Aoife Considine-
Whether we like it or not, blogging, and indeed fashion blogging in particular, have become part of 21st century life. You may have your views on fashion blogging, but whatever you think of the sites themselves, you must remember that there is a person who writes them, a person who spends their time using tools like a website ranking checker to see how their blog is doing, as well as putting in time and effort into them and a person who enjoys doing so; who are we to chastise such people? However much you may know or have heard about fashion blogging, it is in fact both alive and kicking in this here fair college we attend and this week I caught up with six of Trinity’s most prominent fashion bloggers to find out more about the people behind the phenomenon.
Fashion blogs are still a relatively new idea with the first dating back to around 2002, but in recent years there are sites similar to Site Beginner that provide help – such as this guide – for those who are interested in writing about their passion for fashion. The exponential growth of sites blogging about all things fashion since then has resulted in previous unknowns being seated front row at London, Paris and New York Fashion Weeks. Bloggers like Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast and Chiara of The Blonde Salad were making fashion accessible to the masses and today there’s an estimated 2 million blogs relating to fashion in the blogosphere. If you have an interest in fashion and would like to start a fashion blog, then great! But since there is so much competition for rankings you should find your edge over other blogs. Taking this free seo course could help many who are new to the fashion blogging world get their footing and put themselves in a good position to rank on search engines. If you have a passion for something then you might as well try it out. The first thing that you might want to consider is getting a web hosting provider sorted. If you are unsure about who to use then you could look at hostiserver click reference for more information. As long as you love fashion though, your blog will be fine.
Ana Kinsella
Though most of the bloggers I spoke to have only jumped on the proverbial bandwagon in the past year or so, Ana Kinsella from ripped-knees.blogspot.com was ahead of the times in the Trinity and even the Irish stakes having been blogging for almost three years now. “I used to write for Trinity News and the appeal of doing things on my own terms and having no deadlines was what got me blogging. It’s an outlet for that fleeting immediate passion that you get about something.” Ana, a final year English student met with me on Thursday in the Arts Block where I was conducting my ‘meetings’. The first thing that struck me about her was how timid she was, peering out from behind her thick-framed Chanel specs, but this was soon to fade. She answered each question with a stern certainty that mimicked the definiteness of her blog.
Another blogger, Stephen Moloney, had previously noted to me how her blog was different because it had a certain philosophical insight into fashion and wasn’t simply an in your face, look at me typed venture. This was obvious upon meeting with Ana. “I’ve applied for post-graduate courses in fashion journalism and blogging for me is almost like a mini-portfolio, somewhere I can keep all my ideas in one place.” When asked how she felt about how people dress around Trinity Ana remarked that mainly people just dress “trendily” rather than “stylishly”; which is true when you think about it, sometimes walking around college is akin to stepping onto a Topshop photo-shoot. Ana seemed extremely comfortable with her quirky style however, dressed in a sheer black shirt and ballet tights and though sometimes seeming reserved, she remained polite and friendly throughout our meet.
Her industry know-how was revealed in her choices for her favorite blog when, although asked for her “favorite”, singular, she had no quips about reeling off her top three, somewhat eclectic choices compared to what other bloggers chose. “Feels like white lightning, Ringo have a banana and Blushing ambition would be my top three all-time favourites,” she informed me, the glint of excitement in her eye letting on that this was more than just a hobby.
Ailbhe McNeela
My first impression of Ailbhe McNeela of soooali.com was of someone brimming with confidence and eager to discuss something she was obviously passionate about; extremely different to what I had experienced with Ana and also a distinguishing factor between their blogs. While ripped-knees’s stark plain layout yet idiosyncratic observations embody Ana’s personality, so too does sooali’s dainty, floral heading and bright imagery embody Ailbhe’s amiable character. Sooali, started two years ago, is a mixture of outfit posts, street style and general fashion related articles. Ailbhe, herself a third year History of Art and Architecture with Early Irish student, said about her blog that it was “almost like a C.V, a stepping stone to the future I suppose, I really only started it for the fun though, I don’t like promoting much on my blog and if I do, it’s because it’s really worth doing/taking a look at.” She talks of blogging in the most positive of lights that I advise anyone thinking of starting a blog to take note. Although she admits that Ireland is still slightly negative towards the world of fashion blogging, she tells how she’s made a lot of friends through it. Asked what she thought makes a good blog, she remarked that she herself enjoyed looking as opposed to reading, “people like pictures”, and that Ana Kinsella’s blog had a perfect mix of short, snappy text along with good imagery.
