Thoughts on Fashion Bloggers

[Luxx]

Blogs seem to be lumped together. There are so many different types of blogs out there and I think it is important to differentiate...

Personally I think there are maybe 4 or 5 with various hybrids

1. The Personal Style Blog: Individuals commentary on their own outfits or clothes.

2. The Street Style Blog: Pictures of stylish people on the street.

3. The Fashion Review Blog: Collection & Product reviews, etc.

4. The DYI Blog: I would categorize this as any blog that teaches you how to do things, whether it be how to make a shirt, or how to fix your eyeshadow.

5. Specific Focus Blog: Blogs only interested in one facet of the industry, say a blog entirely about shoes, a blog entirely about jewelry, etc.


The blogs that I find most interesting are usually the Specific Focus ones, I keep track of certain makeup and handbag blogs at least weekly. Personal Style blogs don't interest me, with the exception of Susie Bubble, Childhood Flames and a few others.

Review blogs are only good if the person has something actually to say, I suppose my personal blog is a review blog and depending on the situation I have something to say but mainly it is just an outlet for expression.

Which brings me to my next point, I think bloggers have gotten a bad rap lately. Not everyone wants to become the next Garance, or Sart, or whoever the hell is the it blogger of the moment, sometimes you really just want to get your thoughts out about things in a place where they'll maybe reach a few likeminded souls. I don't think blogs are boring at all, on the contrary I think some blogs are very interesting but finding the ones that appeal to you most is a difficult thing. I have yet to master Google Reader management in the way that other people have, sometimes I'll see a great blog and then forget the name of it a week later because I didn't write it down.

Also there seems to be this myth that all bloggers are just kids who have nothing to do with fashion, I know that a lot of people are young and outside of the industry but dear god I think there are enough of us old, jaded industry souls writing blogs by this point that people should know better than to refer to bloggers as kids.

Now I'm going to go put my teeth in a jar.

 

[Karoline0305]

Luxx -- very good points! I suppose I was referring to the personal style blogs that are generally boring to me, they don't interest me nearly as much as Street Style or Specific Focus blogs.

 

[micahslope]

Out of all of the bloggers, I really dislike the ones who have a tumblr. It's like here, everyone look at how deep and profound I am with these beautiful pictures that look cool. And then let me answer all of these questions people have asked me on formspring, because I know all of you have been dieing to know what I think about stuff. It's so sad to see my generation become so narcissistic.

 

[MissMagAddict]

^I completely disagree with that. I'm very passionate about tumblr. It can be a total hallucinogenic if used properly. There are people on tumblr that have plenty of beauty to share & are sharing that with others. I go back to certain tumblrs every day knowing that I'm going to see something amazing & beautiful.

I find looking at images to be very comforting & inspiring. Actually, some of my best relationships are with the images that I love. I use my tumblr as an outside expression of what's inside of me. Ever changing & evolving.

Have a blog, look at blogs, or don't. Make your choices wisely, because there's there's never enough time for it all. But the moment you start thinking you know yourself completely, you begin to die a little.

 

[nyc_art_style]

Tavi Is Styling Christine Staub for BlackBook’s September Issue

• 7/9/10 at 09:50 AM
• Comment 16Comment 16Comments

Photo: Jamie McCarthy.WireImage

Maybe you're 24 or 25 and have been toiling in fashion closets for a few years, longing for the year when you can take your full allotted vacation time, which you've never been able to do because the higher-ups always get priority and always need you to do things. Like vacuum and book the manicurist. You call in the Chanel, return the Givenchy, put the Cartier in the safe, refill the styling tape, and organize the racks day in, day out, waiting for your chance to decide which shirt will be shot with which top and which necklace and which bra. Maybe in the gruntiness of it all you wonder where you went wrong, why you're still in a windowless cupboard organizing clothes instead of playing with them. Well, it's not your fault, necessarily. Ten years ago when you were 14, your future competitors weren't getting ahead of the game by blogging about clothes. But now that they are, they're way ahead of you, doing your dream work, making you work for them. Your mistake, it seems, was being born ten years too soon. Tavi the 14-year-old fashion blogger is proof: She just landed a gig styling for BlackBook's September issue.
A BlackBook editor reports that Tavi's mood boards were created with Chloë Sevigny cast to model. However, Sevigny had to drop out of the shoot owing to scheduling conflicts. Tavi then had to pick a new model, so she went with supporting reality-television actress Christine Staub, whose mother, Danielle, is a lead on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Here's what happened when Tavi got into the closet:

