Fashionising It

While the great debate about whether or not the runways match the retail experience is for another day, today the pressing issue on the radar (mostly, mine) is one that concerns fashion blogging, as we know today. This is me addressing the fashion bloggers out there…

One of my first events as a journalist, I recall being introduced as a blogger by the PR persons and the blood boiled within my skin almost causing me to flush. The second time around, I corrected her to ‘writer’ at breakneck speed. I wrote for an online magazine, one that was very different from fashion bloggers who I often encountered at events.

Though I grew up in the digital-age, I pretty much got my dose of fashion inspiration from good old magazines and everyday randos (long form: random people) that my eyes could spot. My knowledge of what to wear and what to burn to ashes mostly came from the reflection in the mirror and my memory of the images seen in magazines and online (Pinterest, mostly). However, I never looked at fashion blogs for any dress inspiration whatsoever when I was growing up because whoever came after the pioneers were mostly redundant in terms of what they had to say. Boring content, predictable street style photography and everyday posts of their OOTD’s (Outfit Of the Day for the unfamiliar kind) is all I got.

I am much appreciative of the digital space where everyone is welcome to participate, opinionate and still stand out as distinct individuals. A blog is a digital diary that people can write their thoughts in text, images and illustration even. The beauty of it is its circulation- it’s worldwide. However, with this competitive tide, fashion, one that’s specific to blogging seems to have lost its voice in the midst of cluttered digital magazines and the social media.

Gone are the days when fashion blogging used to be about expressing originality, referencing a particular period or a culture. When people, women initially read fashion blogs particularly to understand the world of fashion which the originally had no access to unless they purchased a copy of Vogue, Elle, NY Times and Harper’s Bazaar together. Runway shows weren’t accessible; snippets on preview shows gave you no idea of what’s going to trickle down to your wardrobe. But the bloggers armed with their phones, Ipads and cameras gave you that window of opportunity to recreate or style that Dior dress, Ralph Lauren jersey or Burberry trench. Before it hit the newsstands in the form of dailies or monthly magazines, your fashion news was available to you in the comfort of your own home.

You could be sitting in Berlin and give yourself a makeover inspired straight from New York. They painstakingly sought out unedited pictures and gave you a realistic insight on the happenings minus the ‘zsa zsa zsu’. Slowly it was the social media in the form of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram which was heavily used by fashion bloggers giving you live updates, snapshots from different angels of their outfits and of course the catwalk. This was a major threat to the fashion magazines who soon followed suit and upped their game.

Today, every magazine has multiple accounts in every form of social media aware to mankind apart from their printed and digital edition which even has back-stage videos and films. So, are fashion bloggers feeling the chill? Ha.

I wouldn’t assume they are. Bloggers today have been driven to sharpen their social media and PR skills. They flock to every event, take selfies with celebrities and obsess over freebies in return to write a post on it. They wear outfits of brands that want to advertise with them (Bloggers have ads too!) or that pay them. Fashion blogging has become a business idea for those who set on this road to express themselves and show the world what having a personality actually meant- it was celebratory.

Instead of reserving their commentary for much awaited posts, fashion bloggers live tweet it in 140 characters killing the long-form feature it could have otherwise been. As a title for an awfully blurry picture, they hashtag a million words, posting it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the same thing everywhere completely missing the novelty. God forbid that you’re following them on all three; you’re doomed because they will flood your timeline with their achievements and filtered selfies. Fashion blogging has become a brand and seemingly everyone is a blogger with a maxi dress, jacket and red lipstick. There are no real stories about relationships, culture or one that celebrates women of colour, of varying shapes and sizes.

The lines between what’s real and unreal in terms of what they offer is getting more and more unreal now. I understand business, commerce and profits. Believe you me, I almost belong to the same business- one that involves fashion, clothes and writing/imagery. If I may put my two pennies worth in, I would say that fashion blogging should evict itself from the norms and get back to being the independent voice that once ruled the streets, wardrobes and people’s minds instead of being all about the self. The world is more than the sparkly one that you seem to be portraying. If your voice has to flourish, you have got to be yourself because it’s the only way you can make it worth everyone’s while.