Thoughts on Fashion Bloggers

[lucy92]

The Sartorialist's Scott Schuman on fashion bloggers. I dont really like his implication that you need to be rich and have an "unlimited" wardrobe...
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"I’m not really a fan of personal style blog s— you know, the ones [on which] these girls just shoot their outfits and all this stuff. I haven’t seen one that I really like or that draws my attention every day. The good and bad of that is that most these girls only have a limited wardrobe; they don’t have many clothes to shoot and I don’t think most of them have come up with looks that are that interesting, that draw me. It will be great to be able to look back and say, 'Wow, this is how real girls were kind of into that thing, dressed at that time.' And then maybe historically they’ll be able to pull out similarities. It seems like every girl, everywhere in the world, has a pair of denim cutoff shorts … but I don’t think it’s so much of a contemporary thing but what it will mean historically." (style.com)

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[rayoflight]

The Sartorialist's Scott Schuman on fashion bloggers. I dont really like his implication that you need to be rich and have an "unlimited" wardrobe...
​

"I’m not really a fan of personal style blog s— you know, the ones [on which] these girls just shoot their outfits and all this stuff. I haven’t seen one that I really like or that draws my attention every day. The good and bad of that is that most these girls only have a limited wardrobe; they don’t have many clothes to shoot and I don’t think most of them have come up with looks that are that interesting, that draw me. It will be great to be able to look back and say, 'Wow, this is how real girls were kind of into that thing, dressed at that time.' And then maybe historically they’ll be able to pull out similarities. It seems like every girl, everywhere in the world, has a pair of denim cutoff shorts … but I don’t think it’s so much of a contemporary thing but what it will mean historically." (style.com)

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He does have a point though, it's endlessly boring to follow average people's fashion/style blogs and sometimes I question the point of those, it's nothing new or innovative, seems like a way to 'be seen'.
Only people who are interesting to follow are horribly rich ones because it's fascinating to peek into their closets, even it's just 300 Louboutins, and people who make their own clothes and jewelery, those are beyond fascinating, but also very rare. Not that I equate red soles, pile of cash or ability to shred denim and sew a flowery baby doll dress with style or anything, but it's just waay more fun to look at higher fashion things and original pieces than another Zara/Topshop/H&M look that I've seen on 900 blogs or polyvore before and mostly in same combination. That's just pointless.
That said, I also find Scott's Sartorialist blog irrelevant (is my personal opinion, not a fact) because to me it seems like 95% looks there are some sort of hipsters and I'm 100% sure none of those people there have inspired me to wear anything I've seen there, just the opposite.
Yea, yea, I'm horrible and have sky high standards, I know, but I like it that way.

 

[FrenchCactus]

^ I completely agree with you.
Regarding the Sartorialist, I find that his posts have gone down in quality. They are no longer as inspiring / thought-provocative / amazing as they used to be.

 

[HiHeels]

I don't think I regularly read any fashion blogs. I make up my own mind about fashion, what appeals to me, etc.

 

[McClaire]

^ I completely agree with you.
Regarding the Sartorialist, I find that his posts have gone down in quality. They are no longer as inspiring / thought-provocative / amazing as they used to be.

I feel like that is the way it is with all bloggers because when they started out it was more creative and fun but now they get a taste of the money and fame and just post to get people on their sites to get the revenues from it.
I was reading one girls blog and she said she felt pressure to dress nice everyday and my first thought was why do have to photograph it everyday? just skip a day. It's not that complicated . I like fashion blogs if their something fun for someone, but when it gets to be a business and only means of money to someone, it has more than a tinge of desperation about it.

it's just waay more fun to look at higher fashion things and original pieces than another Zara/Topshop/H&M look that I've seen on 900 blogs or polyvore before and mostly in same combination. That's just pointless.

I agree it's way more fun, but most people can't afford it and maybe that's the appeal of those blogs who have Zara etc is to see how they each style it differently but that is the key.
I don't agree with him on that they need an endless amount of clothing because sometimes people tend to get creative with a piece of clothing and that can give way to inspiration to style a piece differently.