We left her in there, slightly concerned that since the clothes she pulled were minimal for a 10-page fashion editorial — she pulled from 15 designers, but was very selective about which pieces she chose from each — she might get frustrated when pairing items to form looks. Added to the pressure of a first-time styling gig was the presence of Lizzie Widdicombe, who, despite being very sweet, was still a New Yorker reporter writing down Gevinson’s every move and word in her notepad. But Gevinson wasn’t bothered.
When we returned to check on her progress an hour later, she’d created roughly a dozen perfect looks. They were unexpected and perhaps unlikely pairings, but they were also mature, intuitive and inspired. When we first commissioned Gevinson to style the story, we weren’t sure what to expect. That was part of the allure. Can such a new and young fashion authority, one for whom Internet images often replace the touch and texture of actual collections, do the job of a stylist? Can she edit the season’s best clothes, and partner them in an organic and interesting way? Will she be able to put together a fashion narrative and consistent tone? The answer is yes.
​

So she's getting profiled in The New Yorker, too. Of course she runs the risk of becoming jaded by 15, but that will just add another layer of authority to her expertise.
Tavi Gevinson Styles Her First-Ever Fashion Editorial for ‘BlackBook’ [BlackBook]

from the cut blog. I thought the first part of the article summed up pretty much how I feel about bloggers gaining too much attention. I can't blame Tavi for taking the opportunity. But is it fair that she was offered this opportunity? And I know life isn't fair, and that some people start out young, but something just seems wrong about this.

 

[Squizree]

I can never help but feel envious sometimes of Tavi's success. But at the same time it just goes to show how silly the industry is. They'll do anything for publicity, even if it means taking advantage of an underage blogger who might just be around for her 15 minutes of fame.
I've read her blog and her writing really isn't anything impressive. I don't want to sound bitter or jealous but I really can write better than her lol

 

[kimberwyn]

I think blogs are a great way to get your foot in the door in the industry. And its nice to see "Regular" people getting gifted instead of rich celebs. I do prefer personal style blogs over a blog where some faceless person rambles on and on about the state of the industry or a collection. Not bashing it, I just dont care what a blogger thinks about it. Id rather look at inspiring pictures.

With that said there are some things that annoy me about personal style blogs. Mainly the fact that they seem to be so self serving, the way they'll post 243423 close ups of their face or something -- uh I thought the blog was about fashion? And then they all do these cheesy photo shoots with millions of poses. If you're not a model, dont try and imitate one.

And then there's the fact that the general taste level for bloggers seems to be...nonexistant. I can count on one hand how many personal style blogs actually wear cute outfits. And the most popular blogs seem to be the people with the WORST style, and the ones who look like they're on drugs or something.

 

[Zazie]

Out of curiosity, I went o take a look at Tavi's "mood boards". These are terrible, there's no sense of the dynamics of the PAGE, and no rhyme or reason to the outfits. A mood board isn't about outfits - it's about a "mood", time period, colours, textures, types of clothing and accessories, light/shadow, etc. - and there should be a series of these that are arranged in such a way as to "sketch out" the look of the entire editorial, the close-ups, the middle, the perspectives, the long shot, etc. This is so amateur, silly, exactly what an immature teenager would do, nothing that would make her BETTER than a professional. I feel really sorry for the stylists-in-waiting. Ugh, I hate bloggers. They are like Reality TV stars, and suddenly, a lot of talented TRAINED, dedicated professional actors and actresses must make way for them.

 

[Luxx]

But the moment you start thinking you know yourself completely, you begin to die a little.

Beautiful and true.


I also have to defend tumblr, I have been sporadically updating one and I think that it is a nice way to just take in pictures / quotes / etc. It is a very stripped down form of blogging but interesting all the same. I tend to think of tumblrs as moving / changing mood boards that say something about the person who is posting. Everyone's selection of images is different and it kind of makes for a window into their aesthetic sensibilities.

 

[Drusilla_]

^I agree, tumblr isn't all bad, but I can't say I'm 100% behind the idea of 'more pictures, no words'. It's like people on the Internet these days have ADD so bad that they can't stand to read so much as a paragraph on a blog page. And some bloggers can write really well, too.

