Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by several Vogue.com editors?
I woke up this morning to an article recently published on one of my favorite platforms knocking a certain subset of individuals – myself included.
Before I clap back, read the comments below:
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I think this is an incredibly tricky business, and Michele must be complimented on the deftness of his whole vision. As the week wore on, the strain involved in pulling off this blend of the timeless and timely became the story—for me, at least. A collection was either all about the ateliers and craftsmen (for example, Bottega Veneta’s 50th anniversary show with its empowering, lovely pieces) or the creation of streetwear stars and clothes made to stop traffic and paparazzi. It’s a schizophrenic moment, and that just can’t be good. (Note to bloggers who change head-to-toe, paid-to-wear outfits every hour: Please stop. Find another business. You are heralding the death of style.)
The best collections, in my view, were neither concerned with the triumph of the artisan nor the hegemony of Snapchat. -Sally Singer, Vogue Creative Digital Director
And who can be bothered to try to be intellectual in the sunshine? So yes, Sally, the professional blogger bit, with the added aggression of the street photographer swarm who attend them, is horrible, but most of all, pathetic for these girls, when you watch how many times the desperate troll up and down outside shows, in traffic, risking accidents even, in hopes of being snapped. The non-photographed interested me far more: to a woman, the pros had all packed their midi floral dresses and sandals, and that was the fashion news for me. Where had this permission stemmed from? Why, Vetements’s revival of floral peasanty frocks. Yet that is a broad-spectrum, down-home, nonexclusive aesthetic that, I think, has allowed everyone to relax about “fashion.”
That’s why I was happiest to attend Italian shows and presentations where intellectual posturing became beside the point. -Sarah Mower, Vogue.com Chief Critic
Which brings me back around to Sally and Sarah’s points about the street style mess. It’s not just sad for the women who preen for the cameras in borrowed clothes, it’s distressing, as well, to watch so many brands participate. No coincidence that Versace and BV are two houses that don’t play the game. -Nicole Phelps, Director, Vogue Runway
Am I allowed to admit that I did a little fist pump when Sally broached the blogger paradox? There’s not much I can add here beyond how funny it is that we even still call them “bloggers,” as so few of them even do that anymore. Rather than a celebration of any actual style, it seems to be all about turning up, looking ridiculous, posing, twitching in your seat as you check your social media feeds, fleeing, changing, repeating . . . It’s all pretty embarrassing—even more so when you consider what else is going on in the world. (Have you registered to vote yet? Don’t forget the debate on Monday!)
Loving fashion is tremendous, and enthusiasts of all stripes are important to the industry—after all, people buy clothing because of desire, not any real need—but I have to think that soon people will wise up to how particularly gross the whole practice of paid appearances and borrowed outfits looks. Looking for style among a bought-and-paid-for (“blogged out?”) front row is like going to a strip club looking for romance. Sure, it’s all kind of in the same ballpark, but it’s not even close to the real thing. -Alessandra Codinha, Vogue.com Fashion News Editor
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As someone who grew up shy and found her voice through dressing, I’m proud to turn up to a show “looking ridiculous” and celebrate my personal style. Isn’t fashion supposed to be an expression of oneself?
I am registered to vote, educated on both parties, and even live tweeted the debate last night with a few other “blogger” friends. I studied fashion design and merchandising at university and fully embrace collaborations with former classmates and peers, whether it be styling an “outfit of the day” post for Instagram or supporting a designer front row dressed head-to-toe in one of their looks. In addition to working a 9-to-5 job full-time, I spend countless hours styling, consulting and working behind-the-scenes to grow my personal brand – all for my love of fashion and the industry. I am proud to call myself a young entrepreneur and I encourage certain people on the Vogue team (the ones that hate bloggers and influencers so much) to revisit their harsh opinions.
Rather than bullying and knocking those who threaten you, let’s grow the fashion industry together and not be so catty.
Bryanboy said it best, “It’s 2016, not 2009, and I cannot believe we’re still having this conversation.”
