Runway bloggers join fashion front line

• Last Updated: November 11. 2009 2:03PM UAE / November 11. 2009 10:03AM GMT

There was a time when the front row at fashion shows was reserved for buyers and editors, and no one else would get a whiff, Katie Trotter writes. Until now, that is.

At the recent spring/summer shows worldwide, a new generation of bloggers was for the first time given the golden prime-view seats, safely tucked between the likes of Anna Wintour and Suzy Menkes, providing instant commentary at the click of a mouse. Before the shows had even finished, reports about the new silhouettes, signature shoes and backstage gossip were posted on blogs, to be pored over by stylists, buyers and others across the globe. While blogs such as the New York Times’ The Moment are fantastic for up-to-date news, it is the more personal sites, delivered by independent fashion enthusiasts, that have created a stir.

1 www.ashadedviewonfashion.com : Diane Pernet, a former journalist from Vogue magazine who is frequently spotted in the front row at the Paris shows, is as notorious for her eccentric style as she is for her blog. Always dressed head-to-toe in black, topped off with a colossal veil, ghostly white skin, and lacquered red lips, Pernet has stuck to the same peculiar look for the past 25 years. The dedicated fashion lover blogs mostly about emerging talent, and her comments and updates on Paris Fashion Week are highly regarded in the industry, especially by designers, who are said to consult her blog straight after the shows.

2 www.stylebubble.typepad.com:Susanna Lau, also known as Susie Bubble (a name she has used since primary school), began her quirky, upbeat blog in London in March 2006. Every morning, Lau photographs her look and posts the pictures for her readers to analyse. Having recently joined the online team at Dazed & Confused magazine, she is fast becoming a global name.

3 www.tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com: Tavi, a 13-year-old girl from the suburbs of Chicago and self-confessed “tiny dork”, has already appeared on the cover of Pop magazine and been interviewed by Pixie Geldof in Katie Grand’s new issue of Love magazine and profiled by The New York Times. She’s even launched her own T-shirt line. Initially, Tavi’s blog was thought to have been a hoax because of the expert content and intelligent, witty tone, but she’s the real thing. Catch her while you can as there is no doubt she will be snapped up by one of the glossy magazines soon enough.

4 www.fashiontoast.com: The former model Rumi Neely’s blog is popular for her eclectic style and daily self-portraits. A year after it was launched in 2007, it began to gain popularity within the modelling industry, and by 2009 it had grown to 35,000 hits per day. It’s worth a peek if only for its beautiful design – and beautiful people, of course.



5 www.fashionista.com: Elizabeth Spiers, who founded Gawker, delivers fashion news, features and photoshoots with fun layouts and humorous titles. This is an informative, newsy blog, and its content a little smarter than the average fare.

6www.libertylondongirl.blogspot.com: The first to get the scoop that Topshop was to launch in America, the anonymous British fashion editor now living in New York gives us an insider’s view of the Big Apple’s fashion industry and is well worth a visit. Her dry wit and in-depth knowledge make this a blog for everyone, not just fashion lovers.



7 www.whatkatiewore.com: London’s trendy East End couple Joe and Katie set themselves the challenge of documenting Katie’s amazing outfits every day of 2009. Each picture is narrated by Joe, who is both adoring of and baffled by Katie’s wonderfully eccentric wardrobe. This is highly addictive viewing.

8 www.thecherryblossomgirl.com: A combination of fashion photography and art, the blog’s creator, the Parisian designer/stylist Alix, takes pictures of herself using a tripod and remote so she can appear in all of them. It reads more like a rather beautiful visual diary than an informative blog, but great for inspiration, and enchanting nonetheless.

9 www.lilydresscode.blogspot.com: The only blog from the UAE to make our list comes from Linda Chikhi, a French-born marketing manager who lives in Dubai. We love the daily snapshots of her taken by her husband in offbeat locations. It is also a great place to find out what’s new in town.

10 www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com: Having been named by Time magazine as one of the top 100 design influencers, recently worked on the advertising campaigns for both DKNY and Burberry and just launched his own book, it is impossible not to give a nod to Scott Schuman. The man who started his career as a street photographer gives his readers a sneaky peek behind the scenes of fashion.