I appreciate Susie Bubble, Wendy Brandes, LibertyLondonGirl, the Queens at Kingdom of Style, and many, many lesser-known bloggers (like dreamecho) for actually having things to say and saying them rather than just reducing their blogs to a series of pretty pictures going 'look how great this is'! but it's rather sad that the words "fashion blog" in common parlance these days tend to mean either a series of 'personal style' pictures or talking about insider experiences of the fashion industry.

I also feel a bit like the bigwig blogs have practically taken on 'insider' status, in a lot of ways- and blogging started like an 'outside looking in' kind of exercise, now for many bloggers (the bigwigs, as I call them) the experience of their readers feels more like the blog authors are 'inside looking out'.

 

[Susanna-Cole]

One of my biggest pet peves of fashion bloggers is how many think "tfs" and "weheartit" and "tumblr" count for fair credit for photos. I'm like, "Oh geez, thanks for narrowing it down, should be super easy to find who those photos are by now." Credits like that are almost worse than none at all. Not to mention, many post fashion editorials here with a complete list of correct credits (it's not as if you can post pictures without a source here) and then people ignore those and exchange crediting the photographer for "tfs".

And I especially don't like it when people give me credit for photos I post, when I provided them with the photographers names (and sites, if they have one) for every photo. I'm like, it's not my photo, don't give me credit, give the photographer credit! If I don't know who the photo is by, I don't share it/post it. The only occasional exception I make is for old vintage or antique photos, I mean I still credit if I can, but it's trickier cause sometimes the photographer is no longer living and certainly doesn't have a website nor have they left any traces online to follow in a search.

As far as photos-only-blogs, I like to see all bloggers bring something of their own to the table, so to say. I don't like to see that all a blog's content is by others. I like to have a sense of who that someone behind-the-blog is and for them to be bringing something original that they've made to their blog. Such as I can't take good photographs, so I feature others, however, save for the title quote, all the writing is my own. A balance is nice anyhow.

 

[ErnstLudwig]

I really like the definition of those sub-categories

I personally use street style blogs as an inspiration for colour & outfit combinations and specific focus blogs (classic style) for info that I need and don’t intend to spend money on.

The biggest prob I have with most blogs is the classic internet problem: people spreading "opinions", what actually qualifies them in giving advice in any kind? where do they get their info from? do they do it for free or get paid for it?…

And I have to say that I’m an old school internet user, I always have and will always prefer boards! Many users, same interests, piled up information, multiple opinions, time saving

 

[Susanna-Cole]

The biggest prob I have with most blogs is the classic internet problem: people spreading "opinions", what actually qualifies them in giving advice in any kind? where do they get their info from? do they do it for free or get paid for it?…

Well, what makes you qualified enough to say they're not qualified enough? I mean there are some cases when it's made obvious someone has no knowledge on what they're speaking about, and I agree that's frustrating and irritating. But honestly, you'd be hard pressed to find those without opinions, and who withhold from ever sharing them. And after all, what you have posted is simply your own opinion.

Perhaps, you're referring to only specific cases (though you did say "advice of any kind"), however, if you mean people freely sharing their opinions and advice in general, I don't personally have a problem with it. And frankly, I don't very well like people that don't seem to have any opinions of their own, that say, "I don't know," all the time and won't loosen up and share what they think. I believe everyone should be entitled to have and share their opinions.

But hey, maybe I misinterpreted what you were meaning to say, and if so, sorry for the rant.

 

[micahslope]

I'd think I'd actually find an opposing opinion on my view of tumblr authentic, if someone who disagreed with me didn't have a tumblr. Tumblr is the poor man's blogger.

 

[Drusilla_]

Well, what makes you qualified enough to say they're not qualified enough? I mean there are some cases when it's made obvious someone has no knowledge on what they're speaking about, and I agree that's frustrating and irritating. I believe everyone should be entitled to have and share their opinions.

I firmly believe that too. Blogs are not just for one thing, and I agree it's blindingly obvious when people know nothing- for instance, the blogger who "reviewed" Givenchy's AW2009-10 couture collection and stated, time and over again, what a genius Stefano Pilati was for designing it (Stefano Pilati. Designing for Givenchy? And this when you have Google at your fingertips- come on!!!).

I believe everyone should be entitled to have and share their opinions.

