Fashion Bloggers and their rise to the front row.

26/04/2010 SalD 32 comments

AUTHOR: Sally Dunstan

ABSTRACT

This conference paper delves into the world of Fashion Blogging and seeks to understand how enthusiastic unqualified individuals now have a global fashion presence and enough influence to ensure they have seats at major Fashion shows. How has Web2.0 contributed to the rise of Fashion Bloggers?

PAPER

Through the development of applications that encourage user participation and collaboration Web2.0 has been the technological facilitator of change on the Internet. Blogs are an example of a Web2.0 tool that encourages users to develop and publish their own content. They have lowered the entry barriers to publishing an opinion on any subject and have become a popular method for the individual expression of style. Blogs that focus on the subjective nature of fashion, both individual and mainstream are popular on the Internet, so much so that their presence, popularity, readership and influence is noted and openly acknowledged by leading fashion brands and organisations.

Fashion blogs are now at the cutting edge of a cultural revolution in fashion communications where their popularity and readership could lead to the enthusiastic yet amateur authors sitting in the front row at fashion week. This particular topic is at the intersection between Web2.0 and the online fashion community.

Web2.0 applications such as Blogspot and Wordpress enable users with little technical knowledge to construct and share their own opinions and tastes through blogs. Regardless of their level of technical expertise, users can wield technologies in more active ways than their traditional media counterparts.

Advances in communication technology, such as “What you see is what you get” publishing tools, have made it accessible for anyone with a computer and some sense to create a blog. Messages, photos and blog posts are very easy to create and upload without any technical or coding skills. Many bloggers post frequently even daily and news and trends can be uploaded and spread much faster than monthly or weekly publications (Van House, 2004). Susan Lau, the author of ‘StyleBubble’ one of the most widely read fashion blogs, posts almost daily and has been known to post more than twice a day, particularly when reporting from Fashion week sidelines (Lau, 2010).

The low barrier of entry is reflected in the variety of users and purposes of blogs (Lomborg, 2009). Fashion blogs have become a platform for the unlimited reproduction and distribution of the written word for a very low cost that is in complete contrast to expensive traditional magazine publishing. The tyrannical nature of fashion, communicated through fashion magazines is now facing the challenge of an oppositional view being put forward by blogs; blogs that are produced by non-professionals that have no responsibilities and act outside of the traditional media. Non-professionals such as Tavi Gevinson the thirteen-year-old American blogger who sat front row at the last Marc Jacobs show and who has a column in Elle Magazine (Gevinson, 2010).

They are uncensored, unmediated, and have an uncontrolled voice. The lack of gatekeepers to the closed world of fashion publishing allows for alternative sources of information that are unconstrained from traditions to thrive (Blood, 2009). This lack of governance is revolutionising fashion communications and bloggers are advancing on the territory previously the domain of the fashion journalist. Traditional fashion journalists have gone through rigorous internships and apprenticeships and steadily built up their reputation and now amateurs have achieved similar status without taking the long traditional career path. ByranBoy, who began as an enthusiastic blogger and now is on the editorial team of MicroMag, an online fashion magazine (ByranBoy, 2010). It is the refreshing unregulated honesty and integrity of blogs written by unskilled, unqualified individuals with their oppositional view to fashion communications that give them their power; blogs such as ‘Sea of Shoes’ written by Jane Aldridge a 17 year old high school student (Aldridge, 2010). Aldridge writes with candour and personality and is very engaging. She simply presents quality photos and brief descriptions of outfits and yet she has a devoted following, can count Kanye West as a fan and is invited to wear personally fitted Channel to her debutante ball (Aldridge, 2010).

Bloggers also claim that blogging is highly democratic and merit based. The quality and popularity of the blog is based largely on the quality of the work rather then the author’s credentials or institutional affiliation (Van House, 2004). Fashion blogger Julie Fredickson attended New York Fashion week in 2006 and was featured in the American revered magazine, Women’s Wear Daily. Fredickson believes that “fashion for the true fashionistia has always been democratic but bloggers are taking that attitude to the masses” (Zamiatin, 2006).

The greatest strength of fashion blogs is their ability to filter and disseminate information to a widely dispersed global audience. Publishing on blogs is a highly public activity and most can be read by anyone who finds them with the writing taking place openly and under public scrutiny (Van House, 2004). Where print media has been argued to cause barriers between writers and readers with public and private spheres separate from one another, the public nature of fashion blogging is different (Rettberg, 2008). Blogs are written with a clear expectation of having followers and engaging with readers. Blogging is able to connect people on a very personal and emotional level through the disclosure of personal tastes, styles and opinions as well as private information.

