"A magazine must have blood and brains and pzaz and this is just paper."
-Funny Face
A statement of truth that I find is depressingly missing in much of the magazine content being produced today. You all know by now that I am very selective about the magazines I choose to buy and the same goes for the blogs that I choose to read. I've been having a lot of conversations recently about the democratization in fashion and where that has brought us today and I thought I might share a bit of my thoughts on the matter here.
First we must go back to the 1960's when Yves Saint Laurent created his first/the first ready-to-wear collection after working as the head creative director for the haute couture house of Dior. This was really a radical time in fashion. Suddenly clothes were much cheaper and easier to get your hands on with mass production and more ready-to-wear designers popping up. Fashion was no longer about adorning yourself in the trends and silhouettes the magazines told you to wear but instead clothing could become an expression of the self, of your own identity. You could pick and choose pieces from other cultures or sub-cultures, and styles began to form. Today there is another huge shift happening within the industry with the influx of the world wide web and bloggers getting legitimate jobs and sitting next to major fashion editors at runway shows. Today instead of reading about the magazines "we" and "our" points of views people can see the point of view from the mother who has 3 children and still likes to maintain her appearance, or the girl in the middle of nowhere that is the only one who seems to understand the power of clothing within a 300 mile radius.
Just like with magazines there are the great ones and the shitty ones. There are the ones that really inspire you, grab your heart and never let go. The ones that seem to be speaking directly to you, that know what you desire and dream of, ponder on, question and revel in. Then there are the ones that are shallow, almost idiotic, ad page after ad page and editorial content that could have been conceptualized by a monkey. A great magazine needs blood, brains and pzaz and today blogs are the next magazines. They require text and photos and are discussing the same issues that magazines always have but on a much more personal and intimate level. Thus a great blog needs to have blood, brains and pzaz too. It needs to be smart and introspective; it needs to have passion, be raw and revealing; and lastly it needs to have that spark. That thing that makes it stand out from the rest, that one of a kind quality. I know that saying all of these things is much easier than actually putting them into action, trust me this blog has been a 2 year journey for me and has gone through many different stages but I find this to be very relevant advice towards anyone interested in working in the fashion industry.
So what is my point in all of this ranting? That this is an extremely exciting time the world of fashion. Anything could happen and it's our job as individuals dedicated to a life in the industry of clothing to make sure that whatever does happen we as an industry make our reputation one of serious introspection and not just shallow materialism. I think we all know it is more than that and I really want to see more bloggers start approaching their work with blood, brains and pzaz because otherwise it's just a lot of pixels.