Читать книгу The New Fashion Rules: Inthefrow - Victoria Magrath - Страница 14
ОглавлениеApril 2008
Five years ago, my other half didn’t own one luxury branded item of clothing. My accessories wardrobe is filled with a number of my favourite brands that I’ve collected over the years, from Dior to Chanel and Valentino, but my other half just wasn’t bothered. He wore his beaten-up Levi’s, Vans trainers and assortment of band T-shirts, and that was as far as his brand affiliations went. Which of course is absolutely fine; he rocked his style and it suited him. No one needs to own designer clothes if they’re not interested. But over the last couple of years I’ve noticed him becoming more interested in certain brands and trying new fashion styles. We all adapt our styles as we mature, but if you ask me, or him for that matter, it’s all down to the brands and clothing he’s seeing on his (or my) Instagram feed. He’s exposed to so many more styling ideas: those cool new trainers that just launched, that awesome logo-heavy hoodie, that new backpack. Fashion inspiration is everywhere – we cannot escape it.
Lookbook.nu was one of the first accounts I signed up to when I started blogging. It launched in April 2008 as a place to share a photo of your outfit, with a description of the items you’re wearing, and then other users can like it and comment. This platform is all about the love – no negativity or thumbs down are allowed, because what purpose does that serve? Lookbook was huge in its heyday, inspiring outfit ideas and serving as an image-based blog of sorts. That’s before hundreds of thousands of people started their own blogs to post their outfit shots on instead.
Two years later, Pinterest became another haven for those looking for visual advice on what to wear that day. I have scrolled the Pinterest feeds for OOTD (outfit of the day) inspo many a time when I’ve been at a loss for ideas. Pinterest’s filtering system is particularly useful; if you want to find outfits featuring the Dior Book tote or Louis Vuitton Capucine bag, you can. Thousands of them.
You only need to look at the abundance of university courses that have been established since the early 2000s, based on varying fashion topics from business to marketing and fashion design, to know that people want to learn more, see more and do more with fashion. But mainly, they want to dress better and feel better, and it’s because of the abundance of inspiration hitting their eyes every time they scroll.
Fashion is no longer an interest for a select few. It’s been opened up, democratised and offered up to the audience on a plate. In previous years, you would only see the latest Chanel Cruise Collection images if you actively searched for them. Now, they’re at the top of your newsfeed, gaining traction and being shared profusely – probably by you. The audience is hungry for the information, brand awareness is growing, bloggers are wearing the latest collections before they’re even on the shelves and everyone else wants to buy into these brands that their favourite online star is wearing every day. It’s an information and inspiration overload.
Christian Dior A/W17 (@inthefrow)
Even my mum, who has always liked fashion but not actively followed it or cared too much about brands and the industry, is trying new styles and outfits that she’s seen others wearing online. People are experimenting more, finding their own style and learning about trends, collections, brands and the way the industry ticks without even actively searching for that information. Personally, I’m so pleased to see more people gain their confidence and find an interest in the way they present themselves. If my wearing a short dress can inspire someone to buy it and wear a short dress for the first time, and feel amazing, then hell yes for inspiration. Let’s have more of it!
Where I look for fashion inspiration
Inspiration is everywhere. Like I said, you can’t escape it. But when I really want to find it, I do a number of things:
1. If I’m just hoping to be inspired by new items and how to wear them, I often spend a few hours going through the new-in collections of all my favourite online stores. Or, if I’m in the city, I’ll pop into their shops. Normally, you’ll quickly start spotting styles, shapes, fabrics or prints that overlap from store to store, so you can pick out the key pieces for the season.
2. Bloggers are popular for a reason – they’re often very good at spotting the best items in the stores. I find myself popping over to my favourite blogs when I’m in a funk and need some inspo, just to see what they’re wearing and how they’re styling.
3. Magazines are my go-to when I’m travelling. On planes or trains, if I have no work to do, I love opening the pages of Vogue, Elle and Porter magazine to check out the brand adverts and shopping pages, as they are often filled with the latest items to hit the stores.
4. Online magazines are another way to find fashion-styling inspo. I especially love Glamour online, which I am very proud to have started writing a fashion column for in 2018, as well as Marie Claire, Refinery29 and Cosmo. I just click through their latest fashion articles to see what’s trending.
5. Instagram, of course, is daily inspiration. Scrolling through my feed, I like to save the images that show items I want to buy or styles I want to try.
6. Pinterest is another weekly place I like to visit, to see what their top pins are and what others might be loving right now. Making your own pinboards also helps, when you want to save particular outfits or pictures that you love to come back to later.