I do agree with Schumans earlier point on fashion bloggers posting so many photographs on one outfit. It's really not necessary to have 8 photos of one outfit at every angle or act like you're a celebrity and get "paparazzi" like shots. I mean, come on . I find myself unsubscribing and leaving their blogs because it shows more how big their head and ego are than how great their outfit or bag is. ​

 

[Petit Lucille]

Money can't buy style. If you have a style that's your own, it's regardless on the money you spend. Although that is not what mayor brands want people to believe. Personal style is the opposite of what most bloggers display, wich would be collective trends... That is unfortunately what makes most fashion blogs boring, they are too much of the same, and just for the sake of looking pretty in the picture.

 

[scotty pippin]

I agree I don't like blogs that are just the blogger photographing their own outfits, I find I only go back to blogs that have a completely original concept and really great design: ie, Into The Gloss, Garance Dore.

 

[shoegal87]

Into the gloss is great, but it's a beauty blog.

I pretty much agree with you all. Most of these people are only interested in their egos, they buy the same stuff, follow every single trend, take tons of pics of the same outfit (tons of quantity- zero quality) and most of them have zero knowledge of fashion in terms of history, designers and even vocabulary.
they're just PLAIN BORING! yet, brands are so desperate and seem to have such little knowledge on how to approach new customers that they rely on them- sometimes too much IMHO.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

greengrassia, is there a film thread here? I think there was a "Somewhere" thread. Anyhow, I teach film and would be happy to discuss the merits of Sofia's film-making with you, like, for instance, that she is an absolute master of mise en scene, which may come from her photography schooling or from growing up behind the frame on her dad's sets.

As for the average fashion blog, with regular people shooting themselves wearing their own clothes in the mirror, or having their "BFF" shoot their outfits, I avoid them altogether. I look at streetstyle blogs during fashion week, and candids of editors and stars, but that is for inspiration only, not reading. Many of the blogs have little to say that interests me. I do my reading elsewhere. For example, here the reading is considerably more interesting! But, I still like a good book or some strong journalism.

 

[Petit Lucille]

I think the main problem of some personal style blogs is that there is too much of "isn't it (or me) cute?" "I love it so much" and nothing more, there's not even an explanation to why is it so great, but even that would already be boring..

 

[FrenchCactus]

I think the problem with blogs stems from the fact that most bloggers are either in their late teens or early 20es and come across as very immature, or either egocentric people who seem to blog to acheive a certain level of popularity above all. I avoid these altogether.
The blogs I follow are those of women around my age (late 20es) that have a story to share, interact with their readers and make me discover something new and interesting every time. That's the definition of quality content I believe.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Yes, FrenchCactus, you may be right. And I like to discover when I go to a blog, so I prefer those that are maybe not only about fashion but which have posts on literature or music or fine arts, films and so forth. So not merely navel gazing and self promotion or self obsession.

 

[Ives927]

I have to agree that The Sartorialist has gone down hills. It isn't what it used to be. His photographs of streetstyle were unexpected and he found style in unconventionality. Now, he seems to photograph anyone that happens to be on the street. His blog has become rather boring and mundane.

 

[glitterpeacock]

I think any opportunity for someone to express their creativity is a positive thing. Yes, it's not always artistic and it can be egocentric but no one is forced to read a blog. I really dislike people like Alexa Chung describing them as lame and 'mood boards' (not least because all the programmes she presents are basically her mood boards...)

 

[wishbone666]

I think any opportunity for someone to express their creativity is a positive thing. Yes, it's not always artistic and it can be egocentric but no one is forced to read a blog. I really dislike people like Alexa Chung describing them as lame and 'mood boards' (not least because all the programmes she presents are basically her mood boards...)