Queen Michelle of the blog ‘Kingdom of Style’ has revealed much about her life over the past five years of blogging, including family history, relationship details, and her financial position. By revealing this information Queen Michelle has unintentionally attracted an audience that feels very close to her, despite their cultural and geographical differences (Michelle, 2010). The support and understanding of her readership can be seen in the comments section of her blog where messages of adoration, amazement and affection are dominant (Michelle, 2010).

Fashion blogs are great forums for spreading personal ideas and styles as broadly as possible, done so with the understanding that not everyone likes your ideas (Rettberg, 2008). Blog authors are able to point to, comment on and spread information according to their own tastes outside of the traditional media; thus the parameters of fashion style are pushed in the non-regulated world of fashion blogs and many bloggers have stood out and amassed quite an avid following of readers (Blood, 2009). The ‘Kingdom of Style’ blog mentioned previously has amassed dedicated readership by openly pushing the boundaries of fashion. Queen Michelle is often seen in particular unique outfits that are outside of the norm and it is not uncommon for her style and fashion forwardness to be replicated and referred to on other fashion blogs (Michelle, 2010).

An article published in the UK Mail pinpointed that the popularity of fashion blogs like ‘Kingdom of Style’ can be attributed to “revealing trends before they’re set, passing on gossip before it’s happened, being the harshest critics of hyped-up fads and pulling off a look from the reject rail and making it look so hot”. (Kay, 2007)

Blogging is a highly expressive activity and it presents an opportunity to write personally for an audience with a clear and unique voice (Van House, 2004). Blogs can be highly individual and personal and bloggers tend to use their real names and engage in a high degree of self-disclosure and honesty. Self-presentation tends to be holistic as the authors talk about their work, their private lives, and their opinions. The presentation is of their life and the emphasis on a personal voice adds to the informality and self-disclosure of the blog (Van House, 2004). The form of the blog offers an opportunity for self-contemplation, and blog entries often include comments on one’s own feelings, uncertainties, reflections on style and on oneself (Van House, 2004). ‘Karen’ the author of blog ‘Where did you get that?’ will post photos taken inside changing rooms of potential purchases to either present new purchases, explain her purchasing rationale or to openly seek advice and recommendations from her readers (Blanchard, 2010).

The more personality conveyed by a blog through personal revelations, orientations and biases the easier it is for the reader to assess who the blogger really is (Van House, 2004). It seems the more self-disclosure and informal interaction on a blog the more trust is earned from the reader. Trust aids in the development of personal relationships that are in turn valuable for building and maintaining readership (Van House, 2004).

The accessibility and openness of fashion blogs allows the authors to potentially find a few excellent readers and communicators. Through the comments section and cross-blogging conversations, dialogue takes place between the two. Readers of blogs are often bloggers themselves and they will interact with one another thought the comments sections, via Twitter, FaceBook pages and through links to other blogs.

Blogs are remarkable for combining aspects of both dialogue and dissemination as they can be read by anybody and a reader is able to directly ask a question to the blogger in the comments section and quite likely they will respond (Rettberg, 2008). In fact, it is quite common for authors of blogs to simply open up their forum and directly invite their readers to ask questions. Bloggers such as Zanita, who writes a blog of the same name, requests questions from her readers and then will answer all the questions as a blog post. In this example the questions ranged from “How tall are you?” to “What shampoo do you use?” (Zanita, 2010). This social conversation and public participation that occurs through blogs does not usually occur in traditional fashion media.

A key element of blogs is the high occurrence of hyper-linking to both cite the author’s favourite’s blogs and create a path to those of inspiration or interest (Van House, 2004). The interactive feature of ‘linking’ establishes relations between the author and the readers via direct links to the sources of information that inspire the blogger (Lomborg, 2009). Receiving links, citations and blog comments is a sign of the blogger’s popularity. Rather then being a one-sided expression of interest bloggers will openly thank their readers for their support and acknowledge the success of the blog can be attributed to the readership.

The relationships that bloggers have with one another are often mutual and these are built on a foundation of shared interests. ‘Audrey’ of ‘BeFrassy’ has regular posts that often include photos of in-person meetings with other likeminded bloggers with whom hyperlinks then are exchanged (Leighton, 2010).

These cliques are referred to as the ‘blogosphere’. The fashion blogosphere enables bloggers to form new relationships online and sustain and strengthen existing ones. Liz Cherkasova who writes the blog ‘Late Afternoon’ met ‘Aimee’ of the blog ‘Song of Style’ and Jennie of blog ‘Going West’ through writing her blog and together they have on different occasions collaborated on style shoots (Cherkasova, 2010).

