The Fascination with Tumblr

Tumblr. What's so great about this social media platform compared to other blogs, Facebook, and Twitter in terms of the fashion industry?

Tumblr is a great platform for finding tons of inspirational images of fashion ad campaigns, model images, runway shots, and so much more. More so than many other blogging tools, Tumblr is fantastic at providing an aggregate of fashion images of all kinds. You can type in anything from "Karlie Kloss" to "Celine" or "Karl Lagerfeld" and find a plethora of images tagged with whatever subject you search for. And what's so great about the images Tumblr provides as opposed to let's say "Google Images" is most of the time they're user created or uploaded by users themselves. So let's say there was a collage someone made or a photograph someone scanned in and edited--they can usually always be found on Tumblr. Further, Tumblr seems to be used by many "artsy" people, "hipsters" if you will--who gravitate towards light exposure photographs, vintage filters and such. But also, these users are visual people, so they share and repost photos that garner some emotion or cater to some artistic skill.

 

Thus, Tumblr is used by nearly every fashion designer and fashion pr firm to expose their work and build a greater community for like-minded fashion enthusiasts. Tumblr isn't heavily word based compared to blogspot (ie this blog) or Wordpress, which makes it easier to cater towards the fashion community in offering an online scrapbook of sorts for fashion media. A lot of times people don't want to scroll through tons of personal blog posts pertaining to random stories or everyday musings, but would rather look at a page full of something visually engaging and inspiring. This is what Tumblr is best at: providing a wide range of visual content spanning all subjects, and not just fashion. You can also comment and reblog blog posts or follow different blogs that interest you. You can also create a unique theme or use one of Tumblr's many pre-made themes. It's super simple and the interface is very manageable.

Personally, what I love most about Tumblr is that I can combine my mutual love for both fashion and music by keeping an online log of all of my favorite songs and fashion content. So instead of taking up memory on my computer to store all of this data, tumblr is a free, aesthetically attractive online medium I can always look at to feel inspired for any of my upcoming art projects, editorial ideas, or just fashion inspiration in general.

Especially in this day and age when there are so many amazing social media platforms out there— some get left in the dust, but do yourself a favor and don't miss out on this one.

Print vs. Online Media

Credit: www.businessoffashion.com

“It’s really not possible to get together in a room full of journalists anymore without having a conversation about the profession itself and the future of the profession,” says Eric Bates, executive editor at Rolling Stones.

Within the last 10 years there has been an ongoing debate on whether or not the print industry is indeed dying or if it will continue to thrive. Specifically, in regard to the fashion magazine industry—I don’t believe this is the case at all! If anything, this theory is more applicable to newspapers rather than print fashion publications.

Let’s face it, newspapers are just too big, too dirty, and just plain inefficient. You have to open up a near 2 ft. tall packet of paper just to skim through the stories and you all know the feeling of ink-stained hands after holding a newspaper for too long—not. fun. at. all.

So when exactly was the moment when newspapers made their biggest mistake? It was when they decided to give away their biggest asset for free: THE NEWS. I mean— how idiotic is that? There’s no denying that nearly every newspaper publication has a website now and pretty much gives away their content for free now if you think about it. But now after sticking to this method for so long their decision to backtrack and attempt to charge subscriptions for their online content is going to be a harder feat than it may seem. Also, because the news isn’t exactly a niche interest for the masses, but rather something we all consume and is pertinent to everyone, it isn’t a subject everyone would constantly seek out as opposed to let’s say football, basketball, fashion, music, and so on which are all niche interests. Therefore, the actual print-newspaper industry is fading away, because really—who wants to spend money on a paper copy of the newspaper when they could get the same content on their phone or computer for free?

So why do I think that print fashion magazines in particular will survive the transition into online media?

As mentioned earlier, fashion magazines are read and purchased by a large population of the world because of their inherent interest in the topic. Fashion magazine consumers are committed to going out of their way to purchase their favorite magazine whether it is anything from Nylon to Teen Vogue or W magazine—every magazine caters to a different niche group that are keenly interested in the content they provide. Further, fashion magazines are different from newspapers in that because their content largely focuses on shopping essentially: i.e. clothing, accessories, and beauty products… people want something tangible they can actually touch, fold, tear out, and mark-up as opposed to clicking through hundreds of pages on a website looking at different dresses, pants, handbags, or whatever the product is. I don’t know about you, but my eyes can’t take looking at a computer screen too long or else things just get ugly. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of people who do enjoy the online shopping aspect in having everything situated on their computer, but a print fashion magazine is unique in that someone can easily toss a magazine in their purse on the way to work, pull one out and read while having a cup of coffee, or read while laying out on the beach with your ipod on. Not to mention magazines are much more compact than newspapers and obviously the image quality is exponentially superior. In my opinion, hundreds of full-color glossy 8 ½ x 11 page booklet of editorials and fashion spreads— all carefully designed and written is more than enough reason for me to fork out $4 of $5 a month, or better yet get a year subscription for only $10-$20!

