Since last summer Jane's site, Sea of Shoes—part style diary, part shopping wish list, part virtual inspiration board, and always with an emphasis on to-die-for footwear ("There's something really compelling about shoes," she explains. "I collect them and keep them on shiny shelves, like miniature works of art")—has bloomed into a cult Internet hit, drawing up to 25,000 visitors a day and connecting Jane and her dream closet with a more clothes-conscious crowd. But despite all the high-fashion houses she regularly name-checks on the site, Jane says, "I get lots of e-mails from girls telling me they really like how I work in my thrift-store finds."
The recent explosion in the presence and popularity of personal-style blogs—often featuring high-low mixes and anonymous labels—means that with each page view, girls are registering it's not what you wear that counts, but how you wear it. And those who wear it best are emerging as fashion's new stars. "The fact that bloggers are real girls with normal clothing budgets is probably more inspiring than looking at pictures of celebrities with seemingly endless resources," surmises Rumi Neely, 24, of Fashion Toast, a style site that has served as a model for many young girls getting in to the game. Scores of fans have also been attracted to blogs displaying DIY ingenuity, from sixteen-year-old Camille R.'s superchic sewing projects at Childhood Flames to Arabelle Sicardi's resourceful takes on runway trends at Fashion Pirates. Arabelle, sixteen, most recently brought high-concept style to the halls of her New Jersey school by re-creating a Comme des Garçons skirt from a bunched-up tablecloth. "My look can be kind of wild," she admits. "Sometimes I'll try things out just because I'm curious what the reaction will be." Cautions Rumi, "You've got to have a thick skin if you want to start a blog." Like so many areas of the Web, the conversation can turn nasty quickly, and it takes a certain attitude to rise above it all. "I would never change out of something just because it got a bad response," Arabelle says. "You need to realize that people who leave mean messages ... they're just anonymous people on the Internet who would probably never have the courage to put pictures of themselves up there."
Luckily for the camera-shy, starting a fashion blog doesn't necessarily mean making yourself the main attraction. When it comes to her site, Bunny Bisous, eighteen-year-old New York City college student Julia Frakes says, "I try to post as few pictures of myself as possible." Instead she offers her insider's view of the fashion world, a perspective she gained when she began blogging for papermag.com while still a designer-obsessed high school student in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Julia started her own Web site, she says, to cover the "more whimsical, offbeat stories" she came across "that weren't exactly Paper territory"—from a vegan dinner with her model BFF Simona McIntyre to a favorite fashion magazine editorial. "Now I get, like, 800 e-mails a day from PR people pitching me stories, especially modeling agencies," says Julia, who recently posted an interview with up-and-coming catwalker Kate Somers. "I think they like letting me interview the models because I'm a girl their age," Julia explains. Her industry friendships have in turn helped her score more inside scoops. "I might tag along with someone backstage at a show, which gives me unique behind-the-scenes access to things like what the models are saying about the clothes." Julia also posts her pictures ("I lug around a massive Nikon; everyone jokes that the camera's bigger than me") and in-depth reviews of her favorite runway looks. "I feel like there aren't a lot of younger voices out there covering the shows in person," she says. "The spirit and camaraderie don't come across from just looking at a snapshot on a runway site, and I want to share that energy with my readers."
Read the full article and then meet more of our favorite fashion bloggers.
Trophy Club, Texas, 30 miles outside of Dallas, isn't exactly the style capital of the country. "My friends aren't into fashion at all," laments sixteen-year-old local Jane Aldridge, who prefers moody Ann Demeulemeester ensembles to Abercrombie & Fitch. "They're embarrassed to go out with me!" And with a school-uniform policy in effect Monday through Friday, this runway aficionada often finds herself quite literally all dressed up with no place to go. What's a Balmain-worshipping girl in the middle of the suburbs to do? Start a blog, of course.
Since last summer Jane's site, Sea of Shoes—part style diary, part shopping wish list, part virtual inspiration board, and always with an emphasis on to-die-for footwear ("There's something really compelling about shoes," she explains. "I collect them and keep them on shiny shelves, like miniature works of art")—has bloomed into a cult Internet hit, drawing up to 25,000 visitors a day and connecting Jane and her dream closet with a more clothes-conscious crowd. But despite all the high-fashion houses she regularly name-checks on the site, Jane says, "I get lots of e-mails from girls telling me they really like how I work in my thrift-store finds."