Links between blogs can signify that two bloggers know each other and think of each other as friends and acquaintances but they may also signify that one blogger likes reading another blogger’s posts. Another similar behaviour found on fashion blogs is the forwarding of a set of personal questions, such as “Who are your style icons?” or “what is your favourite purchase?”, to particular blogs that are then completed and forwarded on to a new set of blogs. Each time hyperlinks are published and readers can very easily travel around these linked blogs. This is a powerful cross-promotional tool that authors of blogs have taken advantage of, in order to increase and widen their readership.

Blogs exist primarily as networks for sharing ideas, writing about brands, posting notes about fashion shows or magazines and making comments on trends. Most fashion blogs link to other fashion blogs, sensibly enough, because there are blogs they read and because their readers are likely to be interested in them. An example is the lists of other blog hyperlinks that appear on the sidebar of many blogs including ‘Karla’s closet’ where the links are divided by ‘Daily Reads’, ‘Favourites’ and ‘others’ (Karla, 2010).

The fashion blogosphere is essentially a network or online community, created primarily to share information about their topic of choice: fashion. Trust is built, as are friendships, alliances and controversies. Trends and styles spread and evolve within the network not necessarily as something deliberate but simply in the way certain conventions are likely to arise in the length of posts, the use of photos, the style of writing or the number of links used. This open network is strong and encourages readership, regular followers and network participation can lead to increased popularity. This can be seen through the number and brand status of advertisements that appear on many blogs. ‘The Sartorialist’ written by Scott Schuman is an example of a street-style fashion blog or a photographic journal of fashionable people out on the street (Schuman, 2010). Schuman has a book published and ads from AmericanApparel, GQ Magazine and Net-a-Porter appear on his blog. Schuman is also a regular feature at the London, New York and Milan fashion shows and has regular pieces of work commissioned for fashion publications (Schuman, 2010).

It is through the tendering of this network and the online relationships that many fashion blogs have huge followings and popularity of such a level that cannot be ignored by the traditional fashion media. Their pull and influence over their readers is unparalleled and presents a very clear marketing opportunity for brands and organisations (Rettberg, Blogs, Communities and Networks, 2008). The strength of their influence and pull is recognised by the marketing teams of many brands who will simply send their product to bloggers with the intention of the ‘freebie’ being featured in a post. For Rumi Neely who writes ‘FashionToast’, this has meant a plethora of free goods, including clothes, jewellery, handbags and shoes (Neely, 2010). For Neely, based in San Francisco it has also led to invitations, flights and accommodation and front row seats at Paris Fashion Week. She has also launched a clothing line for popular American label RVAC and started a modelling career with Next Model Management (Neely, 2010).

For the 2010 Swarovski New York fashion show bloggers were invited to sit in the front row and it was noted that the appeal of the bloggers lay in the opening of doors “to greater brand recognition and familiarity to a younger generation” (Strugatz & Stephenson, 2010).

Through the power of Web2.0 and the blogging medium a new breed of enthusiastic, stylish and creative individuals have catapulted onto the traditional fashion scene. Their online popularity and marketing appeal has resulted in free goods, new careers, book deals, invitations and least of all widespread recognition amongst their peers and the industry.

To reassess, blogging sites allow for an online presence to be tendered and cultivated via the following characteristics. Blogging creates an easy, fast and accessible portal for publishing content that is both more accessible and faster then the traditional mediums. Successful bloggers have strong relationships with other bloggers and with their readers. They actively engage with their audience, seek their opinion and direct their questions personally. This attitude towards to an open author -reader relationship only seeks to strengthen their appeal, increasing their following, readership popularity and marketing influence. The Fashion blog community thrives on relationships between authors, cross blog collaborations, cited inspirations and the mutual exchange of hyperlinks that promote cross blog readership and wider promotion.

Web2.0 applications such as Blogspot and Wordpress allow anyone with Internet access is able to express their own unmonitored, uncensored and unique personal style. Bloggers are able to push the boundaries of fashion, do something different and unique, and separate themselves from the masses, at the same time catching the eyes of designers and the fashion industry. For a fashion brand, business and publication to survive online the powers that be are looking to embrace the blogging world. As the boundary between amateur and professional authorship is blurred, influential bloggers are invited to sit in the front rows at fashion week.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aldridge, J. (2010). Sea of Shoes. Retrieved 2010, from www.seaofshoes.com

Blanchard, K. (2010). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Where Did You Get That?: http://karen-wheredidugetthat.blogspot.com/

Blood, R. (2009). Weblog Ethics. Retrieved February 2, 2010, from Rebecca’s Pocket: http://rebeccablood.net/handbook/excerpts/weblog_ethics.html

ByranBoy. (2010). Home page. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from www.byranboy.com.

