The Life of a Fashion Blogger

The blogging community has grown tremendously over the last few years and is so huge that it has been segmented into different areas. Genres such as fashion, beauty, travel, interiors, books and pop culture have been developed into sub-communities of their own. The sizes of the sub -communities vary tremendously; there are thousands of fashion bloggers out there while the pop culture blogger community is pretty tiny. A few communities even have their own blogging informal organisations such as Independent Fashion Bloggers for fashion and Brown Beauty Blogger, Inc. But what is it like being a travel blogger and how does it compare to being someone who blogs about fashion and what about if you are ones of those people (like me) who blogs about a mixture of topics? We call ourselves pop culture bloggers as we cover a variety of topics with the sole aim of picking up on trends, events or anything that is simply popular. I set out to find out more about the different cultures of blogging by talking to prominent people from the different scenes. I will be posting the interviews up through out the week. Today I am starting with Ella from Coco's Tea Party who has been blogging since 2006.

Why did you start blogging?
I mainly started on a whim, as it was something to do when I was bored. Ever since I could read I have devoured magazines and writing about fashion was something to do in between the monthly magazines coming out. I was also about to apply for Fashion Journalism degrees and I thought it would give me an edge in interviews if I looked like a pro-active kind of person.

Why did you choose to write about fashion?
Fashion is the only thing I really know about, and it’s the only thing I’m completely and utterly obsessed with. If I was passionate about another subject football I’d probably write about that, but fashion is all I really know. Plus there is always something happening in fashion, so you’re rarely short of inspiration.

Are you a member of any bloggers groups?
No. Not because I don’t want to be I’m just rather unaware of blogging groups online.

Do you attend any blogger meet ups?
I’ve met up with a lot of bloggers I regularly comment and read etc, and I’ve been friends with Stevie from Discotheque Confusion for years as we both set up our blogs around the same time. But I haven’t met any bloggers though excusive ‘blogger meet up’ sessions.

How do you find the fashion blogging community? 

Everyone I’ve met from the blogging community has been lovely and always really friendly and supportive. Because blogging is pretty much something you learn about as you go other bloggers are great for sharing tips with. Funnily enough, myself and all the other bloggers I know are pretty clueless when it comes to computers and technical stuff, so it’s great to be able to swap advice.

Are there any community blogging activities that you are involved in?

Not really. Again it’s something I probably should be involved in, but never seem to find the time too. 

You can read Ella's blog here.

You can follow her on Twitter.  

Tomorrow find out what it is like to be a beauty blogger.  

I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

So once again we are reunited with our good friend Angela Clark. With best mate Jenny happily settled in LA, our protagonist is dividing her time between her apartment in Manhattan and her boyfriend Alex's place in trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn. When Alex's rock group gets a gig to play at a festival in Paris which happens to coincide with his big 30, Angela is all psyched to drop everything for a week to attend and play the ever so adoring rock star girlfriend. However, her bosses at Spencer Media, the publishing group that owns the The Look which is the magazine she writes for have other ideas. They want her to pen an article which is sort of the hipster's guide to Paris for Belle magazine which is basically a snooty publication on par with Vogue. The problem is that Belle magazine have other ideas; as far as they are concerned Angela is not Belle material and make that quite clear to her. However, luck is on Angela's side - the MD of the company likes her so she keeps her gig and with it an expenses paid trip to Paris with Alex. She has it all planned out; the day will be spent checking out all the cool spots in Gay Paris and in the evenings she will be hand in hand with Alex strolling down the Champs de Elysee, along the River Seine and sipping wine at one of the many chic cafes. Alas as we have all come to realise, Angela's life does not run smoothly like that.

For a start Alex's stunning Parisian ex girlfriend turns up. Her group is also playing at the festival and it is clear that she is set on getting Alex back. Meanwhile Alex has gone all moody on Angela and after months hassling her to move in with him he drops a bombshell that he has no desire to get married and have kids. Needless to say Angela is mortified and this mini drama combined with losing all her possessions at the airport when her suitcase is blown up as well as a colleague trying to sabotage her career almost sends Angela over the edge. So the thought of jumping on the Eurostar to London to spend time with her childhood friend, Louisa and her family sounds so tempting.

The I Heart books are always a great read and the latest one about Paris is no exception. It shows how all relationships have their weak spots when insecurity sweeps in. We also get more of an idea of Angela's life in London when Louisa turns up in Paris. Those of you who have been following Angela's adventures since the first book will remember that it was Louisa's wedding that Angela ruined after she discovered that her fiance had been doing the dirty with his tennis partner. Well Louisa is now happily married and expecting her first baby but still on hand to offer Angela a strong shoulder when things go belly up. I found I Heart Paris a bit darker than the other books; less emphasis on shopping and more about the complexity of relationships. You do get a great sense of Parisian culture but instead of doing the obvious and focusing on the high life of designer stores and boutiques, we are taken to the hip and cool side of Paris with funky cafes and eclectic shops. Once again Lindsey Kelk pulls it out of the bag. Which brings me to wonder what is next on the cards for I Heart Series. I know that Lindsey has been commissioned to write two more books but I wonder where they will be set? My guess is Sydney and London. 

I Heart Paris is released on Thursday 8th August and it is available to buy on amazon.