I agree. Saying blogs a just mood boards isn't really a criticism, of course they are a kind of mood board, and some very inspirational mood boards at that...there is a huge variation in the quality of blogs just like any other kind of media (obviously), so I find it really ignorant when people just dismiss them altogether, not all of them are written by people who just want to take a dozen pictures of themselves in the same outfit (even though those people have a right to their place on the internet as well). There are some really amazing blogs out there written by people who are actually writers, or who do have a really interesting and strong view point..I actually find that type of blog more interesting than most magazines as they don't have to conform to the view of the magazine..Alexa owes a lot of her fame to bloggers who gush over her as well

 

[wishbone666]

I meant saying blogs are just mood boards

 

[HiHeels]

the flip side of this discussion on bloggers would be thoughts on fashion blogging.
it's very strange, for me anyway, to find myself motivated suddenly to start a blog. the first one i ever did (4 years ago) was very spontaneous. the original one, and then the successive blogs were all sort of project-oriented. i will limit myself to a 34-piece wardrobe, i will post a daily fashion question, i will illustrate my favorite items of clothing, i will examine this or that. once i am satisfied with the project, i end the blog. in that case, the blog is really for myself i suppose. but then i value reader response and participation. and i guess the readers that a blog attracts are satisfied. there is really a blog for everyone, if that one person is the author. when people blog as quasi-editors, evaluating fashion shows, commenting on trends, that rarely grabs me. that is just doing what magazines already do. so i suppose i like fashion blogs if they are in the form of personal style blogs (and the person's personal style resonates with me), or if they are fashion obsessed blogs, where the person has an aspect or angle of fashion they want to focus exclusively on (like the tomboy style blog, for example). i use both of these approaches for inspiration personally, and if a blog doesn't offer that to the reader (inspiration, i mean), then i don't know how they hold readers.
i wonder what does hold a reader. some blogs really develop large audiences, and they are rarely the ones that click with me. but at any rate, i'm a big fan of fashion bloggers, and i enjoy discovering new ones that i will want to revisit.

 

[Miss Mod]

I agree. Saying blogs a just mood boards isn't really a criticism, of course they are a kind of mood board, and some very inspirational mood boards at that...there is a huge variation in the quality of blogs just like any other kind of media (obviously), so I find it really ignorant when people just dismiss them altogether, not all of them are written by people who just want to take a dozen pictures of themselves in the same outfit

I agree. I'm not nearly as much of a blog reader as I was a few years ago, but back when I followed dozens of blogs I always tended to gravitate to the writing-heavy ones. Don't get me wrong, I love outfit pictures and collections of aesthetically appealing images, but I'll always be even more attracted to good writing, criticism, and analysis.

I think fashion blogging has gotten a bad rep in the past few years as the media attempts to puzzle through the odd phenomenon of well-dressed teenagers getting legitimately famous from their blogs. Something about being young seems to always inspire more loathing or doubt from large sectors of the population. But no matter what, I think there's too much variation in the world of fashion blogging for any sweeping generalizations by the media to be particularly accurate.

 

[homeboy]

I think any opportunity for someone to express their creativity is a positive thing. Yes, it's not always artistic and it can be egocentric but no one is forced to read a blog. I really dislike people like Alexa Chung describing them as lame and 'mood boards' (not least because all the programmes she presents are basically her mood boards...)

There is some weight and credibility in Alexa's Chung words. Most blogs are either mood boards or personal blogs serving as platform for wealthy and spoilt girls to show off their latest Chloe bag and expensive wardrobe. However there are some genuine bloggers out like like Susie bubble who actually spends time writing and contributing with thoughts as opposed to merely upload beautiful images.

 

[wishbone666]

There is some weight and credibility in Alexa's Chung words. Most blogs are either mood boards or personal blogs serving as platform for wealthy and spoilt girls to show off their latest Chloe bag and expensive wardrobe. However there are some genuine bloggers out like like Susie bubble who actually spends time writing and contributing with thoughts as opposed to merely upload beautiful images.

I don't there is any credibility to her words. As you say bloggers like Susie bubble actually think about what they posts etc, Alexa's comment dismisses bloggers like her.. even though there are blogs that exist just for people to show off, I don't think Alaxa can dismiss an entire form of media and say they are all the same. It would be like comparing Vogue to a tabloid magazine.