Top fashion weeks from New York all the way to Paris came to a close, with outstanding fall 2013 ready to wear collections from top houses including Victoria Beckham, Carolina Herrera, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Celine, Gareth Pugh, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Comme des Garçons, Tom Ford just to name a few.
While most of us got a taste of the high action by vicariously following the tweets and Instagrams pics of the fashion elite, in addition to live updates on top fashion sites like Style.com and NOWFASHION (Thank God for Internet right?), others attended Fashion Week, focusing on the street side of fashion, snapping looks of guests coming in and out of the shows, or better yet getting photographed themselves, runway reports what?
A recent article from IFB pointed out that “fewer and fewer bloggers are posting about the actual shows they attend”. In fact, many attending seem to focus more on their own experience now – what they’re wearing and who they’re spotting rather than reporting on the collections being presented.
So we have to ask: is covering fashion weeks becoming obsolete for bloggers? In the same breath, can one claim to be a fashion blogger without covering the shows?
What do you make of this development in fashion blogging? Is it a direct result of narcissism and voyeurism or a clear sign of fashion week fatigue from all sides, bloggers and readers combined?
On the other end, what’ your take on bloggers who cover fashion weeks they don’t attend in person, how relevant is their coverage? Should they stop?
Read what our March Panelists have to say and let’s unfold it all together via @FashionUnfold on Twitter.
Sarah Mendelsohn is the blogger behind A Hit of Sarah as well as a freelance publicist living in New York City. – www.ahitofsarah.net
Fashion week coverage is a tricky thing. It’s relevant to every fashion professional and so almost everyone involved feels that they need to cover it in some form.
This litters the blogosphere with the same photographs and reviews over and over again. I think because of this, people feel like they don’t need to cover them, however as a blogger, I still put my two cents in – but only on my favorite shows.
I don’t waste the time on shows that did not mean anything to me. I have covered shows that I appreciated but did not attend and on the other hand have chosen not to cover a show I did attend because it didn’t really interest me.
“Style bloggers covering their personal outfits instead of the actual show sometimes irks me.”
Fashion week is about the new collections, the fashion going down the runway that design teams spent six months putting together, yet a blogger will instead write about the clothes she was leant that she wore to go see the shows, but nothing about the actual show.
“Fashion week should be about the clothes going down runways, not the style of attendees unless incorporated into an overall experience.”
Ally Lesniak is a freelance publicist and blogger based in Toronto - http://www.girlsofto.com
Many fashion blogs only feature personal style, some focus on brands, and others are a mix of the two. All incorporate fashion and labels, while readers decide which outlet better suits their needs.
Since fashion week comes but twice a year, writers have a lot of time in-between to generate content. But once the tents go up, all media outlets churn out the same photos and information.
“Aside from the occasional in-depth and well-written review, reading about fashion week can be stale.”
Steering focus from the runway to the blogger doesn’t necessarily signify narcissism or fatigue though. Bloggers need to stay involved and relevant otherwise people forget about them. What many lack in relevant fashion week blog posts, they will make up in conversation for weeks to come.
Also, whether or not a person was physically present at the event is irrelevant at this point. A picture says a thousand words and you don’t need much more than that to formulate an opinion and write a blog post.
“There is so much more involved than just going to see clothes and writing about them.”
Fashion week is like school, work, and dating rolled into one. You root for the designs you like most, make connections that’ll develop into personal and professional relationships, and if all goes well, you’ll leave with the business card of the photographer who snapped a pic of you – all of which could be potentially beneficial to all parties involved.
Ultimately the goal of these shows is for the designers to generate income so that they can sustain and build their businesses – at least that’s the case in Toronto.
Jelena Soldatovic Ristic akka Aska Wolf – Lifestyle and fashion blogger, psychologist teacher. http://okimaliar.blogspot.com/
Fashion blogging reminds me much of a really lovely pet turned into a beast that can hardly be controlled now.