Dirty Little Secret

I stumbled across this on Facebook. Back in the day companies would put out a brand on the market and promote it with the chosen marketing mix: you know a bit of editorial PR, adverts and shop positioning. However over the last few years a few companies have taken things a bit further by extending the brand into mini TV series. US Marie Claire has done it with their show Running in Heels and US Elle took part in Stylista but some brands have also produced online TV shows that raises the profile of their brands. For instance More magazine commisioned Candace Bushnell to write The Broadroom which covered high powered women in the workplace in conjunction with the release of Maybelline's new lipstick. Now we have Dirty Little Secret which is an animated 10 part web series about six sassy and glam ladies based in New York. The show which debuted in May covers the perils of aspiring hair stylist, Riley Kendrick who finds herself thrust into the crazy world of fashion when she befriends top designer, Lauren Belle. Pretty soon she is on the list for all the high profile events and meeting chic people on the New York party scene. However such an enviable lifestyle comes with it's own problems. Riley needs to charm Lauren's highly successful party planner, Danielle Sinclaire and prove to her that she is worth the time of day and at the same time outwit Adison Parker, a powerful but cruel fashion blogger who will stop at nothing to get her next scoop. Thank heavens she has her best friend, Malina Vila Nova to confide in and get her out of scraps. Oh and there is the small matter that she and Lauren happen to be in love with the same guy. The show also features real life celeb hair stylist, Jeanie Syfu who the main characters tend to spill their hearts out to.

Dirty Little Secret is a joint project between Elle.com and hair styling brand, TRESemme and the campaign includes social media engagement with Facebook and Twitter. The aim is to engage and entertain women on their terms using themes such as scandals, style and great hair. Well Dirty Little Secret does indeed entertain and I found myself drawn in straight away. The women are obviously inspired by Sex & the City which to me is getting very old but as each episode is fairly short they just about get away with it. Also the vibrancy of the characters makes the show very sparky - the fact that the characters are animated was a bit of a shock but after a while I kind of got into the groove and I am really looking forward to seeing the rest of the episodes. 


You can watch Dirty Little Secret on Elle.com.

Check out the blog by Adison Parker who is the fashion blogger from the show.

Lady Lala

Lorraine Russell has been there, done that and bought the t-shirt. Having worked as a stylist in the music industry with some serious A list stars, she has built up a tremendous amount of experience not to mention some great contacts. She has put these great contacts to use in her blog, The Lala Report which covers news and events in popular culture focusing specifically on music and fashion. She started the blog last August as an outlet for her love of the entertainment industry and since then it has gone from strength to strength.

What made you start blogging?
Outside of blogging, I also work as a freelance fashion stylist, primarily in the music industry.  The blog was set up due because of a few reasons;  My friends use to refer to me as "The News of The World", because if they wanted to know the latest in popular culture, they would ask me. They also encouraged me to set up a blog, as they were tired of getting random emails about the all the celebrity gossip that was happening across the globe (even though they have admitted to to loving my many random emails lol). I also wanted to use the knowledge that I had developed over my working years in the music and fashion industry in another way other than styling,

Describe the concept behind The Lala Report.
The concept of The Lala Report is just reporting to readers what's happening in the latest in music and fashion, on both sides of the Atlantic. I feature new music video, fashion trends, music and fashion news, sometimes things "in between".

Over the last year bloggers have really made their mark in the fashion and music industry, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
With the demise of many publications, the internet has become the quickest, easiest and most cost effective way of getting whatever information you need to get.  Blogs allow not only you the "blogger" to have a format where you can express your opinion, but the general public can also to have access to sharing their opinion on whatever topic mostly interest them, whereas before this was not possible with "hard copy" magazine publications. This makes your blog develop a character and can pre-determine what subject matters you write about, by what your subscribers show interest to.  Hard copy magazine prior to the invention of the internet would dictate what they would write about, there wasn't that much involvement with the reader. I think bloggers will have as much influence as major publication editors (i.e. Anna Wintour, US Vogue editor).  Some have already carved out successful career of the back of there blogs (i.e. Perez Hilton).

You come up with a lot of topical issues on your blog, how do you get your inspiration?
I get my inspirations from the "main" stories of the day, or just stories that interest me. As I have been running my blog from August 2009, I feel that I know my readers well, and I know what they would be interested in hearing about. I also see what being talked about on networking sites like "Twitter" and Facebook.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
I always work on my blog, its a daily thing for me.  I am currently working on some up and coming projects which I will talk about on my blog in the next few months.  Both are very exciting and challenging. I also have a weekly slot on Bang 103.6 FM where I do a weekly entertainment roundup on the drive time show with Mr Silk. I have been working with Bang since October, and its a format that has worked very well for both of us.  My first show invited interest from an online US site called Udub News. They had asked me to become the face of their section called "Girl, Did You Know".  My blog page is now linked to that site, which has increased my subscribers, and introduced my alter ego "Miss Lala" to a new US audience.

Describe a typical day in the life of Lorraine Russell.
Blog, project 1, project 2, gym, blog. Not necessarily in that order. lol.

What are your favourite glossy magazines?
Grazia, Heat and Now.

Name five blogs that you read religiously
Mad News, Concreteloop, Punchbowl Blog, The Urban Gentleman and Bossip.

How do you see The Lala Report evolving over the next two years?
Jeeze, I tend not to think about that, as I do this primarily for the love.  Its been good to me so far, bringing me lots of opportunities.  Hopefully it will continue to bring me more great projects and opportunities to work on.

You can read Lorraine's blog here.

You can follow her on Twitter here.