Absolutely! I actually think that a well-written blog can be a far more compelling read than one that's just "pretty", and a big chunk of text that doesn't go "things I did today" actually draws me into reading a post where it might put other people off.

 

[iluvjeisa]

I'd think I'd actually find an opposing opinion on my view of tumblr authentic, if someone who disagreed with me didn't have a tumblr. Tumblr is the poor man's blogger.

Why is that? Personally, the more images and the less talk the better. I prefer dialogue when it comes to 99% of all people's writing. Very few people have the skill to write something lengthy that is really interesting, unless it's in a debate/discussion.

A lot of blogs with lots of writing are pretty pretentious - because they don't seem to censor themselves at all, not realize how trivial the thoughts are...some things are just better left unsaid...a lot of things. Really.

The whole Tavi and Bryan Boy on first row thing....it feels a bit like the fashion elite picked a couple of freaks that nobody can take seriously (but who do photograph pretty well) and throw them in as "see, this is all bloggers and internet people are - now you're old news, go away - what's the next thing on the horizon?".

 

[Drusilla_]

A lot of blogs with lots of writing are pretty pretentious - because they don't seem to censor themselves at all, not realize how trivial the thoughts are...some things are just better left unsaid...a lot of things. Really.

True, and it holds good for pictures too- is anyone else annoyed by the tendency of some bloggers to post 10 photos of themselves in a single outfit?

I don't begrudge anyone the fantasy that they're a model, but when the only difference between the pics you post is the angle of your head or the coy expression on your face and it gets to the point where it slows down the speed at which your page loads, I'd say edit your selection of photographs (Rumi of fashiontoast at least has the sense to do this, and hers are pretty well-shot too). I really don't need to see 8-10 photographs of an AA dress and heels and, for variety maybe, a photograph of whatever they had for lunch.

 

[ErnstLudwig]

Well, what makes you qualified enough to say they're not qualified enough? I mean there are some cases when it's made obvious someone has no knowledge on what they're speaking about, and I agree that's frustrating and irritating. But honestly, you'd be hard pressed to find those without opinions, and who withhold from ever sharing them. And after all, what you have posted is simply your own opinion.

Perhaps, you're referring to only specific cases (though you did say "advice of any kind"), however, if you mean people freely sharing their opinions and advice in general, I don't personally have a problem with it. And frankly, I don't very well like people that don't seem to have any opinions of their own, that say, "I don't know," all the time and won't loosen up and share what they think. I believe everyone should be entitled to have and share their opinions.

Hey I have 0 against freedom of speech, but if I waste my personal time on reading plain opinions they should at least be from people with a certain background (studied the topic, work in the industry…) otherwise I consider them superfluous

The history of a person defines the importance of their opinion (on a specific topic Nobel price winner > student, Gerhard Richter > then a 16 year old boy who hobby-paints

 

[FASHIONLOVA]

it seems like anybody with a camera and an allowance from rich parents has become a fashion blogger.

i have yet to see someone with a real job who works hard for their money have an interesting blog. because so far it s only been girls who just go out of their teen years who get money from their parents and women who get money from their husbands.
and to be honest, that doesn t do it for me. style is not all about the brands you re wearing.
they re making it seem like if you don t have designer items you re not stylish
another thing is, all bloggers seem to be wearing the exact same thing. just like when am on the street and all girls are dressed the same, well bloggers managed to do that on the internet.
i just can t wait for this blogger thing to be over

sea of shoes had the chance to design shoes, and her collection was terrible. Bryan boy got a marc jacobs bag named after him, karla got a coach bag, i mean this is too much, don t you think.

i don t find that they contribute to fashion. few years from now nobody will know who they are

 

[iluvjeisa]

Hey I have 0 against freedom of speech, but if I waste my personal time on reading plain opinions they should at least be from people with a certain background (studied the topic, work in the industry…) otherwise I consider them superfluous

The history of a person defines the importance of their opinion (on a specific topic Nobel price winner > student, Gerhard Richter > then a 16 year old boy who hobby-paints

Actually, the fantastic thing about modern societies is that we went away from "What the minister says is always right" and instead set up a number of rules and apply those, thus allowing ANYONE who can make the proper argument as significant as another person whom people may listen to based on their position.

Naturally, holding a certain title means something. But it is important to remember it does not mean everything.

You simply have to use your own mind to assess whether something is worth something or not - there are no short cuts.