The Internet is chock full of them – fashion blogs of different shapes and forms, expounding on the merits of skinny jeans versus boyfriend jeans. Or why pink is the new black and all that jazz. Going online these days means getting your fill (whether you like it or not) of the latest fashion trends by way of fashion blogs.
Perhaps some people would argue that fashion is not that important and it’s something they can do without. However, if you think about it, fashion has always been part of our lives – it has always greatly influenced society and culture, mainly because it is made possible by factors like the weather, the environment and more significantly, by an individual’s personal experiences, beliefs and values.
Fashion even helped define certain eras in history which involved class discrimination, the thin line between royalty and non-royalty and even social dressing restrictions. In the old days in Western Europe, government regulations prevented the bourgeoisie from dressing up in fine clothes so they wouldn’t look like royalty. In China, the dragon was considered a symbol of the emperor and thus, should not be worn by non-royals. During World War II, the length of American women’s skirts was restricted due to fabric rations. It just goes to show, fashion has always been a major influence in our life and that we’ve always lived with it – we just didn’t know it.
Today’s fashion-conscious people or fashionistas, as they are fondly referred to, live with fashion in different ways. They use fashion blogs as a means to check out new trends not to be perceived as cool or in, but to know what people on the streets are wearing. Fashion bloggers themselves have a firm grip on the latest styles and shy away from those that lean towards the “outrageously expensive” and suggest instead, what is cheap but chic.
Another reason fashion bloggers are popular is because they themselves were once fashion outs – outsiders who, due to their persistence and perseverance in gaining an upper hand over the so-called “snobs” in the fashion industry, have become lauded insiders. They send the fashion world spinning with their honest takes on this season’s collections via honest and real takes on the current trends and how the ordinary folk may be able to carry them off.
They also possess a myriad of talents from which they derive even more influence for their blogs. Some of them host fashion events or dress the windows of the world’s most famous and finest fashion storefronts. Still, others shoot look books and even walk the catwalk themselves. Such is the success of fashion blogging that even other major industries like advertising, want a piece of the action. Because fashion bloggers are faithfully followed by women everywhere, they have become potent personalities whose words are read and taken to heart like one would the Bible. And advertisers and retailers are eager to get their products moved in big ways.
Yes, fashion blogs are here to stay. In fact, it can be safely said that they are slowly but surely replacing magazine editors as the leaders of style and fashion. Fashion blogging is one industry where the huge payoffs outweigh all the risks – fashion bloggers may very well be the fashion world’s answer to high corporate earners in the world of business who make business suits look good.