Cillian O'Connor
Having started blogging in the September of 2007, a year earlier even than Ana, Cillian O’Connor’s male-mode.com gives a fresh view on menswear, something that is still rather behind in the times in Ireland compared to our European neighbours. A student of Film Studies and German, Cillian remarks, “Style is paramount in Trinity, especially in the Arts Block. It’s not so much a university that’s concerned with experimentation, but we’re very savvy in our own way. At times, it can be that little bit too Sloane and Balmoral, with the countless wax jackets and deck shoes but considering the college’s heritage, it’s to be expected.” This impressively professional blog gives an alternative view to men’s magazines like GQ and caters to a different demographic compared to the vast majority of style blogs and online magazines. It’s a far cry from the ‘lads mag’ culture of by-gone days, which I for one am happy to see. Cillian himself, in key with his blog, is also extremely professional. Although due to clashing schedules we couldn’t meet in person, he made it his business to make sure he got something of substance to me so’s I wasn’t at a loss. His personal style is edgy and of the minute and though his blog deals heavily with top end designers, what he clothes himself in is, thankfully for us copycats, a mix of pleasantly priced high street and vintage finds. This is the great thing about blogging, if you see a trend on the catwalk, you are highly unlikely to go out and buy it, but fashion bloggers are bringing affordable style to the masses and in these recessionary times, us money conscious students should take note. Cillian’s personal favourite blog he says is Kate Loves Me for the style and images the blogger creates.
Laura Morley
Unfortunately, Laura Morley of glam-glue.blogspot.com and who I was filling in for for the Street Style piece this week, couldn’t meet with me in person either but was also kind enough to answer a few questions via the interweb. Laura, who’s been blogging since October last year, is in first year studying Sociology and Social Policy. “Blogging was something I’d been meaning to get into for a while, but I’d never actually sat down and done it. I thought that with my moving to Dublin and starting college, October was a good time to start glamglue.blogspot.com.” Laura’s reasons for blogging are similar to most others; a means of expressing oneself, not wanting to conform to deadlines and being able to write anything that takes one’s fancy, but she also insists that what she writes, she writes only for those who wish to read it and doesn’t feel like she’s forcing her opinions on anyone. This is one of the big drawbacks of starting a blog and something I experienced even myself; the fear of what people will think. Laura brushes this off however pointing out, “As we all know, people can be quite cynical. However, I’ve only gotten compliments so far, and people can be really encouraging,” If you’re thinking about starting a blog? “Try not to be nervous, and just put yourself out there- you won’t be sorry. I still get anxious when someone asks me about my blog, but it’s something I find I really enjoy doing and even though you might not always have new ideas on what to write about, it’s really satisfying when you get to the stage of people commenting below your pieces.”
Keeping true to her college, Laura praised Trinity student’s style as second to none compared to other Irish universities and yet she noted that she herself didn’t ever feel any pressure to dress well as she knew she wouldn’t be judged. Not exactly my perception of the reception I get when I step foot in the catwalk that the Arts Block has become, but I suppose each to her own. Although she says there’s nothing that makes her blog stand out from all the others out there, a lovely idea that she’s been embarking on recently is ‘5 Things I Can’t Live Without At The Moment’ where she invites people to choose music, fashion, food, makeup and 1 random item and send them to her which she then bases a blog post about. A real novel idea if you ask me, afterall, we all love a good snoop into other people’s lives.