Cherkasova, L. (2010). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Late Afternoon: http://popcultureafternoon.blogspot.com/

Gevinson, T. (2010). Home Page. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Style Rookie: http://www.thestylerookie.com/

Karla. (2010). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Karlas Closet: http://karlascloset.com/

Kay, K. (2007, January 15). The Fashion Blog Stars. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from The Daily Mail Online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/The-fashion-blog-stars.html

Lau, S. (2010). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Style Bubble: http://stylebubble.typepad.com/

Leighton, A. (2010). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Frassy: http://www.befrassy.com/

Lomborg, S. (2009). Navigating the blogosphere: Towards a Genre-based typology of weblogs. First Monday , 14 (5).

Michelle, Q. (2010). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from The Kingdom of Style: http://kingdomofstyle.typepad.co.uk/

Neely, R. (2010). Retrieved March 2010, from Fashion Toast: http://www.fashiontoast.com/

Rettberg, J. W. (2008). Blogs, Communities and Networks. In J. W. Rettberg, Blogging.

Rettberg, J. W. (2008). Blogs, Literacies and the Collapse of Private and Public. Leonardo Electronic Almanac , 16 (2-3), 1-10.

Schuman, S. (2010). Retrieved March 2010, from The Sartorialist: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

Strugatz, R., & Stephenson, L. (2010, February 15). Social Media: The New Front Row of Fashion. Retrieved March 24, 2010.

Women’s Wear Daily: www.wwd.com

Van House, N. (2004). Weblogs: Credibility and Collaboration in an Online World. (pp. 1 -7). Berkeley: School of Information

Management and Systems, University of California.

Zamiatin, L. (2006, July 27). Let slip the blogs of wore. The Sydney Morning Herald .

Zanita. (2010). Zanita. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from http://zanitazanita.blogspot.com/

Communities and Web 2.0 Blogosphere, blogs, Fashion, Online Communities, online networking, web 2.0

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Comments

Written by NEX-5N about 3 months ago. Reply

ez lesz a tökéletes blog oldal mindenki számára, aki szeretné tudni, hogy erről a témáról. Tudod, rengeteg a gyakorlatilag nehéz vitatkozni veled (nem, hogy igazán szeretne … haha). Itt feltétlenül meg egy teljesen új spin-egy téma amit írtak évek óta. Fantasztikus dolog, csak jó!
Written by todsuksale about 4 months ago. Reply

http://www.todsuksale.com/ Tods shoes
Written by Nora about 2 years ago. Reply

Hi Sally, interesting paper!

“Where print media has been argued to cause barriers between writers and readers with public and private spheres separate from one another, the public nature of fashion blogging is different (Rettberg, 2008). Blogs are written with a clear expectation of having followers and engaging with readers. Blogging is able to connect people on a very personal and emotional level through the disclosure of personal tastes, styles and opinions as well as private information.”

I do agree with your point there. I too do think that blogs can reach the people more personally and they can feel like they can communicate with the readers more personally. Blogs are much more convenient as people can leave comments but however on prints they would have to wait for the next issue and sometimes not all comments gets to be published on the prints. Good paper, I enjoyed it very much!
Written by karinaMP about 2 years ago. Reply

Hi Sally,
What a interesting topic you choose.
I am a follower of a popular in my country. It is a useful source of fashion that you can get. And some of the blog already got an award or appear in fashion and girls magazine. It makes this blog a reliable source to believe.
http://www.dianarikasari.blogspot.com
In this blog, you can find the author experience with clothes and accessories. She also provide link to some of the online store that provide all her stuff. It is very useful. Someday, I think, this fashion blog will replace the fashion magazine. It’s free and you can access it anytime. And for me, you can decide which fashion blog is reliable and have a good quality of content by looking at the web layout and style of fashion they have.
Written by KayeE about 2 years ago. Reply

Hi Sally – your paper was very interesting,informative and well researched. I had no idea that such blogs existed (sheltered middle aged woman speaking!!) – but I am sure that my 17 year old daughter would be very interested in them! You mentioned how some bloggers are receiving gifts from fashion houses, magazines etc. – I am wondering if there is the potential for corruption to occur here or am I being overly alarmist? More to the point – does it really matter? Or could it be that in the future fashion houses or magazines will pay people to blog for them? I am sure that some bloggers could make quite a nice career out of blogging. Note to self: start blogging and be really witty and interesting so that I can make lots of money!!

