In Defence of Fashion Bloggers - Blogs That Inspire Me To Buy Posted by Unknown |

Photo via Style Bubble from Refinery 29

Fashion bloggers have been having a tough time over the last few weeks, their role in the fashion industry brought into sharp focus by that article by a sharp-tongued Suzy Menkes. My two cents can be summed up as follows: Suzy Menkes is entitled to her opinion – if she finds fashion bloggers annoying and in her face, so be it – but she does seem to have conveniently forgotten the following:

1. Fashion, more than any other creative industry, is, by its nature, full of peacocks – some are bloggers, some are editors, stylists and wannabes – posing and preening for an audience that includes themselves and others. And I really see no difference between fashion bloggers parading the fashion week circuit and club kids out on a Saturday night – they're dressing up for fun and to be noticed and, contrary to what Menkes says, I can't think of anything that makes the club kids more authentic than the fashion bloggers (or editors, stylists etc) – what of it if they've contrived a more-outlandish-than-usual outfit? And if you prefer to be a black crow, well, nobody's stopping you. Being a peacock might be annoying in the way we tend to find any kind of show-off annoying, but it's nothing to feel guilty about, especially if, like many of the bloggers I saw at LFW, it's done in a sweet and gracious way – less of the judging, people.
2. Correct me if I'm wrong, but magazines and newspapers are often very much at the mercy of their advertisers – to the extent that I know of one weekend supplement beauty editor who left her position because she could not handle the extent of control the advertisers had over editorial. A stand-alone blogger can probably exercise more editorial independence than many a journalist faced with pressure from their editors and sales team.
3. Fashion journalists and editors are often on the receiving end of freebies, gifts and samples and, as far as I understand, are not required or expected, nor rarely choose, to disclose. I think that the transparency of fashion bloggers is paving a way to a new (and better) way of doing things. So, well done, fashion bloggers. I'm guessing the key is not to come off as bragging and showing off. A little humbleness is good.

Anyway, enough about that. The point of this post is to affirm the position of fashion blogs in the industry and the simplest way I can see to do that – praise for creative, inspiring and beautiful online editorial content aside – is to demonstrate how fashion bloggers connect readers (this reader in particular) with products they want to buy. Discovering well chosen and cleverly styled items that I find inspiring and desirable is one of the reasons I visit fashion blogs, and this is why the fashion blogosphere will continue to bloom and be relevant to the industry – like magazines, they influence and encourage buying and that's a yay for everyone. For the buyer, who has found something they love, for the blogger, who has the kudos and possibly a commission for introducing the product and for the brand who has made a sale. A very happy triumvirate as far as I can see. Everyone's a winner.

So, in support of my argument, here are the fashion bloggers who have recently inspired me to shop. Susie Bubble wearing a Sarah Frances Kuhn x Meredith Wendell camera strap (above) – currently next on my 'saving up for' shopping list; Camille Over The Rainbow featuring pony hair vans from Zara (which I'd also seen on Caroline's Mode) – I bought a pair last week;  Laura from Ascot Friday wearing Sam Edelman Petty booties – I bought a pair in the January sales; Andy Torres from Style Scrapbook wearing a neon beanie – on my shopping list, nice and cheap so no need to save. I could list you a whole load more but I'll keep things short for now. So, tell me, what have fashion bloggers inspired you to buy recently?

Instaweek(s) Catch-Up #4 Posted by Unknown |

These instagram snaps are actually from the last couple of weeks – I meant to post some last weekend, but I'm rubbish at sticking to my own schedule... So basically some LFW snaps and thereafter.

1. Lovely arrivals from Ancienne Ambiance 
2. Picking up a copy of The Daily during LFW
3. LFW day four outfit
4. Susie Bubble arriving at Christopher Kane wearing a very cool camera strap – a Sarah Frances Kuhn x Meredith Wendell collaboration. More on these soon
5. My favourite look from Christopher Kane AW13
6. My outfit for Boohoo's #globalstyler competition
7. My macaron meltdown
8. The amazing ceiling at the new part of King's Cross station
9. Gorgeous sunset on the way up to Edinburgh

The Anxiety of Blogging - Can You Feel It? Posted by Unknown |

Why blog? It's a question I never used to ask myself, until recently. Spurred on by a sense of angst in the fashion blogosphere. It was unnerving to read Shini from Park & Cube – one of the most beautifully designed and photography rich blogs out there – questioning herself and her blog. Despite being perceived as an extremely successful blogger with a large and loyal following she blogged she feels foolish doing outfit posts, only makes enough from the blog to pay for her 'dedi-server every month + snacks' and that sponsors prefer the 'tall, pretty ones with 6-digit followings'. It was sad reading, but quickly overturned by an overwhelming outpour of adoration from her readers who left a string of moving and supportive comments. That would be enough for many to carry on blogging. Hopefully it gave her the boost she needed. I was then reminded of Susie Bubble questioning her relevance as a fashion blogger to the fashion industry in a post late last year. From what I remember, she didn't go much deeper than that, but it was there in plain black and white. But again, Susie's huge and committed fanbase would be enough reason for most to blog. Finally, this article on IFB (What No One Is Talking About On Social Media) quite succinctly sums up a lot of anxieties bloggers face but rarely admit to – from Shini's high-traffic-but-little-income conundrum and how hard it can be to work with brands to envy of more successful bloggers and how much of your personal life/problems to reveal online.