Sían O'Carroll
Being recommended as Laura’s favourite blog (us Trinity folk love promoting each other it would seem), I spoke next to Sían O’Carroll of avantstyle.blogspot.com that has been shortlisted for Best Newcomer in the Irish Blog Awards in Belfast on March 19th. Having only been blogging for a year, Sían, a second year History student, hopes to go on to study History and Theory of Fashion in the London College of Fashion when she finishes her degree in Trinity. She started her blog originally as an outlet for her love of fashion, but her quick rise to popularity has led to her gaining styling experience that will be invaluable to her future career. Being the daughter of a fashion designer, Sían grew up around fabric and patterns, which has definitely influenced her interest in the industry. “When I was small, I always wanted to be a designer, but as I grew up I realised my interests lay more for in the History of fashion and in why people dress the way they do. I still do love design though and often alter a lot of my clothes. My most sentimental piece is my last year’s Trinity Ball dress. It took hours of arduous work sewing on each little feather but it all paid off in the end.”
Avant Style is centered round outfit posts alongside opinions on new collections from top designers and some other miscellaneous musings. This blog for me stands out among the others because of its crisp, clean imagery and constant updates. “If you’re going to blog you need to be dedicated to the cause, there’s so much reblogging of other people’s posts going on these days that soon there’ll be nothing original going up at all. I like to try to answer anyone who contacts me or who leaves a comment on a post, it’s the personal touches that make my blog special to me. With such an influx of blogs these days, it’s inevitable that eventually they’ll be whittled down to leave just the best few surviving.” I suppose the phenomenon of blogging, like many things, is like a periodic sine curve – it comes and goes. It is nice, however, that with our economy in its trough stage, something Irish is still in its initial positive incline, even if it is merely fashion blogging.
Stephen Moloney
My final blogger to meet with was Stephen Moloney of stitchesfabricandsoul.com, a Business and French student, but hating it and planning to change next year to European Studies! Stephen comes from Dungavrvin in Waterford, not the most fashion forward area as you can only imagine, but being from Sligo myself I can’t exactly judge. However, if you were to judge Stephen by his small town upbringing, you’d be rather taken aback not only by how he dresses and carries himself, but also what he’s achieved through his blog. The Irish Times wrote about him, “Stephen Moloney is snapping stylish figures on the capital’s streets; check out stitchesfabricandsoul.com. We’re officially obsessed.” After not even a year of blogging, that’s not too shabby really. Stephen’s blog I have to admit is my personal favourite, and not just ‘cos he featured me on it! Really, I swear. I came across this blog over the summer when I was still a newbie to the whole “blogosphere” kingdom and, without realising it was Stephen who wrote it, got hooked straight away. You see, on one of my first nights in Halls last year as an eager fresher, I’d bumped into a bright eyed Stephen in a stairwell, both of us slightly intoxicated. I complimented his watch and he told me I looked like a Pink Lady from Grease, which I took as a compliment, afterall, I did have platinum blonde hair and was dressed in high-waited leggings and a leather jacket. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of those “meet in fresher’s week and never talk to again” types of relationships, but I never forgot how much he struck me. All that down memory lane tripe aside, it was Stephen’s blog and not he that struck me most on this idle summers day.
Stephen’s blog is different in that it’s a street-style blog, highlighting the best dressed of this fair city and proving that maybe we aren’t all as stuck in our fashion ways as we might think. Stephen upholds that it’s writing that interests him most, and that the photography comes a close second. He remarks how “coming to college was almost like a catalyst for me, it enabled me to express myself and my style more openly, something that would have taken longer had I not left Dungarvin.” On how popular fashion blogging has become and how it’s affecting the industry as a whole he makes the comment that “you don’t need to be a fashion editor to know what you’re talking about, and this is something the industry is realising.” Stephen hopes to one day have a career in fashion, but for now, like all the other bloggers I spoke with, he’s set on finishing his degree. Apparently having a safety net is extremely important in the fickle fashion world.
Spending time with these bloggers made me realise that we are very quick to judge people and cast them aside as arrogant or up-themselves when really they should be praised for having the balls to put themselves out there and do something that makes them happy. To be terribly clichéd, fashion really is their passion and I for one salute them.