Cheers,
Kaye
Written by li ying about 2 years ago. Reply

hi Sald,
I am a fan of fashion blogs likes seasofshoes, thecherryblossomgirl, the blonde salad etc. Through these blogs I get to know what’s happening in the other side of the world and also the fashion industry. Daily posts by them feeds my curiosity because I’m addicted to their blogs. I also agree that blogging is better than publishing because publishing’s only for a certain time whereas one can update whatever amount of blog posts in a day.

Overall, excellent paper!

Li
Written by li ying about 2 years ago. Reply

hi Sald,
I am a fan of fashion blogs likes seasofshoes, thecherryblossomgirl, the blonde salad etc. Through these blogs I get to know what’s happening in the other side of the world and also the fashion industry. Daily posts by them feeds my curiosity because I’m addicted to their blogs. I also agree that blogging is better than publishing because publishing’s only for a certain time whereas one can update whatever amount of blog posts in a day.

good paper.

Li
- Written by li ying about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Posted twice. Sorry.
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Li – thanks for your comment. Always great to hear of others addiction – I am not alone, I knew it!
  I think that the ability to update daily is actually what feeds the addiction. I am on the web at some point everyday and will just for curiosity check many of my favorite blogs everyday. Most of them update daily and this peccant for regular updating I think also feeds their popularity.
  
  One thing I noticed when the disaster in Haiti occurred was the number of posts that were dedicated to raising funds for the relief. On blogs focused on fashion the authors were still connected to the happenings of the real world and they all used the one thing in their power to raise awareness. I was quite impressed really. You can see one here:
  http://karen-wheredidugetthat.blogspot.com/2010/01/hope.html
  
  The same was done with Michael Jackson’s death – an outpouring of support and love. Same with the flooding in New Orleans and with the inauguration of Barrack Obama. It is one of the great things about this medium – authors can instantly connect real world events to their online life and reach out and connect to their readers. Promoting a cause as they do so.
  - Written by li ying about 2 years ago. Reply
    
    Yes I am very addicted to fashion blogs and I check them regularly. A lot of them are helping Haiti now. It’s like an advertisement but it’s in blogs. Sometimes reading these blogs when I’m moody actually cheer me up. Do you have a fashion blog too?
    
    Check out this japanese fashion blog. http://www.smooche.jp/rinka. I love her taste although I don’t understand what she wrote. Her pictures are very pretty.
Written by ted mitew about 2 years ago. Reply

Hi Sally, very interesting read, even though I am completely ignorant of the fashion industry. However, reading your paper got me thinking isn’t fashion blogging a revolutionary approach to the process of establishing what is fashion? Doesn’t this short-circuit the established hierarchy of taste-creation, and also introduce interactivity into the mix? It seems to me that in this regard fashion blogging is a much bigger game-changer than news-blogging, because the former can easily upstage the entire production chain. Who needs Vogue when a cloud of blogs can cover the same fashion event from many more perspectives and expose a much wider demographic to the products? I may be wrong, but it seems to me the days of fashion magazines should be numbered.

Cheers
Ted
- Written by zomboy about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Hi Ted,
  
  I personally dont think fashion mags will ever be gone, simply because coffee tables in fashion houses, hair dressers, clothing manufacturers, distributors etc benefit from having them around. Plus people like to flick through and look at fashion, keep it on the shelves. I am an artist and even though I use a lot of electronic material I like to have art books because they are tactile, they access a different channel in my mind, way of thinking than using a computer. Having said this, blogs and other social networking platforms also have their own spin on ways of ‘thinking’ about art. For example, when I use redbubble.com I collaborate with other artists, find it a more personal experience. When I am on http://vi.sualize.us/ I find it a less personal experience and more just purely a visual one. Different forms, different approaches, different creative process.
  
  Steve.
  - Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
    
    Steve – damm – you got it in one – wish I had said that: “Different forms, different approaches, different creative process.
    Nice.
    Sal
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Ted – thanks for your comments.
  
  “the days of fashion magazines should be numbered” or “could be numbered” or might be, or personally for me, ‘please won’t ever be’.
  I have to admit – I will still pay for an overpriced, quickly outdated, heavy, cumbersome and environmentally damaging (less face it – these things must have a terrible environmental foot print) magazine for the tangible benefits. They are content heavy, have usally excellent articles, amazing editorials, great advice and look great stacked together on the bookshelf. But when the magazine is closed my interaction with it ends. I can’t comment on particular pages or click on hyperlinks to go straight to the outfits source. If I open it the next day the content will be the same and there is no way I can add it as my favourites. And yet, there is something very satisfying about magazines. Similar to books really.
  You make a really great point about these blogs revolutionizing the taste creation of fashion and mixing up the hierarchy and, yes – boy do they ever have pulling power and ability to upstage the inflexible traditions. But.. and I say this lightly… Blogs are not Magazines and … Magazines are not blogs. I really think, as an avid reader of both, that their differences and similarities actually complement each other. Most of the bloggers will mention reading and loving magazines and magazines are always featuring blogs. I think if the authors of each can learn to appreciate the differences and continue to use each source as inspiration instead of fear them as competition the industry can and I believe does, have room for both.
  Magazines will always hold that position of being the original broadcasters of fashions – the traditionalists. Lets hope they do – otherwise what will I read when getting my haircut .
Written by jax about 2 years ago. Reply