When it comes down to it, I love to hold, touch, flip through and actually feel my favorite magazines as opposed to clicking on a mouse through different pages. The experience is entirely different according to the medium and there’s just something really special about having a tangible magazine as opposed to an online version of it as it feels like all the hard work poured into it can actually be felt. But hey who knows what the future will bring, all I can do is hope print media is here to stay.

  

Instagramania

Instagram—the latest social network platform to infiltrate our lives has become a dominant force in how we not only communicate with another, but share photos. This recent billion dollar acquisition by Facebook is not only a tool used by everyday people, but especially major fashion houses, designers, celebrities, stylists, bloggers, magazines, and every other possible fashion affiliate you can think of. Marc Jacobs has one. Who What Wear has one. Jane Keltner De Valle has one. Emily Weiss has one. Garance Dore has one. Even Jessica Alba has one. Seriously, if someone in this industry doesn’t have an Instagram, you kind of have to wonder—they either live in a box or they are just completely detached from all things social media. Needless to say Instagram has garnered a huge following within the fashion industry and offer people something Facebook and Twitter lacked.

If anything—Instagram enhanced Twitter—yeah you know what I’m talking about. The tool that allows everyday people to get a glimpse into the coveted minds of major industry taste-makers and leaders, or just plain people we are darn curious about! Either way, Instagram is the new player in the game that now allows people to take a peek inside the coveted doors of these fashion celebrities using actual visual images (illuminated by a unique vintage filter) rather than just a mere 140 characters of nonsense  "genius."

On another note, have you noticed NYFW is going on? You must know right, how could you not? Anyways, like you and everyone else I’m assuming —I’ve been feverishly following the nonstop NYFW footage posted on every fashion related Instagram including Leandra Medine’s (often hilarious) photos to Eva Chen’s myriad of extraordinary backstage footage and Hillary Kerr’s up close and personal catwalk snapshots. It’s amazing how now, these once private and elusive  “fashion shows” have become so accessible through social media—but in this particular case Instagram. Within seconds of Alexander Wang debuting his latest collection using glow and the dark—I can instantly see photos via Instagram as though I was actually there.

photo of Leandra Medine on The Man Repeller's Instagram during NYFW, credit: The Man Repeller

photo from Eva Chen's Instagram, credit: Evachen212

photo from NYFW on Hillary Kerr's Instagram, credit: Hillary_Kerr

Alexander Wang, S/S 2013 NYFW, credit: Asos

Some may say that the mystery and intrigue of sitting at a fashion show dissipates by having so many media tools that allow real-time public viewing or even live streaming (as seen on some designer’s websites *ahem Louis Vuitton), but in reality—I think that social media tools like Instagram further promote a brand by making it more accessible and available to more people and in turn creating even further anticipation than if a collection only appeared on a few select sites like Style.com and not on someone’s Instagram News Feed that they probably check more often than niche sites.

All in all the Instagram craze has swept across the fashion world, and I’m pretty content with this new piece of technology. What about you?

The Fashion Blogging Phenomenon

If you told me 10 years ago that girls as young as 13 (ahem Tavi Gevinson) could rise to the ranks of high fashion fame—brushing shoulders with Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld all while attending fashion shows for Marc Jacobs and Dior—I wouldn’t have believed you. 

Tavi Gevinson with Anna Wintour, credit: zimbio.com

Yet, Tavi of the "Style Rookie" is just one of a handful of fashion bloggers who are what we call making it “big.” Not to mention other fashion bloggers as Aimee Song of "Song of Style" who has been reported by Refinery 29 to be making hundreds of thousands of dollars through her partnerships, collaborations and event hosting duties, not to mention the revenue earned from the myriad of ads that appear on nearly every fashion blog nowadays. 

