Five Fab Fashion Blogs
Get (or stay) en vogue in time for Fashion Week
By Robin Roberts
Wondering if clogs are in this season? Or if skinny jeans are really out (please)? To tuck or not to tuck? Never fear a fashion fallout; there are those far more obsessed with these and other burning questions of couture who faithfully blog the beat to keep you in sartorial splendour. As Fall Fashion Week fast approaches, we offer, with a twirl and a pout, five of the most stylish.
From Milan, the fashion capital of the world, comes the most popular fashion blog in the world, hosted by the model, designer and savvy business blonde herself, Chiara Ferragni. Garnering over six million page views a month, the site is updated at least three times a day with fashion tips, trends, advice, and photos direct from the runways of Paris, London, Milan and New York. There are also links to purchase the products featured, including Ferragni’s own shoe line.
The world of haute couture can be snooty and smug, so the chic–to–cheek tone of the Man Repeller is as welcome as a comfy pair of kicks. The “site about trends women love but men hate” (think jumpsuits, overalls, shoulder pads) also offers sensible slants on such pressing issues of the day as How to Wear a Floaty Crop Top, How Women Can Take Back the Man Bun, and How Many Shoes are Too Many. There are also sit–downs with fashionistas such as Carolina Herrera and Johanna Ortiz, as well as smart, snappy advice columns Ask a French Girl and Ask Isaac.
Vancouver journalist, photographer, stylist and creative director Alexandra Grant keeps it simple, “erring on the side of natural,” she says. Committed to fashion on any budget, her site sections her favourite styles into weekend staples, feminine workwear, beachwear, classic looks, as well as health and fitness tips and personal trip reports from Squamish to Paris. Grant works with and features many Canadian designers, including Lululemon, Gentle Fawn, Roots, and Barefoot Contessa with links to their lines.
London–to–New–York–transplant Karen Blanchard hit dead ends searching out “where stylish New York girls shopped”, so when she saw someone wearing something she liked, she’d just march up to her and ask, “Where did you get that?”, and a blog was born. Must–haves of the moment include corduroy skirts, the Bolero hat, and “mannish shoes”. Also featured are Best Bits!, Outfits, and Street Style, much of which you can buy direct from the site. Or take a page and ask a smartly styled local “where did you get that?”
“Every girl crazy ‘bout a sharp–dressed man,” as ZZ Top growled. The popular men’s fashion blog, while maybe not as heavy on ZZ’s silk suit and black tie, is a treasure chest of essential fashion and grooming how–to’s, shoe and clothing reviews from affordable to expensive to “too expensive”, as well as a helpful forum and savvy advice column dispensing tips on everything from first dates to buying flowers.
Robin Roberts 