I don’t know much about the fashion industry, but I would think blogs are absolutely tailor-made for the fashion industry (excuse the pun). As you say, blogs have such an appeal because of the ‘two way’ conversation that can be had between the author and reader. It would appear that journalists have had ownership for too long over the latest trends and it just goes to show there are plenty of people out there with an eye for fashion and ability to write about it, and without the ego. It’s great there has been a shake up like this, and it shows the unintended consequences that technology can have on any industry.

Just a question: In your research, did you find any negative consequences of fashion blogging? I’m thinking in terms of the quality of the blogs. Are we in danger of having too much information from too many different sources? Information overload and too much crappola?
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Jax – Brilliant pun – wish I had used it first!
  
  Some of the research that I did come across was quite negative towards fashion bloggers. Mainly it covered the demise of the gated fashion community, as many of the once exclusive fashion shows and after parties had bloggers – of varying standards, in attendance. I think this was mainly a ‘whinge’ from those who would consider themselves part of the exclusive fashion crowd.
  
  One particular article that stood out was written by Colin McDowell, a well published fashion commentator, who said on his blog, “What counts now is who sells clothes and to whom. And that is all that fashion blogging and Twitter are for, as far as the fashion – and especially designer – business is about: capturing a new and ever younger market”.
  
  Read he commentary here: http://www.colinmcdowell.com/blog/page7.html
  
  He makes an interesting point about the designer fashion business using Web2.0 to simply capture a new and younger market. I discovered a very recent example of this, on the blogs ‘The Glamourai’ and ‘Cupcakes and Cashmere’. Coach, the American leather goods company, founded in 1941 has worked in collaboration with these two bloggers to design two new handbags. The bloggers have very proudly showcased their designs first on their blogs (see here http://www.theglamourai.com/2010/05/polkadotorama-costume-iii.html and here http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/cupcakes-and-cashmere-for-coach/ ), they will then be available for purchase. This ‘old school’ fashion label has it seems kept up with the times, but has used popular influential young bloggers to breath new life into their brands. Here you can see how Coach is show casing their support and sponsorship of these young amateurs. I think it is a really great example of what Colin McDowell talks about, a designer fashion business capturing a new younger market through blogs, and from the statements in the comments sections, it seems quite successfully.
Written by FransiscaMS about 2 years ago. Reply

such a good idea : )

is it really happened in your real life or you know someone who been through this?
yes blogging provides so much fun, you can represents yourself and told the world how different and unique you are
Written by jhiroberts about 2 years ago. Reply

Hi Sally,

I really enjoyed reading your paper.

It was really well written and researched.

I found the topic very interesting, As stated by a few other comments, I think the rise of blogging has also had a big impact on other industries as well.

Whist reading your paper i was writing some notes about how i found it interesting that fashion houses were noticing this shift and starting to offer high profile bloggers gifts, I was hoping that you would cover it in your paper and you did.

I am not 100% sure that blogging will change the fashion industry reporting, through conventional means (ie printed magazines). I think that its just going to be an additional new piece of the puzzle.

Cheers

Jhi

http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/facebook-and-the-demise-of-individual-privacy-%E2%80%93-a-flawed-assumption-or-serial-disregard/
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Jhi – lets hope it will be just another piece of the fashion puzzle. I would really like to think that traditional fashion magazines adapt to this new medium and not just move with the times, but also embrace it. Possibly one challenge to this is the traditional matriarchs of the industry ie Anna Wintor (Editor in Chief of US Vogue) who are traditionalists and purists to the industry. I wonder if they would be roadblocks at all?
  
  Australian Fashion week has just finished here in Sydney and the English blogger, Susie Bubble, was flown over by Rosemont the major show sponsors and given special backstage access to many of the catwalk shows. Her commentary, photos and critique was published almost instantly – well as fast as she could get to a computer – to an global audience of 40,000. Fashions magazines have to ‘get on that train’ if they wish to survive. You can read her comments here: http://www.stylebubble.co.uk/style_bubble/2010/05/rafw-day-45-deets.html
Written by VickyK about 2 years ago. Reply

Hi Sally,

Really well written paper, and an interesting read from a fashion blogging perspective. I also believe that Blogs have so many positive aspects which transcend through many different genres and industries.