Why you might ask? Simply because of so many controversy going on right now, and by my opinion, fashion blogging should be sub cathegorized, so future misunderstandings can be avoided.
On one side we have fashion bloggers just dying to get into any FW, trying to convince themselves that they are a part of a new fashion elite. They are bombing our brains with runaway reports that can easily be found on Style.com or Vogue.com.
Combining your personal style with some backstage photos or a street style, if it’s your cup of tea might be well but readers mostly aren’t into couture that much.
Your readers are mostly people trying to find an inspiration, a cheaper way to follow trends, or perhaps escape via your blog, which would explain why Instagram photos might get more likes than runways shots for instance.
On the other side we have numerous professional models, designers, editors, etc who are also fashion bloggers. Can we ban them to blog about FWs? Off course not. There are also bloggers with extremely good knowledge of fashion and style and true interest about couture, and their take on FW is just as valuable.
What I am curious to know is, whether covering FW on your blog is just a way to cash in, or is it a meter of true love for couture and your readers’ interest? And where will it lead us all?
Susan Chiu, Co-Founder of the Snob Affair Fashion blog and a Graduating Engineering Student http://snobaffair.com
“Fashion is such a vast territory! Ultimately, fashion bloggers want readers to connect with them by inspiring their readers.”
Fashion bloggers who share their experience or perspective on fashion shows/events is an interesting element because it varies from person to person, which offers original content – something they can’t get off a fashion news site.
A lot of fashion bloggers start out as style bloggers, where they love to show off their own style. It is the preferable choice because it is relatively easy to show one’s interpretation of a fashion trend with their wardrobe.
“A style blogger needs to have a distinct style to be remembered. I find this to be a narcissistic but fun approach in fashion blogging because It’s all about the beauty and being known to be stylish.”
On the other hand, Fashion is art. It’s not always so obviously pretty or concrete. There is depth to fashion – what the trends are, how they came about, the vision of a designer, the impact of culture or historical events, etc… This is all seamlessly integrated in a fashion collection trotting down the runway. This side of fashion blogging is on an intellectual level, filled with a mix of facts and ambiguity.
There are so many ways to look and discuss fashion. I don’t think any approach is pointless or a waste of time. You will attract the readers you are meant to attract…by those who are actively searching for your type of content!
“Readers will become dedicated followers when content is relevant to them.”
What matters is to stay true to what interests you. Only then would the voice of your blog be loud, clear, and passionate.
Brandin Cureton “Business first, Fashion later.” – Faux Fashion Obsessed.
As with many industries, the Internet has completely changed the way fashion shows are covered. Before YouTube, you would have to stay up late and/or wait for Fashion File to come on.
“With the increase of designers streaming shows and releasing behind the scenes coverage, it has almost canceled out the need for bloggers to cover the shows.”
It’s the same looks being discussed and the same photos circulating the Internet over and over again. For that reason, I do believe that bloggers covering the shows has become obsolete. There isn’t a need for it. Especially when you can see shows coverage in a NYC cab!
There you have it Unfolders. Time to join the live debate under #FashionUnfold and have your say!
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I know that when I first started blogging it was fun. But I was trying to hard to find my voice. I often looked at other blogs and thought it was the trend or that what people wanted. Perhaps this is what they feel is going to get them more popular. I’m just glad I found my own niche and my own voice. Blogging should in a sense come from the heart and not be so generic all the time.
Couldn’t agree more with you lady. Glad you were able to find your voice, it may take time but I find it more relevant and worth it in the long run.
Sadly, it is very easy for bloggers to get distracted and lose perspective of why they started blogging in the very first place. Rising to the top becomes more important for many, than sticking to their vision, and that;s where fashion week coverage can become stale and irrelevant.
For my part, blogging was and still us about having a voice and sharing views on everything that involves fashion, whether it be the clothes, the PR side of things, technology etc… which is why #FashionUnfold is still fun to do, the variety of opinions, the fast pace and palpable passion, it makes my overall fashion experience that much more enticing.
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