Fashion blogs are blogs that cover fashions in clothing and fashion accessories.

Definition

A fashion blog is solely or primarily dedicated to coverage of fashions in clothing and accessories. This includes blogs about:

runway trends

fashion items, e.g. shoes, handbags

celebrity fashion

street style outfits worn by regular people.

There are blogs covering fashion at all levels, from big labels and indie designers to clothing found on the street.

Many fashion blogs could also be categorised as shopping blogs as "most of the conversation is shopping advice, liberally laced with consumer recommendations", and some fashion retailers have now started blogs of their own to promote their products.

Blogs that occasionally mention fashion, such as many "personal diaries of teenagers", are not categorised as fashion blogs.

Impact on the fashion industry

Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has considerable impact on the way ordinary people clothe themselves. As fashion is trend-driven and fashion blogs provide a new way to follow these trends, it is likely they will have a considerable long-term influence on the industry.

These are some of the things fashion journalists have said about fashion blogs and the impact they are having on the industry:

"These days, to have one finger on the fashion pulse, you need to have the other one on your computer mouse, reading (or writing) the latest blogs."

"Before a designer's runway show has even finished, you can bet your bottom dollar that someone in the audience – or better still, backstage – has recorded every silhouette, signature shoe, styling detail and sulking supermodel, then uploaded it onto the internet for style watchers across the globe to enjoy."

Number of fashion blogs

There is considerable disagreement regarding the number of fashion blogs in existence.

In a February, 2006 Women's Wear Daily article, Corcoran stated:

There is an enormous, and growing, number of fashion and shopping-related blogs: about 2 million, according to Technorati Inc., [...] or slightly less than 10 percent of the 27 million blogs the company tracks. (That number includes blogs in languages that use the Roman alphabet and that contain anything fashion-related, including sites such as Pink Is the New Blog, which focuses on celebrities.)

It is likely that this figure is inflated by a substantial number of personal blogs that mention fashion. These are not considered fashion blogs using the criteria above.

All other estimates of the popularity of fashion blogs are considerably lower. In September 2005, La Ferla stated that "as little as a year ago, the number of [fashion bloggers] could be counted in the dozens. Today there are hundreds." Lara Zamiatin estimated in November 2006 that there are now "several hundred fashion blogs".

Types of fashion blogs

Fashion blogs can be categorised in a number of ways.

By writer's expertise

Fashion blogs may be written by insiders, outsiders or aspiring insiders.

Insiders are people who work (or have previously worked) in the fashion industry or for the traditional fashion media. In addition, some fashion insiders blog occasionally as guest on larger sites. For example, the fashion designer Nanette Lepore has contributed to Glam.com.

Outsiders are people who know a lot (or at least have strong opinions) about fashion, typically by virtue of being very dedicated consumers of fashion.

Aspiring insiders are people who want to work in the fashion industry or media and believe their blog may provide a ‘back door' entry into a mainstream fashion writing job. Instances of people who have been employed within the fashion industry on the strength of their blogs include:

Manolo the Shoe Blogger, who now has a weekly column in the Express a Washington Post Publication

Heather and Jessica from Go Fug Yourself, who recently covered Fashion Week for New York Magazine

The Budget Fashionista, Kathryn Finney, wrote a book called "How To Be a Budget Fashionista" that was published by Ballantine Books..

By ownership

Fashion blogs may be owned either by individuals or by companies.

The types of individuals running fashion blogs are listed above.

The types of companies now running fashion blogs include large mainstream media organizations and fashion retailers. Mainstream media organisations that own fashion blogs include The Times (UK), Condé Nast Publications (US) and the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia). Fashion retailers with blogs include Bluefly and Splendora.

By theme

Most successful fashion blogs follow a specific theme or angle. Some narrow their field to one type of fashion item e.g. shoes, handbags or denim. Some specialise in a specific price point: typically either very high-end or very budget conscious. Some cover celebrity fashion exclusively, while others cover street style. Some cover a mix of two or more of these topics.

History

Fashion blogs are a comparatively new phenomenon, so no detailed published accounts of their history exist yet.

Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere prior to 2002 Both the number of fashion blogs and the number of media mentions of fashion blogs has grown considerably since then. Published accounts of the growing number of fashion blogs are mentioned above, and a Facteva search reveals that media articles mentioning "fashion blogs" grew from one in 2002 to over 100 in 2006.

