Definition

A fashion blog can cover many things such as specific items of clothing and accessories, trends in various apparel markets (haute couture

Haute couture

Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...

, prêt-à-porter, etc.), celebrity fashion choices and street fashion

Street fashion

Street fashion is a term used to describe fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the grassroots. Street fashion is generally associated with youth culture, . Japanese street fashion sustains multiple simultaneous highly diverse fashion movements at any given time....

 trends. They cover fashion at all levels from the biggest names to the smallest indie designers.

Many fashion blogs could also be categorised as shopping blogs, since "most of the conversation is shopping advice, liberally laced with consumer recommendations". This is very similar to the content of fashion magazines. Some retailers in the fashion industry have even started blogs of their own to promote their products.

Blogs that only occasionally mention fashion are not categorised as fashion blogs, although they may be labeled by the blogger as such.

Impact on the fashion industry

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

The blogoshpere has indeed opened up many doors for the fashion industry, one of which is allowing the ordinary people to partake in the 'elite' fashion world. In 2007, the Pulitzer Prize wing fashion writer and former blogger Robin Givhan

Robin Givhan

Robin Givhan is the former fashion editor for The Washington Post. She left The Washington Post in 2010 and is now the fashion critic and fashion correspondent for The Daily Beast and Newsweek. She won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for criticism, the first such time for a fashion writer...

 claimed that fashion blogs had democratized the fashion industry. Givhan had also wrote in Harpers Bazaar, 'The rise of the fashion blogger has evolved [fashion] from an aristocratic business dominated by omnipotent disigners into a democratic one in which everyone has access to stylistic clothes...the average people, too often estranged from fashion, is not taking ownership of it'. A similar statement was said by Constance White, the style director for E-bay and former fashion journalist, saying that the impact of the fashion blogoshpere is allowing the whole population to take ownership of the fashion world.

Unlike fashion-focused magazines and television shows, fashion blogs are able to be updated more frequently, keeping up to date with the with new and up-and-coming fashion trends. Not only are fashion blogs easier to access, many fashion blog readers (interviewed in Swedish fashion management study) stated that fashion blogs are far more personable and are more 'up to date' on both local and foreign trends. These fashion blog readers had also stated that fashion blogs had shared new trends to a much great extent than other fashion mediums.

Many of these fashion blogs also serve as a free source of advertisement to both designers and fashion retail stores. These free advertisements have had a heavy influence on fashion designers of various standings, helping to give a name to small up-and-coming designers as well as bringing high-end designers back to life. While the majority of the independent bloggers do not get paid to mention or critique designers' products, many of the top fashion bloggers are said to have received free samples of the designer pieces that they have mentioned in their blogs.

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".

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

Fashion journalism

Fashion journalism is an umbrella term used to describe all aspects of published fashion media. It includes fashion writers, fashion critics or fashion reporters...

. 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, usually 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. Examples 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
  Go Fug Yourself
  - Creators :The authors and owners of the blog are Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks, who met when they were working as recappers for the website Television Without Pity, then known as Mighty Big TV...
  
  , who recently covered Fashion Week for New York Magazine

• The Budget Fashionista, Kathryn Finney
  Kathryn Finney
  Kathryn A. Finney, author, Television Correspondent, blogger, budget shopping expert is best known as one of the first fashion and shopping bloggers for her blog, ....
  
  , 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. Condé Nast Publications

Condé Nast Publications

Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...

 is a mainstream media organization with fashion blogs. Fashion retailers with blogs include Bluefly

Bluefly

Bluefly, Inc. is an American electronic commerce company. Headquartered in New York, New York, it was one of the first online retailers to sell fashion in a sophisticated manner. Ken Seiff and a team of six founded Bluefly.com, Inc. in 1998 and built it in less than four months from the time it...

, Queen of Suburbia and Splendora.

By theme

Most successful fashion blogs follow a particular theme or angle. Some narrow their field to one type of fashion item e.g. shoes, handbags or denim. Some specialise in a particular price point: usually either very high-end or very budget conscious. Some cover celebrity fashion exclusively, while others cover street style. Some, like blog Mrs. Châtelaine, cover a mix of two or more of these topics. Many show the authors own personal style and ask for the readers opinion. There are also a growing number of "fatshion" blogs, featuring plus-sized women's style.

History

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

Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere

Blogosphere

The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...

 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 were the two main themes in coverage of fashion blogs.

In 2009, CNN wrote about a blogger, Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast, who went from a small website to the runway for a popular label.

Early fashion blogs

Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere

Blogosphere

The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...

 prior to 2002, and Kathryn Finney

Kathryn Finney

Kathryn A. Finney, author, Television Correspondent, blogger, budget shopping expert is best known as one of the first fashion and shopping bloggers for her blog, ....

, of The Budget Fashionista, was invited to New York Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week

The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...

 as early as September 2003; a short time later, Fashiontribes.com was being seated fourth row at shows like Bill Blass. By 2008 Tina Craig and Kelly Cook of Bag Snob.com were seated second row at shows like Diane von Furstenberg and Oscar de la Renta.

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.

Later in 2004, Michelle Madhok

Michelle Madhok

Michelle Madhok is the Founder and CEO of White Cat Media Inc. - DBA SheFinds Media, parent company of and MomFinds.com, websites dedicated to helping busy working women use the internet to find affordable fashion for themselves and their children...

 introduced SheFinds.com, "an online shopping publication". By 2005, the site earned $300,000 per year, although most of that revenue went towards running expenses and Madhok paid herself just $40,000 per year.

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 organizations 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 caliber 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.

Street Style blogs

Street fashion has recently made its way into the world of blogs. An increasing number of blogs now feature fashion on real people, and show how trends are applied in the street.

Commercialization of fashion blogging

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

Manolo's Shoe Blog is believed to be the most profitable independent fashion blog, "rumored 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 $600,000 a year in revenue and The Bag Snob, which "generates a six-figure income, mainly from advertising". By 2008 SheFinds.com was generating $400,000 in revenue per year. "White Cat Media Tells You Where to Get a Bargain" 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 rumored 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.

Monetization Techniques

Blogging is hard work, and few bloggers in any industry are willing to devote the kind of time and effort necessary to build and hold a significant audience without some hope of financial reward.

Pay per click

Pay per click

Pay per click is an Internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites, where advertisers pay the publisher when the ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market...

 advertising placement is another monetization tactic employed by many fashion blogs. Recent advances in contextual ad placement have rendered PPC placement an increasingly attractive option.

Fashion blogs around the world

While there are tens of thousands of English-language blogs dedicated to fashion, the vast majority have little to say and even less of an audience.

Australia

Various Australian blogs have attracted media attention, including Sassybella, The Bargain Queens and Beijing Baby!
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.

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. Catwalk Queen began as a personal blog by Gemma Cartwright before it was sold to Shiny Media. It grew into one of the biggest UK based fashion blogs with a handful of writers blogging for it at any time.

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".

Italy

The first fashion blog in Italy (Redapple) was born in March 2004 as the personal blog of Barbara Mottini, and then
became a real fashion webzine with thousand of readers and many contributors writing about fashion, trends, shoes and bags every day.