FASHION BLOGS VS. FASHION MAGAZINES

A few days ago, I read an article about how fashion blogs are taking over the magazines. I was a little in shock because I really don’t want magazines to disappear. I was just wondering that if I had to choose between loosing fashion blogs or losing fashion magazines which one would I give up and I thought I have to write an article about this.

Fashion bloggers are able to update their blog very fast. For example: when an editor goes to the fashion week, the editor may have 2000 photos, but he or she has to select 10 of these photos. Besides it will take a month before the photo will be published in the magazine, in fashion industry this is a long time. Fashion bloggers can put as many photos on their blog as they want, moreover they can update their blog the same day. This is the reason designers take the fashion bloggers very seriously, the bloggers have many followers and the followers will see the new collection immediately.

A fashion blogger looks like the girl next door, therefor it’s easy for women to identify with the fashion bloggers.  The models in fashion magazines are extreme thin, the fashion bloggers have a normal body shape, so women can see how clothes looks like on a more normal body shape. Besides most women find the combination of clothes in the editorials of fashion magazine too extraordinary, the fashion bloggers wear expensive clothes of fashion houses, but most of them wear a lot of clothes from fashion stores like Zara and these clothes are affordable for most women.

Popular fashion bloggers have a direct impact on the fashion retail market. When popular fashion bloggers wear something from a new collection from a fashion house or from an ordinary fashion store, they can create a hype in the industry. Take for example the so-called wedge sneakers. The French designer Isabel Marant has designed these shoes, they became extreme popular because popular fashion bloggers started wearing these wedge sneakers. The sneakers were sold out immediately, they became a huge hype. Without the help of the fashion bloggers these shoes wouldn’t become so popular. So the fashion bloggers stimulate the retail market, which is good for the economy.

The quality of fashion magazines is much better than the content of fashion blogs. Most fashion bloggers only show their outfits, wardrobe and reports of fashion shows.  Though fashion magazines have an inspirational content; you can read interviews and articles about the fashion industry, fashion magazines also show beautiful editorials. The fashion bloggers started blogging as a hobby, but the people who work for the magazines are journalists, so they have much more knowledge about the fashion industry.

A blog is a place where you go for fast-food-fashion. Looking for last minute outfit inspiration? Try a blog. Looking for a quick review about a random product? A blog will do that. Looking for some light entertainment on your lunch break? A blog is a great place for that. On the other hand, a magazine has now taken on more of a literary aspect.  Each issue of a magazine is drawn up, illustrated, layed-out, written and photographed with a specific goal in mind.

Where magazines differ the most from blogs is their  use of layout, and graphic design. A blog’s format is limited, and the need for a large quantity of posts makes creating great layout and graphic design difficult. So in the end, fashion blogs have the same look and style of posting.

Even though a lot of people think that fashion magazines will die one day and that blogs will take over the fashion industry I think that the rise of the blogs is true but fashion magazines will stay in their place, which is at the top. 

Blogs never sleep, and it is easier to identify yourself with a blogger than a journalist from vogue. But magazines have better qualities.  However, I think that both blogs and magazines are necessary in the fashion industry because they are the industry, but they represent the fashion industry in a different way. And like  Coco Chanel ones said:

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

Do you prefer fashion blogs or fashion magazines?

-bisous-