I actually wrote this post a few months ago, and have been pretty nervous about putting it up, as it deals with what could be quite a shocking admission for some...I'm just not a fan of the big 'fashion' blogs. I just find them...well...dull.
I'm not talking about style blogs, where you lovely people post pictures of what you're wearing - I love those. I'm talking about the biggies, the 'street style' type blogs, with 'aspirational' photos of people going about their daily business in their fancy clothes, with a couple of words underneath as a caption. I really just don't find them interesting or inspiring in the slightest and don't understand the cult following they have. It's all well and good seeing perfect photography of skinny 'fashion-y' looking people in designer clothes, if that's what you're into. It might have something to do with jealousy, maybe, that I'm not lithe and long-limbed and photogenic. But I could never fit into, look good in or afford these clothes - and I know for a fact The Sartorialist would never stop me in the street - so I'd much rather be looking at sites that are actually relevant to me.
Also...I actually find most of the outfits on such websites really dull; if I wore a basic dress and shoes would I get snapped in the street? No, because I'm 5ft 1 with wonky teeth, and I find with these blogs, it's more about how the 'subjects' look than the outfits - so if you look like you'd fit in a fashion magazine shoot, you're good to go. This attitude alienates me from these blogs, so I look for a little something closer to home. For me, it's the personal style bloggers, the 'high street' and charity shop bloggers, the bloggers who put their own spin on talking about fashion and the latest trends, the lifestyle and beauty bloggers and the 'whatever-I-damn-well-feel-like bloggers' that make being involved with blogs so enjoyable.
Now I've had my stampy-feet rant, I'm going to talk about some things I do like in blogs. This is by no means a 'HOW TO BLOG PROPERLY' post, and I don't want anyone to think of it that way. There are plenty of people who love the type of blog I've mentioned above, and there's a place for all bloggers in the big wide world of the interwebs. This is purely about me (ME ME ME, yeah), and the things that make my favourite blogs so ace.
Putting the 'personal' in personal style
The style blogs I follow and enjoy all have one thing in common - the personal touch. I love looking at people's outfits and how they've styled them, and reading about how they put the look together and why. Some of my favourite blogs are style-based, but they give a real insight into the person behind the blog too. I have an inbuilt nosiness for other people's lives, wardrobes and beauty routines.
Content
I find photography interesting, and it's something I'd like to do. But if I wanted to JUST look at pictures, I'd go on Tumblr. I do go on Tumblr. I do post pictures on there, and look at other people's. But when it comes to actual blogs, I want to read something interesting too. I love 'how to' posts, tips, DIYs..I want to devour words and ideas as well as looking at pretty pictures. Although I'm a sucker for a nicely made infographic...
Accessibility
One of the most wonderful things about blogging is that you can find blogs that actually show the kind of clothes you'd really wear. From the best picks from the high street and well-priced online boutiques to charity shop and car boot rummagers, I want to know how people my age and living in my kind of world put their wardrobe together. I want to see clothes I could genuinely afford and that are wearable. Chances are, if you post pictures of yourself in head to toe designer, I won't be that interested. However, if you style a charity shop dress with high street brogues and a Mulberry, you'll be much more 'up my street'.
Design
Call me shallow, but a badly designed blog really puts me off. You don't have to be a HTML whizz to make your blog easy to read and navigate. One of my biggest things is a blog looking clean. Images that fit the page, sidebar organised. And contrary to the popular 'white background is best for blogs' theory, I actually like an interesting background (as long as the text background part is still a light, plain colour so I can read the text!).
What are your personal likes and dislikes in a blog? (remember - this is about personal taste, not bitching or getting angry about others' opinions!)
I completely agree - I generally don't follow 'big' fashion blogs because it's just like seeing the modelling pages of a magazine, which I ALWAYS flip straight past.
