Fashion Blogs

Ariadna Pérez Travieso

¿What is a fashion blog?A fashion blog

can cover many things such as specific items of clothing and accessories, trends in various

apparel markets celebrity fashion choices and street

fashion trends. They cover fashion at all levels from the biggest names to the

smallest indie designers.

Many fashion blogs could also be categorised as shopping blogs, since "most of the conversation is shopping advice, liberally laced with consumer recommendations". This is very similar to the content of fashion magazines. Some retailers in the fashion industry have

even started blogs of their own to promote their products.

Number of fashion blogsThere is considerable disagreement regarding the number of fashion blogs in existence. In a February, 2006, Women's Wear Daily article, Corcoran stated:

There is an enormous, and growing, number of fashion and shopping-related blogs: about 2 million, according to Technorati Inc., [...]

or slightly less than 10 percent of the 27 million blogs the company tracks. (That number includes blogs in languages that use

the Roman alphabet and that contain anything fashion-related, including sites such as Pink Is the New Blog, which focuses on

celebrities.)

It is likely that this figure is inflated by a substantial number of personal blogs that mention fashion. These are not considered

fashion blogs using the criteria above. All other estimates of the popularity of fashion

blogs are considerably lower.

In September 2005, La Ferla stated that:

"as little as a year ago, the number of [fashion bloggers] could be counted in the dozens. Today there are hundreds"

Lara Zamiatin estimated in November 2006 that there are now:

"several hundred fashion blogs"

Types of fashion blogsFashion blogs can be categorised in a number of ways.

By writer's expertise

By ownership

By writer's expertise

Fashion blogs may be written by insiders, outsiders or aspiring insiders.Fashion blogs may be written by insiders,

outsiders or aspiring insiders.

Insiders are people who work (or have previously worked) in the fashion industry or for the traditional fashion media. In addition, some

fashion insiders blog occasionally as guest on larger sites. For example, the fashion designer Nanette Lepore

has contributed to Glam.com.

Ms. Fabulous, is written by Mariana Leung, a fashion industry veteran

who has worked as a fashion designer, technical designer,

photographer and PR director. She writes about other designers and

industry news.

Outsiders are people who know a lot (or at least have strong opinions) about fashion, usually by virtue of being very dedicated consumers of

fashion.

Aspiring insiders are people who want to work in the fashion industry or media and believe their blog may provide a ‘back door’ entry into a mainstream fashion writing job. Examples of people who have been employed

within the fashion industry on the strength of their blogs include:

Manolo the Shoe

Blogger, who now has a

weekly column in the

Express a Washington

Post Publication

Heather and Jessica from Go Fug Yourself, who recently covered Fashion Week for New York Magazine

The Budget Fashionista, Kathryn Finney, wrote a book called "How To Be a Budget

Fashionista" that was published by Ballantine Books.

By ownership Fashion blogs may be owned either by individuals or by companies.

The types of companies now running fashion blogs include large mainstream media organizations and fashion retailers.

Condé Nast Publications is a mainstream media organization

with fashion blogs.

Fashion retailers with blogs include Bluefly, Queen of Suburbia

and Splendora.

Spanish Fashion Bloggers

Spanish Fashion Bloggers

Spanish Fashion Bloggers

Other bloggers do this...

The End