Elle and Harper's Bazaar are the exact same magazine.
And I'm sick of the non-fashionable celebrities on the cover.

To borrow the diagram from blogger Style Amor, you can see how these two mags look so much alike, EVERY MONTH.

And Vogue covers. Don't get me started on those. They might as well be using the same celebrity on every cover because they put them in the same dresses and poses wearing the same facial expression.

However I do realize all the work and creativity it takes to make these magazines and I really respect the editors, photographers and everyone else involved in making the magazines happen. There are many talented people who are putting them together.
But I feel that they have fallen a bit behind the times and I think that it's not just the people who are to blame. I feel that magazines themselves are behind the times.

Why wait for a monthly magazine to tell me what the next trends are when I can go to any one of the amazing style blogs out there like fashion toast, karla's closet, Garance Doré or The Sartorialist? They can predict and style the trends better than Condé Nast. They are the ones who are inspirational, who come up with never-before-seen ideas. I get my inspiration now from these bloggers because they can do whatever they want and don't have the restrictions or the carefully planned editorial that fashion magazines do.
Instead of waiting for a magazine to show me the best of the F/W 09 collections, I can see them as soon as the shows are over when the photos and videos are uploaded on the blogs and style sites. I can see the bags, shoes, jewelry and clothes right after they've hit the runway so I can decide right then whether I want to buy them.

Fashion magazines need to keep up with the blogs and other style sites or else they will lose touch with their readers who are increasingly turning to the internet to get their fashion advice.

So, dear readers: Who do you look to for sartorial advice and news? Magazines or style blogs and sites?