You always have the trendiest shoes at your toes and your laptop at your fingertips. You’re stylish, tech-savvy, and love to write. After reading a few fashion blogs online, you’ve decided to start your own. But how? Her Campus has already covered The Art of Blogging 101, a must-read for anyone interested in blogging, but blogging about fashion comes with its own tips and tricks that are difficult to learn on your own. I started my own fashion blog, Mademoiselle Hannah, two years ago. It took some practice to master the basics, but blogging has since become one of my favorite activities. Are you interested in blogging but not quite sure where to start? Here’s how:
Fashion Blogging 101
1. How do I get started?
You don’t need much more than an idea, an interest in fashion, and a little dedication to start a blog. But unless you’re a web design whiz, you might have an easier time hosting your site on a blogging platform. WordPress and Blogger are popular choices because they’re both completely free and easy to use. If you’re looking for a blogging platform with a few extra bells and whistles (customized layouts and your own domain name, for example), consider hosting your blog on TypePad, where prices range from $8.95 to $29.95 per month. When you sign up on a blogging platform, think carefully about the name of your blog; it’s usually difficult (or impossible) to change your domain name after you hit “submit”. Browse lists of blogs for name inspiration. Common name themes include cutesy references to baked goods, French words, or include the words “fashion” or “style”. Remember, your blog name should be memorable, easy to spell, and somewhat indicative of the content you plan on producing. (“www.samanthalovessports.
2. What should I write about?
While your ideas may change over time, it’s helpful to put your blogging plans into words. Do you want to focus on your own personal style? A photo-heavy blog filled with your daily outfits might be right for you. For inspiration, check out What I Wore or The Glamourai. If you’re feeling camera-shy, try your hand at reporting the latest fashion news – trends hot off the runway or the latest rumors about Kate Middleton’s wedding dress – like Refinery 29 or Who What Wear. Are you a photographer in the making? A street style blog (photos of fashionably-dressed people you see around town) like The Sartorialist or Altamira might be right up your alley. Feeling indecisive? Mix it up and blog about whatever catches your eye, like Cupcakes and Cashmere or Style Rookie. Remember, there’s no set formula for creating a successful blog, so experiment with a variety of topics and styles to see what works best for you.
3. How often should I update?
Some blogs update multiple times per day, or even multiple times per hour. Don’t feel pressured to keep up with that pace! However, if you’re trying to gain a loyal following of readers – even if that just means a devoted crowd of Mom, Dad, and your best friend – neglecting your blog means your readers might lose interest. Stay relevant and connected to your readers by updating on a regular basis; I’d recommend writing at least twice a week.
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4. Write!
Once your blog is up online, write, write, write! Focus on producing high quality content that you’re proud of and passionate about. If you love blogging about fashion, that will shine through your writing! The success of your blog depends directly on how much you effort you put into it. A word of warning: Your blog is likely to pop up on Google searches, so be aware of privacy issues and make sure you don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your grandparents or your future employers to see.
5. How do I take outfit photos?
Outfit photos, sometimes abbreviated as OOTD (Outfit of the Day), are one of my favorite parts of blogging. Some of my favorite bloggers live halfway across the world, but I almost feel like I know them after seeing their outfit photos. They give your blog a more personal touch. The easiest ways to take outfit photos are either with a friend, a self-timer, a remote, or a webcam.
- Method #1: Enlist a friend. Inexplicably, a bizarrely high proportion of fashion bloggers have gorgeous boyfriends or husbands who just so happen to be professional photographers. If you don’t have a pro on hand, enlist a friend to help you out. Take a few dozen shots together in a variety of poses to see what feels most natural to you. Do you like to look straight into the camera or off to the side? Do you want to include a few close-ups of a funky ring you’re wearing or a shot of just your head and shoulders? Is your style straight-forward or do you want your photos to have an artsy vibe to them? After you finish your photo shoot, look through the pictures to figure out which poses and angles worked best for the look you want to achieve.
Method #2: Use a self-timer. Not quite ready to play model for your friends yet? Check to see if your camera has a self-timer setting. Prop up your camera on a tripod, a desk, or a stack of books, set your camera on a timer, and take a few preliminary shots to make sure the photos look okay. Once you have the shot lined up properly, take as many as you need to show off your outfit. Remember to relax! Your pictures will come out much more naturally if you’re not holding your poses for forever, so wait until the last few seconds before the camera clicks before you pose. Unfortunately, this method is the most time-consuming, due to the time it takes to set up the shot and run back and forth to continue setting the timer. - Method #3: Use a remote. If you’re ready to upgrade from your self-timer, consider purchasing a remote. Rather than running back and forth between shots, a remote allows you to take pictures just by clicking the remote in your hand. Get into your most ANTM state of mind and click away!