In 2006, the commercial success and growing profile of fashion bloggers have been the two main themes in coverage of fashion blogs.

Early fashion blogs

Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere prior to 2002, and at least one fashion blogger was invited to New York Fashion Week as early as September 2003.

The fashion blogs that attracted media attention in 2002 include two that are still in existence: LookOnline Daily Fashion Report and She She Me.

In 2004, the first accessories blog, Manolo's Shoe Blog, was launched. While it has been stated that Manolo's Shoe Blog was the first fashion blog, Manolo himself disputes this. He says he read a number of fashion blogs in 2003, and these inspired him to start blogging.

Recent developments

Recent media reports state that some fashion blogs have become highly profitable, and that the influence of fashion blogs within the industry is growing. It could be said that fashion blogging is now developing from an interesting hobby, to a viable new media business.

Mainstream media acceptance of fashion blogging

Fashion blogs are increasingly becoming a part of the mainstream fashion press.

An increasing number of fashion bloggers were invited to designers' fashion shows in 2006 compared to previous years. Large advertisers like H&M and Gap have bought advertising on fashion blogs, and other large companies like the underwear-maker Jockey are targeting fashion blogs in their PR efforts.

Many big media organisations have started fashion blogs and the best fashion bloggers are now also being offered mainstream media positions. (See above for more details.)

Fashion blogging is also now regarded as worthy of mainstream media coverage. The reference list below shows the very high calibre of media publication that have written about fashion blogs. These publications include the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fast Company and the Sydney Morning Herald.

Additionally, the comings and goings of staff at high profile fashion blogs has begun to be covered in the media as well. For example, Meg Taylor's recent appointment at budget fashion blog The Bargain Queens received feature article treatment in the local newspaper in her area.

Commercialisation of fashion blogging

Fashion blogging is rapidly becoming a highly profitable new media business, with a mixture of independent blogs and well-funding fashion blog networks competing to dominate the space.

Manolo's Shoe Blog is believed to be the most profitable independent fashion blog, "rumoured to be [earning] around $700,000 a year" by 2006. Manolo has confirmed he earns a six-figure salary through blogging. Other commercially successful independent fashion blogs include The Budget Fashionista, which reportedly brings in $150,000 a year in revenue and The Bag Snob, which "generates a five-figure income, mainly from advertising". More examples of independent fashion blogs that have achieved commercial success can be found in the references listed at the end of this article.

There have also been a series of business deals have brought serious investor money into the fashion blogging space. These include:

October 2006: Sugar Publishing Inc. raised Series A funding from legendary venture capital firm Sequoia, to a rumoured value of $5 million. Sugar's small blog network includes FabSugar, a fashion blog.

November 2006: Glam.com raised $18.5 million in Series C venture capital from a consortium led by Duff Ackerman & Goodrich Ventures, with other investors including "Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which helped launch eBay, Accel Partners, an investor in Facebook, as well as WaldenVC and Information Capital".

October 2007, Sugar Publishing purchased early fashion blog network Coutorture Media for an undisclosed sum.

Fashion blogs around the world

The majority of notable fashion blogs are U.S. based. Fashion blogging in other countries appears to have started later but is also experiencing strong growth. Non-U.S. fashion blogs that have attracted media attention follow.

Australia

Australian blogs that have attracted media attention are Sassybella, The Bargain Queens, Beijing Baby! and Imelda. Sassybella is an online fashion magazine that allows anyone to "find information about the latest It bags, see what It girls are wearing, as well as what's going on in the industry" with an emphasis on the latest fashion and beauty news. The Bargain Queens blog is a blog "dedicated to sharing information on how to sniff out a bargain". Beijing Baby! is a site dedicated to a young women's daily insights and stories on life and fashion. Imelda, a blog written by Sydney public relations executive Matt Jordan, is the first Australian blog to centre on footwear.

United Kingdom

In December 2006, it was stated that "Britain still lags behind the US in developing the fashion blogosphere, but things are picking up." Grant mentions Catwalk Queen as an example of a UK fashion blog.

The London fashion blog Style Bubble has also attracted media attention with her "guide to trends, designers and shopping hot spots in Britain's capital city".