Best Practices

Let’s face it, I am a girl and with that comes the love of all things fashion. One of my favorite parts of my week is reading a few fashion blogs on Sunday morning with my cup of coffee. While there are many blogs to choose from, I generally stick to only a few. They offer me the engaging content I’ve come to trust and love, and give me the exact amount of information I need to either make a purchase or continue my daydream.

The great thing about blogs, especially fashion blogs, is that they offer much more than a magazine, they offer a fresh perspective from a style enthusiast with a closer link to the reader. They are average people with write-ups on what a regular person wants to hear, not what a model or professional deems important.

With a plethora of fashion blogs for women, it is hard to separate the good from the bad, the well written from the unreadable, and the engaging from the lackluster. Because of this, there are a few main areas I concentrate on when deciding what blogs work best for me.

First and foremost is fresh content. There is nothing less appealing than reading a blog that hasn’t been touched or updated on the regular. This is especially true when it comes to fashion because what was popular today could be out tomorrow. If a blogger doesn’t consistently offer compelling material and imagery to keep things fresh, they won’t hold my interest.

Recognizing trends is also ultimately essential. With good bloggers, eventually they become the people who create the trends instead of just reporting on them. With this inside knowledge, the blogger can create a sense of community. A great sense of community becomes a great place to engage and read insightful content.

A sense of humor can take a blog a long way too. If the articles are interesting and poke fun at the fashion industry, which is must needed because let’s face it, sometimes the fashion industry takes itself way too seriously, it becomes a refreshing read and compels me to come back.

Last but not least, I believe in quality pictures and videos. Sometimes you don’t want all the “talking.” It is nice to sit back and view some informational videos, as well as pictures. This helps you visualize the products and really appreciate what the blogger is talking about.

My favorite fashion blog to this day is The Sartorialist. The founder/blogger/photographer is Scott Schulman. He created the blog “with the idea of creating a two-way dialogue about the world of fashion and its relationship to daily life” (Schulman, 2013). The Sartorialist is set apart from other fashion blogs because the content isn’t written as much as the photography conveys “an interesting well dressed moment” (Burcz, 2012). There is a strong point of view and communication through the few words but intense images Schulman captures.  His strong voice is displayed in a creative and interesting way making readers greedy and wanting to come back for more. Let’s be honest, “by the time [an item] hits the store that trend is already over” (Burcz, 2012), but if you can capture the moment, the reader can take the concept and make it their own. That’s what fashion is all about and that is what makes a great fashion blog.

Burcz, C. (2012). Interview: 6 Minutes Spent With The Sartorialist. Retrieved on August 4, 2013 from http://heartifb.com/2012/09/10/6-minutes-spent-with-the-sartorialist/

Schulman, S. (2013). Biography. The Satorialist. Retrieved on August 4, 2013 from http://www.thesartorialist.com/biography/