- Method #4: Use a webcam. This is the easiest and most efficient method by far. Chances are, you’re on your laptop right now, so it shouldn’t take much effort to open up your webcam and snap a few shots. While webcams produce lower-quality photos than real cameras do, they save tons of time.
Post-photo shoot, upload your photos onto your computer and adjust the exposure, sharpness, or lighting as final touches. (Or fix any blemishes or zits – shhh, we won’t tell!)
6. How do I use Polyvore?
Considering that visuals are so important to fashion blogging, Polyvore.com is beyond helpful. I blogged about it last year and I’m still obsessed with it! The site is like a virtual store that includes clothing and accessories from pretty much every brand you’ve ever heard of. The site allows you to pull multiple items onto one page and arrange them into an outfit (called a “set”), like the one below. After you save your set to your account, you can embed the image into your blog. Polyvore sets can serve a variety of functions on your blog. For starters, showcase a new trend, recreate an outfit worn by your favorite celebrity, or put together a mood board (fashion lingo for “collage”) full of items that inspire you.
7. How can I generate hits and comments? How can I promote my blog?
While the blogging community (sometimes called the “blogosphere”) can be a fun, inspiring place to meet and connect with other bloggers, it can sometimes feel unfair. The “cool” bloggers get front-row tickets to fashion shows, modeling contracts, and hundreds of comments per day, while you’re stuck with a grand total of three readers and an empty comment box. With a little effort, you can move up the ranks of the blogosphere. To generate hits and comments…
- Self-promote on Facebook and Twitter. Update your Facebook status or write a new tweet with a link to your latest blog post. Social media is a blogger’s best friend, so tweet tweet! Follow your favorite fashion bloggers and utilize Follow Friday (#FF); they might return the same courtesy.
- Tell your friends and family about your blog. Especially within the first few weeks of blogging, your real-life fans are going to be your biggest online supporters.
- Be friendly with other bloggers. Chances are good that if you comment regularly on someone else’s blog, they’ll comment back! Start by connecting to bloggers who share your interests and “popularity”. You’ll be surprised at how many of these connections turn into actual friendships! When you reach out to other bloggers, the big, scary blogosphere seems like a much more supportive place.
- Hosting giveaways or contests on your blog can easily generate a wave of traffic. After all, who doesn’t like the possibility of winning free goodies?
8. How else can I be involved in the online fashion community?
The more immersed you are in the online fashion community, the better blogger you will be! Here are just a few of my favorite ways to stay in touch with the fashion world online:
- When you’re pressed for time and can’t spend an hour flipping through your favorite fashion magazines, following a few fashionable people on Twitter – designers, publicists, editors, bloggers, and style icons – you can easily stay up to date on what’s going on in fashion. I put together a list of the best tweeters in fashion here.
You want to keep track of a million blogs, but don’t want to clog up your bookmarks list. Instead, follow blogs on bloglovin’. This handy site tracks new blog posts on all your followed blogs and lets you mark which posts you’ve already read. Staying on top of your reading has never been easier! - During Fashion Week (Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week starts February 10, 2011), Style.com updates hourly with photos from the latest runway collections. Not only are the runway collections inspiring, they’re also an excellent source of material to blog about.
- Read Her Campus’s Style section for everything collegiettes™ need to know about fashion and beauty! We’ve got you covered.
Fashion and Beauty Blogs from the Her Campus Team
The Her Campus Team is a pretty stylish group of girls! Not surprisingly, a few staff members (including myself) have fashion and beauty blogs. Check them out!
- A Mile In My Choos by Julianne Grauel, Her Campus Contributing Writer, Carnegie Mellon ’12
Catwalk to Campus by the Her Campus Fashion writers HC’s Beauty School by the Her Campus Beauty writers Mademoiselle by Hannah Orenstein, Her Campus High School Editor, NYU ’15 Pink Beauty Bliss by Katie Manwaring, Her Campus Contributing Blogger, Elon ’12 Rachel’s Fashion Passion by Rachel Kossman, Her Campus Contributing Writer, Northeastern ’11 Seriously Fashion by Anne Askew, Her Campus Contributing Writer, College of William & Mary ’11
Do you have a fashion blog? Will you be starting one soon? Leave a comment below with the link to your blog. We’d love to read it!
Photo Sources: 1 [http://i1123.photobucket.com/