I agree Blogs are a great communication tool which can be a lot more effective than sites such as Facebook, where connections are based on who you know rather than shared interests. Blogs on the whole, achieve participation through common themes and ideas and bring people together on a mutual premise, whereby interacting can be more meaningful for all concerned.

The rise in fashion bloggers popularity and the fact that their voices can be heard by some of the top fashion houses is a great achievement, and one which demonstrates the impulsiveness, independence and progressive nature of how fashion (and the fashion industry should be).
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Ahhh this must be why I like blogs better then social networking sites – they talk about what I like/know, it is not just people I like/know talking!!!!
  It is not that I don’t like listening of course, it is just the things those on my social network are talking about things I am familiar with, namely their lives. I catch up with these people to do just that – listen to them about their lives. What I get from blogs is different. Many of these blogs are American or European and through their choice of outfits, location shots, lifestyle stories and recommendations I am exposed to many different things that are totally unfamiliar to my current situation. In saying this there are almost elements of escapism…. Not at all achieved through a social network.
Written by Chea Hwey Yea about 2 years ago. Reply

I really like what you’ve written. Like the boys said, this can be applied to other blog categories, like gossip blogs. Like Louise (and you) said, it’s about the accessibility to the author and the relationship between author and reader that’s what makes a blog so valuable — community participation! Really good use of examples, it was a good read. Good job!
Written by hermes birkin handbags about 2 years ago. Reply

Good job. I’m definitely going to bookmark you!
Written by China Mbt Shoes about 2 years ago. Reply

Enjoyed reading

the report – most informative thanks
Written by JenQuinn about 2 years ago. Reply

Hi Sally.
I, like Louise, have a few fashion blogs bookmarked (namely GoFugYourself.com and ProjectRungay.blogspot.com) for my daily visit, so I found your paper to be really interesting.

I really liked your comparison of this fashion blogosphere to an open communicative network – “The fashion blogosphere is essentially a network or online community, created primarily to share information about their topic of choice: fashion”, and you argued well to emphasize this point.

Congrats!
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Thanks Jen, firstly I must admit GoFugYourself is not a blog I would class as a fashion blog. Yes it covers what celebrities are wearing and why they shouldn’t be wearing it, but mostly it is a witty and dry social fashion commentary. The writing is snappy and quick-witted, however there is very little creativity – maybe this is one of those situations that Michael (first comment) pin pointed; a blog with very little creativity, but with enough wit and technical expertise to create a following.
  Thanks for the comment though – to be honest GoFugYourself is a guilty pleasure of mine… who doesn’t like to see shameless badly dressed celebrities brought down a notch.
Written by Louise about 2 years ago. Reply

As someone whose Google Reader is filled with fashion blogs, I love the empahasis on DIY and op shopping (“thrifting”) blogging has brought. Before blogging came about, I would buy magazines where the idea of a bargain was a flimsy tshirt for $70 – something clearly out of the price range for the average student.
I’ve since ditched the fashion magazines (understandable since they range from $10 to $30 for an issue!) and have replaced these with bloggers. I love that many fashion bloggers will include a mix of designer brands with department store clothing with items they found from a car boot sale with something they’d made themselves. For me, that is what makes these bloggers so accessible and personable than magazines. The fact that I can create an outfit on a student’s income is what encourages me to continue reading these blogs. For this reason, I think this also means that they have to remain as blogs and could never move to a printed medium such as a magazine. I think the “illusion” of blogs is that they reap little or no profit. Sure, we see the ads on the sidebar and we generally know that the blogger is being sent gifts by designers, but we like to think of blogs more as a hobby than a profession. As soon as bloggers begin to increase the number of brand names, they begin to alienate their readers. Of course there are exceptions, such as The Satorialist and Jak & Jil (http://jakandjil.com/blog/) but unlike most fashion blogs, I find them less interested in relating to their audience and more inclined to show the absolute top level in designer clothing. However, most bloggers do their best to relfect their audience – they get excited when they receive gifts (and then tell us endlessly about how great it is – I can assure you, a product will never get a bad review when it’s ‘donated’ to a blogger), they tell us how “overwhelmed” they felt when they sat front row at a fashion show and they will mix Vivienne Westwood shoes with a Target dress.
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  LOUISE – a fellow fashion blog reader! Hi!
  
  You pin-point some of the best things about these blogs; the mix of street and designer labels and the DIY experiments. I appreciate the guts and the bravery these individuals show by also really putting themselves out there. Taking photos of real outfits and opening themselves up for gutless anonymous individual’s to make nasty comments.
  