Aimee Song of "Song of Style," credit: songofstyle.com

And how many celebrities out there really have a collaborative line with mega fashion chain H&M? I’m looking at you Elin Kling (of "Style by Kling"). Or how about a new hot line at mega-fashion house Mango? Carolina Engman of "Fashion Squad" just released a line there. I think it’s safe to say fashion blogging has exploded in recent years, but let’s see why that is: 

  

Elin Kling posing for her H&M line,  credit: http://stylebykling.nowmanifest.com

A blog comes from the world web + log, but blogs have extended themselves to become so diverse that they cover almost every facet of life from music, fashion, food, and movies to politics, religion, and so on. But the way in which fashion blogs in particular have been able to garner so much attention and become an active influence within the industry is particularly fascinating. 

There’s no doubt that this new web tool has certainly changed the way we view street style as well as personal style. But some may ask what do blogs offer that professional magazines don’t? Well for one, they’re more personal. These are all individual people all around the world who spend at least a few days a week writing as well as photographing their outfits while they’re out on their daily musings. So why are we so obsessed? People have an innate sense of curiosity about what? Other people! And especially for avid fashion followers: we're obsessed with fashionable people! How do you explain our crazy obsession with celebrity style? 

Anyways, fashion blogs enable anyone with a camera, computer, and interest in fashion to speak their mind, showcase their fashion sense, and in a way—act as their own fashion magazines manning all positions of model, stylist, writer, photographer, and editor. There's something especially raw and special about this. It's not a team of 50 people shooting one model with an enormous budget. It's usually just the blogger or blogger and photographer working together.

Fashion blogs unlike fashion magazines offer an insider’s peek into the lives of everyday fashionistas and essentially offer an ongoing online catalog depicting real-life street styles from around the world! 

How cool is that? 

Today, fashion bloggers are being plucked from obscurity and placed in the forefront of fashion events, shows, and campaigns as a new “pseudo” celebrity due to the enormous amount of readers they’ve been able to garner and can draw in to fashion events. Although many of them are being paid to host parties and events, it’s much cheaper on the wallet than let's say tapping Kate Bosworth or Kate Moss on the shoulder for instance—another reason why they’ve become such a hot commodity.

So where is the world of fashion blogging going to be in the future? Only time will tell. But at this point—fashion bloggers have become a key integral part of the industry in driving not only fashion inspiration, but sales. 

So you better grab your camera, put on your best outfit and start blogging because who knows if you’ll be the next one to make it “big.”

Hello World

The Technological Sweep Over Fashion

 

For much of my life I never thought of myself as a "fashionista," nonetheless interested in the world of fashion, but as I grew older—my love for the ephemeral, beautiful world of fashion progressed insatiably.

It all started as a child when I first began to dab in the artistic world: painting, drawing, or collaging for school projects or just in my spare time. As I grew older, I found that I took extra consideration into what I would wear to school, family gatherings, and social outings—coordinating certain colors or patterns that fit “my” style. As you can suspect, it wasn’t too long before much of my free time was spent feverishly flipping through the fashionable pages of Vogue, Elle, and Nylon magazine. I guess you could call it a natural progression of sorts, but definitely one I now hold close to my heart.

But into my college years, a new set of fashion “bibles” began to emerge—competing against my once beloved fashion mags: fashion blogs. With the ever changing technological world, blogs are just one of the few new innovations that have changed the fashion industry. Thus for this blog, I want to discuss this new era of fashion: how new technology is affecting today’s fashion industry.

I think it’s incredible how the slew of new internet platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram among blogs have all been able to quickly change the way fashion designers communicate to people and how everyday people can now influence designers in a much more direct way. For those who have kept up with fashion bloggers, Tavi Gevinson (“Style Rookie”), Rumi Neely (“Fashion Toast”), Leandre Medine (“The Man Repeller”), and Elin Kling (“Style by Kling”) are just a few elite fashion bloggers who have made it “big” and been able to reach celebrity status in a relatively short amount of time. These bloggers are accruing top dollar to appear at fashion events and attracting thousands of loyal followers just from creating a simple fashion blog. It’s fascinating how much power a blog can provide someone and I think it represents how much power everyday people actually do have in affecting what fashion is and will become (take a look at how much street style has already affected designer collections and trends).

Further, I’d also like to discuss how new technology like smart phones have changed the way we view fashion shows. With a few simple clicks, these tiny gadgets allow photos to appear on social networks like Twitter and Instagram seconds after they appear on the catwalk. Before, fashion shows were relegated to the elite, but now people can even live stream fashion shows from their own homes allowing the once exclusive fashion show event become a worldwide public event.

Who knows how the future’s technology will change fashion, but for now we can only wonder. And with that I leave you with a quote by one of fashion’s most beloved icons— Coco Chanel: “ Fashion is always of the time in which you live. It is not something standing alone.”