“Niche Blog-spiration”

“Oh to be a famous fashion blogger…” she sighed.

This statement, as the growing blogosphere can certainly attest, is one that’s being increasingly uttered by wannabe fashion bloggers around the world. Since the mid-2000s fashion blogging of all forms has taken off. Be it street style, subject specific (bags, shoes, denim, ties…), personal style diaries, inspiration, news from insiders, wannabe insiders and outsiders…

Fashion blogging is well and truly an online niche of its own, but it’s the fashion blogs with a clear aim and purpose which tend to tickle the fancy of internet users. And so enters the “long-tail“ theory…

The rise of fashion blogs (and blogs in general) reflects the relationship of the user to today’s Web: that is, the increasing desire to consume specific products rather than settle for the one size fits all mainstream alternatives.  Whilst the popularity at the “mainstream” end is evident, increasingly we are seeing more and more niches emerge (making the long-tail grow even more) to whet the appetites of specific consumers. With the endless capabilities available on the Web, people are gravtitating to niches because it satisfies their own specific interests.

Indeed, this umbrella of fashion blogging is broad and sweeping in itself. So, my blog, which seeks inspiration from the two featured in this post, belongs to the “fashion news” niche – one which encapsulates the fashion industry as a whole bringing together relevant industry updates mixed in with original posts. 

So, here are my two favourite blogs in this niche, ones which have managed to grasp my attention over the years I’ve been reading them, to the extent that I check them twice (or sometimes three times…) daily.

1. Fashionista.com

Fashionista.com has become one of the ultimate success stories of the online fashion blog world since it began in August 2007. Based in New York, Fashionista – a team of editors and interns – have brought news, street-style snaps, D.I.Y projects and interview posts daily to a slew of readers. Over this time the site has changed editors a few times, with each bringing their own look and style to the site. This blog is unique in that it manages to cover a very broad range of subjects in the fashion blogging niche whilst not straying too far from its main role as a bearer of industry news.

One thing you will notice upon visiting Fashionista is the many fashion-based ads; this is because the website is well-known and thus, profitable. The ads however are not too intrusive as they fit in well with the clean layout of the site with its simple fonts and recognizable logos and interesting pictures accompanying the posts.

The team of writers behind Fashionista allows them to create a number of posts per day and with on-going themed posts such as “The Adventures in Copyright“, “Streetstyle“, “Life With…“ and “Weekly Best Dressed“ to name a few. All the writers have worked in the fashion industry in various roles and so they bring an “insider” point of view to many of their posts. Obviously, I’m the only person involved in my blog – so keeping up with all the news and posting as frequently as they do is virtually impossible.

The ‘readers’ that I mentioned are a mix of those who are vocally active in the comment section of the site and those who are not. I, for one, have never posted a comment despite being a long-time regular reader. However, famous (relative – of course – amongst the readers of the site) commenter’s such as “RashomonRebel“ and “Peter” can attest to the popularity and community of the Fashionista site. These two in particular bring hilarious but often biting retorts to many of the posts yet they are integral to the discussion which carries the niche and separates the successful blogs from the not-so-successful. Though the website does get its fair share of catty comments and backlash to the authors (sometimes justified), often those who take the time to post add some insight and varying justified opinions which really make the blog worth reading.

 2. Refinery29.com

Refinery29 is quite simply one of my favourite blogs ever and one which I wish I had created myself. Once again, based in New York, Refinery29 began in 2005 – right at the time that many young New York designers were making their names on the fashion scene. The site brings close to one million visitors per month and manages to cover fashion, beauty, trends, shopping, brands and industry news all in one – it’s a part of the “news fashion” niche.

This site, like Fashionista, has been integral in changing the fashion industry both online and offline and transforming the way the masses can access up to date fashion information in a way that was never previously available before blogs and the internet. Once again, there is a full-time team behind this site which attributes the success, frequency and quality of the posts produced. One particular aspect of the website which is clever and useful is the weekly roundup which directs readers to the top stories Refinery29 has posted throughout the week. And all posts are written with good humour, but they’re still sophisticated and polished.

The design of this website is also to be envied as it consists of clean minimalist lines, but is still bright and appealing and makes you want to read more. The advertising is cleverly weaved into the site – with its similar use of colour and the fashion focus.

Like Fashionista, Refinery29 also utilises other online media – such as Twitter and Facebook – to bring together its readership and provide up to the minute (literally) fashion updates. The fashion blog world is invariably linked – all the top websites are joined either by real-life or online connections. If fashion blogging success is to be had, the mantra “no blog is an island” rings true indeed.

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Click here for the honourable mentions, that is to say the other favourites in the fashion blogging niche who managed to escape this list of two. 

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(Featured image via thesartorialist.com other images courtesy of fashionista.com and refinery29.com)

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Tagged: Bloggers, Blogs, Fashionista, Niche, Refinery29

Posted in: Bloggers, Fashion, Inspiration, Niche