Take My Picture by Garage Magazine

[HeatherAnne]

TAKE MY PICTURE by Garage Magazine

When we set out to make this short, our intention simply was to observe the phenomenon of fashion bloggers and street style stars. As we started to review the footage, two salient trends became apparent: fashion editors frustrated by the ensuing commotion outside of shows, and the rise of "peacocking" street style stars as a result of the proliferation of blogs. This film examines these themes from both perspectives.

vimeo.com

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

i completely agree with this, especially the "bloggers" who dont even really blog they just photograph themselves in designer clothing. It's over-saturated with rich, beautiful women who can buy a camera and clothes and show up outside of shows. I stopped running my blog because it was discouraging knowing that no one actually wants to read substance anymore it's all about a picture

 

[Marc10]

I think this is a great complement to that great Suzy Menkes article for T. I'm glad people are starting to realize how absolutely ridiculous this whole blogger/street style phenomenon has become. Just a bunch of uninteresting people desperately trying to get a few seconds of "fame" and attention. It is slowing killing the real concept of style.

 

[Thefrenchy]

I always suspected that the whole street style thing was a bit of a joke but getting to see it "live" really put me off it. I ended up near the Grand Palais just two weeks ago, where the Acne show was held. I thought I would wait there and see if any familiar faces showed up -- and got to see Tilda Swinton .

Anyway, first I was impressed to see how many street style photographers there were! Then, as expected, many attention whores showed up and unthinkable outfits just to get their picture taken. Seeing their desperate attempt to get photographed was quite pathetic I must say... You could tell they were trying to prove something to themselves or the crowd and it made me feel embarrassed for them. Nothing looked natural, it felt incredibly forced and faked. That is where the essence of what street style got lost. It became less and less about being yourself, and more and more about dressing up and putting on a costume to get your 5sec of fame by being photographed. Finally, what I call "the street style godzillas" arrived. I recognized Hanneli and some other girls seemed to also be the center of attention but I didn't manage to tell who they were. So back to Hanneli. I don't have anything against her and was pleasantly surprised by how nice she was to everyone. She put on a smile the whole time and agreed to every photographers' demand. A real pro. But here is the thing: she did not just stopped a few time to let people photograph her. She literally spent 20min outside the Grand Palais posing in front of it, going up and down the stairs, using the left and right "entrances" etc. The whole thing was so ridiculous and seemed to fit the word "circus" perfectly.

All this made me question the purpose of street style itself. It used to be good fun and truly inspiring. Some street style photographers even became, to some extent, industry players -- which probably explains the increase of blogs dedicated to street style. Now, all I see is a bunch of people wearing clothes they probably would have never worn a few years ago but still did, in hope to achieve some kind of recognition; and the same outfits posted on at least 20 different blogs.

To conclude, I feel like the whole thing got out of hands. The faked extravagance around it became incredibly boring. While I don't really see the point of it anymore, I doubt it's ever going to stop...

 

[YoninahAliza]

That was a really fascinating video, thanks for sharing it with us! I had never really thought about how silly style bloggers who get photographed at the shows seemed but after watching the video by Garage Magazine I will admit I found it a bit off putting. Seeing so many of the women strutting around for the photographers just made street style photography seem fake. I do think their are some genuine street style photographers, Bill Cunningham comes to mind, but it seems like the market is saturated with too many "it girls" and "it photographers." I'll admit when I first got into fashion I absolutely adored certain street style blogs but now I don't even look at them. And to be honest, I don't even miss looking at them, I've grown out of that aspect of fashion. Thefrenchy I think you are right, "the faked extravagance around it became incredibly boring." I can't relate to many of these style bloggers and it seems that all they do is spend their days getting photographed. So to me it's just not that appealing anymore. Unfortunately it seems like the trend of over-exposure in fashion is here to stay.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

I knew this phenomenon had become extreme but I didn't realise just quite how forced and faked it was until I watched that video.
Anna dello Russo marching up and down instructed by the photographers was simply pathetic. Where has the aspiration gone in fashion? The aspiration shown in this video is literally just the miniscule prestige of being photographed or to take a photograph that might get a few hits. It's so ugly.
As much as it seems pretentious that Tom Ford has private shows, or Riccardo Tisci only held presentations for his couture at Givenchy, etc, there really is a special essence in the privacy, in the exclusivity, in the lack of people hoarding.
As much of a buzz as one would get from being photographed or getting the great photo, what kind of compliment is it if everyone is photographing everyone wearing anything?
I admire true street style, as in, not gathered outside the shows but actually in the streets where people aren't dressing to be photographed. I thought that was what it was all about; everyday people dressing well.