  I agree when you mention that it would be difficult for these blogs to move to some kind of printed publication. The daily updates would disappear… and that open genuine astonishment and honesty would quite rightly disappear. I often wonder that the more exposed these bloggers come to the ranks of celebrity or designer what will happen with the tone and theme of their blog. It would really be a pity to see that genuine amateur nature disappear just because they sat front row, one too many times.
Written by Keith Law about 2 years ago. Reply

I have no interest or expertise in the fashion world. Your arguments seem to me to apply to many industries.Blogs and newsletters for example are everywhere in the finance industry competing with the pay for access websites and news media. They are also of varying degrees of authenticity and quality.

“The greatest strength of fashion blogs is their ability to filter and disseminate information to a widely dispersed global audience. Publishing on blogs is a highly public activity and most can be read by anyone who finds them with the writing taking place openly and under public scrutiny ”

This would be also true with the word “fashion” deleted. I thought you argued well for a specific case. I agree with you on: “Blogging creates an easy, fast and accessible portal for publishing content that is both more accessible and faster than the traditional mediums. Successful bloggers have strong relationships with other bloggers and with their readers. They actively engage with their audience, seek their opinion and direct their questions personally. This attitude towards to an open author -reader relationship only seeks to strengthen their appeal, increasing their following, readership popularity and marketing influence.”

I much prefer blogs as means of communication than social networks such as Twitter or Facebook.
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Keith! Thanks for the reply despite your lack of interest in the fashion world!
  You are absolutely spot on – I too believe that the same can be said on many other topics/industries. Fashion was simply picked up as it is something I am interested in. I thought by focusing on fashion blogs I might be able to draw everyone’s attention to this interesting occurrence where fashion bloggers – amateurs with an over excited interest in clothes – now have this huge following, and influence that is being picked up an monitored by the traditionalist players in the industry.
  
  And I have to also admit that I share your view…. I MUCH (please note capitals for much needed explanation) prefer blogs than social networks. Why… well I not 100% sure but there probably is a little bit of voyeurism or maybe it is just that the social networks I am part of don’t discuss/share the things I am interested in.
Written by Michael N about 2 years ago. Reply

You argue well that blogs and blogging have changed the nature of the fashion industry. Very convincing examples. Whilst I would argue it would be the same in many industries, the fashion industry would probably, based on stereotyping, be very particular in who it let’s into their ranks especially media and public relations people. There is no doubt also in this paper you have suggested strongly that the status quo of fashion has been upset by the presence of those without journalistic or fashion qualifications.

If you read an interview with Jane Aldridge at http://fashionindie.com/interview-jane-aldridge-from-sea-of-shoes/ it stuns me that she is talking somewhat like a professional in her late 20’s. The answers she gives are not just what’s your favourate colour. Really interesting.

I also like your example of a gift economy online becoming offline by that person getting all those free fashion items, much like I recall in The Devil Wears Prada.

I think this comment sums up many industries now with Web 2.0:

“Traditional fashion journalists have gone through rigorous internships and apprenticeships and steadily built up their reputation and now amateurs have achieved similar status without taking the long traditional career path.”

This suggests the nature of some occupations has changed and this will flow on to education and other realted industries.

One thing is this sentence:

Advances in communication technology, such as “What you see is what you get” publishing tools, have made it accessible for anyone with a computer and some sense to create a blog

Do you mean some creative sense, technical sense or both to create a blog. I would say you need for a fashion blog creative sense to make it interesting and the ablity to stay up to date, so maybe these bloggers do not sit in front of screens but use mobile computing devices as they photograph and see and hear new information.

fashionindie Fearless Fashion. (2010). Interview: Jane Aldridge from Sea of Shoes. Retrieved 27 April, 2010, from http://fashionindie.com/interview-jane-aldridge-from-sea-of-shoes/
- Written by SalD about 2 years ago. Reply
  
  Thanks for the comment Michael.
  You raise an interesting point, in that I am sure bloggers have gained fame in other industries.
  Jane from “Sea of Shoes” is an interesting case in point. Jane’s mother writes a similar blog (atlantishome.typepad.com) and they both seem to cover similar stories. So much so that it is obvious that they will conduct location shoots almost specifically for their blogs, taking photos of each other in turn post on their own blogs. When reading Jane’s blog it almost seems at times as if someone more mature is writing… her mother… possibly, but just speculation.
  In the case of fashion, the ‘sense’ that the blogs seem to have is both creative and technical. There are countless fashion blogs that have limited functionality or that show technical expertise and yet their creativity shines through.

Comment Pages:

Online Conference on Networks and Communities

Fashion Bloggers and their rise to the front row.

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