But it's hard. Even the smallest, newest blog dreams of going pro one day and yet the majority of bloggers, even the ones with thousands of followers, don't manage to monetize their blogs enough to quit the day job. So I guess you have to ask yourself what makes you blog. For some its an all-consuming passion for fashion that needs an outlet, being part of an online (and sometimes offline too) community, for others its a way to get their writing out there, and for some the perks and freebies are a big part. (Slight tangent: It seems to me fashion and beauty bloggers get quite a hard time over 'being in it for the freebies' when this kind of thing is part and parcel of the majority of journalism, PR, music and fashion jobs. Everyone appreciates the perks of their job, whatever sector they work in and most people manage to be gracious, transparent and honest in their handling of samples, gifts, press trips etc.)

So why, then, do I blog? What's the point? Do people like what I write? Does anybody really care about my frivolous outfit posts? I've actually been blogging on and off for nearly five years on different platforms in a variety of formats (my first was MySpace, can you believe it?! Snippets of my personal life kind of fictionalised). I  love the process of publishing, seeing copy and images bound together and given life – my first job was in book publishing if that helps explain. I love to write and more recently I love to take photographs. Blogging is the obvious way to combine all those things.

But, up until last autumn, my blogging was an ill-conceived side-kick to my freelancing. I thought it was important for a freelance journalist to be able to say "Yes, I have a blog." And even though I'd get absorbed over quiet work periods I was never that committed and there was no real direction or purpose. Then I had a baby. With that came maternity leave and the realisation of one of my biggest fears – that, as a new mother looking after a baby and not working, my self identity and strong sense of self would quickly slip away. As soon as the first three months of baby initiation had passed, I flung myself into my blog. I re-designed, I re-focused and started posting as much as I could. Almost immediately I started seeing my traffic improve. I felt invigorated. Outside and around of the delightful but sleep deprived task of looking after a new baby I had a, albeit entirely self-defined, purpose. It slots together so easily – the journalist in me loves planning content, writing copy, meeting deadlines, networking and contacting brands and PRs; the rookie geek in me has become obsessed with tweaking blog design, embracing social media and improving my photography and photo-editing skills. And the outfit posts ('ego-blogging' my husband likes to call it) helped me get over a bumpy post-pregnancy self image quandary allowing me to indulge in therapeutic dressing up time when I'm not getting out to that many parties.

Of course, like most bloggers, I'd love it if my blog could make money but the reality is it probably won't. I do use affiliate links and make the odd commission, but to make any serious money you'd need a tonne of traffic. And while I still believe running a functioning upbeat blog adds a string to your bow as a freelance journalist – it keeps your profile up and out there, gives you a focus and strengthens your idea generation for pitching, plus helps with contacts – ultimately, my blog is about something else. For me blogging has helped transition from working to mothering without having a full-on identity crisis. And that, dear readers, is reason enough to keep on going.

What about you? Why do you blog? Do you question yourself? Do you ever think of quitting? Do you feel what you ultimately want for you blog is attainable? What does blogging fulfil  for you?

I'm listening to So Long My Love by Tomorrow's World 

Canon EOS M – The Fashion Blogger's New Best Friend? Posted by Unknown |

Image credit Style Scrapbook

New camera obsessions have become a huge part of my photography habit. The perfect camera package – ie. one that is small and light and takes fabulous photographs – is the holy grail, right? My first attempt was the Canon G11, but we never clicked. The ergonomics didn't sit right with me, I never liked how it felt in my hands, I hated the ineffectual viewfinder and I found it clunky taking it out and about. I then developed a serious obsession with the Fuji X100 that was released last year, but though an object of design beauty and by all accounts an outstanding camera I knew it was still too big and clunky. Every now and then I'd let myself drool over Leica models and eventually a bit of research into the Leica X1 – the brand's upper end digital compact built around a lovely big sensor – and a hal price bargain listing on eBay convinced me this model was the answer to (most) of my prayers. Excellent image quality in a superbly light and beautifully designed case has meant this camera has travelled with me all over. It's not an action camera, the autofocus is slow, and the fixed lens is both a creative stimulant and constrictive. Lack of viewfinder and no interchangeable lens capacity aside, this camera has pretty much assuaged my camera lust. Until, that is, the appearance of Canon's new mirrorless interchangeable lens compact this autumn. With a lovely big sensor (the biggest of any compact and same as the one on the Canon DSLR 650d), interchangeable lenses with an adapter for EFS & EF lenses, and at half the size of a DSLR weighing 255g, this model could possibly make redundant my Canon G11 (for sure!) and possibly my 400d body (which I only ever use at home).



What's interesting is how the Canon M has been targeted at creatives and specifically fashion bloggers by way of Andy Torres of Style Scrapbook, who features in one of the five Power to Generation M with Vice campaign videos (see above – lovely video with two inspiring still photography ideas) and is one of three used in the billboard and editorial campaign. I've scanned a few reviews and the upshot seems to be that the image quality is excellent, even as good as the 650d – you can achieve fantastic bokeh and depth of field and the world's your oyster depending on your lens –, and of course nice and portable. The downside seems to be slow autofocus and the weight imbalance when you attach longer lenses to the body. And no viewfinder, but to be honest I think this is just something we will have to learn to live with if we want compactness. My feeling is that the image quality will win out over over the downsides and be extremely appealing to a whole range of photography types. Especially the fashion blogger, who is obsessed with attaining top image quality with as portable a camera as possible. I've noticed Susie Bubble is a creative ambassador for the camera and is sporting one as well as Fashion Bits and Bobs who gives an overview of the camera here. I know for me, having splashed out on a 50mm 1.4 Canon lens which I only use at home, the temptation is huge. I can quite easily see myself chucking my 50mm and a Canon M in a bag for both short and long trips. What about you? Does the Canon M appeal to you? Have you gone ahead and bought one? Do you know any fashion bloggers using one, creative ambassadors aside? I'd love to know!

Canon M EOS £769.95 at Selfridges
Canon M EOS £499 at Jessops