 

[HeatherAnne]

So back to Hanneli. I don't have anything against her and was pleasantly surprised by how nice she was to everyone. She put on a smile the whole time and agreed to every photographers' demand. A real pro. But here is the thing: she did not just stopped a few time to let people photograph her. She literally spent 20min outside the Grand Palais posing in front of it, going up and down the stairs, using the left and right "entrances" etc. The whole thing was so ridiculous and seemed to fit the word "circus" perfectly

Oh but don't worry, she "doesn't dress up for the shows to be photographed, that wouldn't be genuine at all"



I hope Garage Magazine will continue to do shorts like this that give us glimpses into the fashion world. Like others have said you can read about it, but seeing it in action is what's really astounding. I found it very insightful, well edited, and Tim Blanks' is always worth listening to.

 

[Littleathquakes]

You know, before even watching it, I kinda knew ADLR would be in there...I'm utterly shocked that lady Gaga was not. I mean talk about peacocking.

 

[ssgghh]

Oh but don't worry, she "doesn't dress up for the shows to be photographed, that wouldn't be genuine at all"

That was the most ridiculous thing I´ve heard in the video, alongside with seeing ADR doing that walking monstrosity before the photographers.

I enjoyed that mini dcumentary, I found it really interesting.

Still, I would not judge the whole lot because of the majority. Those people are ridiculous, and I kind of feel sorry and embarassed for them, because they obviously connect their self -worth with being photographed, which is a sad state of affairs. But there are some people that represent substance in the field of streetstyle photography and blogging and it is not fair to be that judgemental to say bloggers are ridiculous.
Most of them are, but I wouldn´t for instance call Susie Bubble ridiculous, I would call her hardworking and quite genuine. So anyways as much as I agree that the whole thing looks like a circus, it is just not fair to generalize and say it´s the bloggers fault. It is the fault of sorry individuals with low- self esteem and they exist in every branche and they would do that or something similar regardless of the form...

 

[Aqua Tofana]

The documentary was very well made, some truly insightful comments suported by actual footage.
I wish more people would see it.

 

[HeatherAnne]

Most of them are, but I wouldn´t for instance call Susie Bubble ridiculous, I would call her hardworking and quite genuine.

I absolutely agree. Susie is great, I found her (as usual) very articulate and intelligent in that video.

I'm sure it's an absolute nightmare for those in the industry who don't want all the attention to have to push through the throngs of people for the few idiots on parade.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

Hanneli is ridiculous because even though she claims she doesnt get dressed to for pictures. she gets photographed regardless. Susie on the other hand is someone who is passionate about fashion and can articulate her opinions and views on a collection very well. She gets references and she understands the art and business of it all.

 

[franki]

I knew that bloggers posed for photos outside shows etc, but i didn't think it was SO forced that they would repeat their walk over and over. I also didn't think people like ADR would engage in it so much. I know she dresses so OTT for the attention, but I imagined she would just stand, let them take photos and walk along. I guess I was naive to think all those 'walking' photos were really capturing any moment.

I think it also says a lot about style photographers/bloggers, not just personal style bloggers. Many of them have made their name on the ability to find the beauty in the moment, and capture real life moments and fashion in photos. This made them seem no better than any other photographer asking their subject to stand and shoot.

 

[Les_Sucettes]

Most of them are, but I wouldn´t for instance call Susie Bubble ridiculous, I would call her hardworking and quite genuine.

Susie used to be incredibly worried of losing perspective, of being a fashion insider and losing the ability to see the ridiculousness of it all, and she was right to think this way. Because she did caught up in the game, and i'm not surprised she's being lumped together with people that are totally talentless, because she does do a lot of peacocking, a shame in my opinion, because she's the best fashion blogger out there.

 

[ssgghh]

^ In which way do you think does she peacock? Because she dresses eccentrically , or because she gets her photo taken by street photographers or des she maybe fake walking casually for street photos or does something appalling like that?

I have never seen her pose for photographers so I dont know wether I´d say she does it to peacock. Call me naive but as far as her style goes and her letting people take photos of her I honestly think it´s not peacocking in her case. She strikes me as passionate for the clothes themselves and she is a blogger after all, so why should she all of a sudden stop posing for bloggers or stop wearing what she feels like? Just because she made it big?