ReplyDeleteOutfit posts I read have a more personal feel about what they did with their day when they were wearing this and feature clothes that I can actually afford to buy! xx
I agree about the 'big' blogs as well! I prefer to read about clothes I can buy on my local highstreet, maybe the odd higher end piece, but I definitely like to see a bit of personality from the blogger too! x
ReplyDeleteWe are completely on the same wave length! I wrote about blogs and power a couple of days ago and I agree with so much you've said here! I too am less of a fan of the "superblogs". If their posting pattern tends to be hundreds of photos and one line of text (if any text at all!) then I'll click "unfollow" pretty quickly as I love blogs that give me something to read. Pictures are nice, but I honestly don't need to see outfits from five different angles. Like you, I prefer high street / life style bloggers as they feel more like you and me - they're more relatable than some of the model looking ones. Plus the hair / makeup / clothing will suit my budget more! Lovely post x x
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't think you need to have loads of pictures - a full length, a closer one and then maybe a few detail shots are all that's needed! x
DeleteI sooo agree with you! I don't like those blogs too, personal blogs are so much more fun to read because it's someone you can relate with. You're on a same level (sort of...). I thought I was weird for not following those blogs, because I really do not like them and don't get any inspiration from them at all :) xo
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. I think the problem with a lot of these 'power blogs' is that they've become rather generic and in-accessible in a way. I generally couldn't give a toss what Bryanboy says or does because he seems quite vapid for the most part. xxx
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly it - I think the whole point of blogging is that it's supposed to be more accessible than magazines and websites! x
DeleteWell .. finally someone said it! I enjoy the fashion bloggers who post photos of themselves modeling clothes they've found in their closets! It makes it more real, and I agree, more personal. As you get to know the person just by what they like to style together. Any blog, for that matter, that seems detached from the blogger is not fun to read after the first few weeks. Well done for putting this up! :) xx
ReplyDeleteI completely agree too, if all I wanted to see was model types I would just read magazines. I like blogs because you have a variety and many styles which are different to the norm xxx
ReplyDeleteAhh I agree with so much of this. In fact pretty much all of it. I don't *get* fashion blogs full stop because it isn't my interest, but the blogs that I follow that do post about fashion always blog about high street fashion which is a definite plus!
ReplyDeleteAs a point I make in my latest blog post (promise I'm not plugging!), I am a bit sick of bloggers coming across as 'perfect'. Yawn! x
I wouldn't be at all interested in any blog that didn't post high street, although I adore charity shop blogging as well!
DeleteThe only fashion blogs I follow are the ones where I like the personality of the blogger, I'm not even that interested in the clothes half the time I just like reading the posts! I find it off putting when fashion blogs mostly feature designer stuff, why do I want to look at stuff I can't afford?! x
ReplyDeleteI just don't like it when I can't relate to anything, when everything is so staged on a blog and they don't feel like real people. I like style blogs but only when they put some personality into it
ReplyDeleteJade | Beauty Butterfly Blog
Could not agree with the post more, took so long in getting round to starting my blog because I was scared of it becoming 'beige' and 'faceless'. You hit the nail on the head, dear!
ReplyDeleteAlso loving your blog, just spent the better part of an hour trawling through posts!
Ashleigh xx
i couldn';t agree more! i like getting to know someone through their blog, and being able to relate to them is so important to me. i like street style blogs where i can see the person dresses in outfits that i could buy, or that i could see myself wearing. great post! x
ReplyDeleteI agree with so much of this!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I see that sort of thing in some less Skinny/expensive blogs, where girls just dress in jeans and a tshirt and there's nothing exciting or interesting or novel about it but somehow they have a massive following - maybe I'm a bit sour about that :P haha
Plus I think your rules are definitely some golden ones to follow.
Great post!
L.
Good Morning Angel.
I know exactly what you mean - I'm a little sick of seeing 'Geek' t-shirts and disco pants being styled in the same way. I'm not a fan of the t-shirts anyway, but if you have an item that everyone has, I want to see it styled differently!
DeleteI'm definitely interested in the 'personal' aspect of blogs. Some of the 'bigger blogs' are quite bland in their writing and I'm way more interested in the personality of the blogger! Some blogs are too similar to magazines in my opinion - but I guess some people like that!
ReplyDeleteI do like to use the more designer focused blogs as style inspo though - style is still accessible regardless of budget in my opinion :)!
Robyn Mayday
xx
I love this post! I agree completely with most of what you've said, especially about some of the bigger style blogs - I look at some of then and genuinely wonder if I'm missing something!
ReplyDeleteJesss xo