The recent explosion in the presence and popularity of personal-style blogs—often featuring high-low mixes and anonymous labels—means that with each page view, girls are registering it's not what you wear that counts, but how you wear it. And those who wear it best are emerging as fashion's new stars. "The fact that bloggers are real girls with normal clothing budgets is probably more inspiring than looking at pictures of celebrities with seemingly endless resources," surmises Rumi Neely, 24, of Fashion Toast, a style site that has served as a model for many young girls getting in to the game. Scores of fans have also been attracted to blogs displaying DIY ingenuity, from sixteen-year-old Camille R.'s superchic sewing projects at Childhood Flames to Arabelle Sicardi's resourceful takes on runway trends at Fashion Pirates. Arabelle, sixteen, most recently brought high-concept style to the halls of her New Jersey school by re-creating a Comme des Garçons skirt from a bunched-up tablecloth. "My look can be kind of wild," she admits. "Sometimes I'll try things out just because I'm curious what the reaction will be." Cautions Rumi, "You've got to have a thick skin if you want to start a blog." Like so many areas of the Web, the conversation can turn nasty quickly, and it takes a certain attitude to rise above it all. "I would never change out of something just because it got a bad response," Arabelle says. "You need to realize that people who leave mean messages ... they're just anonymous people on the Internet who would probably never have the courage to put pictures of themselves up there."
Luckily for the camera-shy, starting a fashion blog doesn't necessarily mean making yourself the main attraction. When it comes to her site, Bunny Bisous, eighteen-year-old New York City college student Julia Frakes says, "I try to post as few pictures of myself as possible." Instead she offers her insider's view of the fashion world, a perspective she gained when she began blogging for papermag.com while still a designer-obsessed high school student in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Julia started her own Web site, she says, to cover the "more whimsical, offbeat stories" she came across "that weren't exactly Paper territory"—from a vegan dinner with her model BFF Simona McIntyre to a favorite fashion magazine editorial. "Now I get, like, 800 e-mails a day from PR people pitching me stories, especially modeling agencies," says Julia, who recently posted an interview with up-and-coming catwalker Kate Somers. "I think they like letting me interview the models because I'm a girl their age," Julia explains. Her industry friendships have in turn helped her score more inside scoops. "I might tag along with someone backstage at a show, which gives me unique behind-the-scenes access to things like what the models are saying about the clothes." Julia also posts her pictures ("I lug around a massive Nikon; everyone jokes that the camera's bigger than me") and in-depth reviews of her favorite runway looks. "I feel like there aren't a lot of younger voices out there covering the shows in person," she says. "The spirit and camaraderie don't come across from just looking at a snapshot on a runway site, and I want to share that energy with my readers."
Gaining access to events and connecting with industry idols, from models to designers, is definitely a perk for some bloggers. But what if you found out your fashion hero was actually one of your biggest fans? Style blogs have grown into such an important force that even major names are logging on. When Phillipines-based BryanBoy aired a homemade video tribute to Marc Jacobs on his cheeky self-titled blog, the designer himself reached out to let Bryan know that he was an avid reader. A few days after the Marc Jacobs Fall 2008 show, Jacobs e-mailed Bryan again, to tell him he was naming one of the bags from the collection—an ostrich satchel—the "BB" in his honor. "When I found out, I couldn't sleep for days," Bryan says. "Marc sent me the original prototype from the show via courier from New York, in a box bigger than a fridge, and I literally had tears running down my face when I opened it." While not many bloggers have such fairy-tale fan encounters, many are reaching new levels of celebrity. "I've been approached while I'm having lunch or shopping by people who follow my blog, and I always feel bashful," says Karla Deras, nineteen, who posts her outfits on her blog, Karla's Closet. "I just can't believe anyone recognizes me!" Fortunately, most bloggers report that—even as their profiles have risen—their privacy, so far, has not been an issue. And where parents are concerned, most are more worried about schoolwork than safety. "At first my mom wanted me to focus on my grades instead of my blog. But now that she understands how important it is to me, she's okay with it," Arabelle says.
For anyone thinking of adding her own style site to the increasingly crowded Webscape, veteran bloggers recommend that, as with your look, it's important to do your own thing. "You need to find your voice, to set yourself apart," Julia says. And even though the atmosphere can be tough, they say the fashion-blogging community itself couldn't be more supportive. "I'm good friends with Tavi, from the blog Style Rookie, and sometimes I'll ask her opinion on something like new graphics I've created," Arabelle says. But she's quick to add, "Tavi's one of the only people I take advice from. My blog is my baby!"
Source: Teenvogue.com
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