I attended fashion journalist Christina Binkley’s lecture at the Phoenix Art Museum on Wednesday night. Christina Binkley has been the fashion columnist at the Wall Street Journal for the last seven years, covering and attending numerous of fashion weeks and writing inspiring articles for fashionistas all over the globe. Her article "Are You Wearing A Watercolor?" inspired Dennita Sewell, director of the fashion exhibits at the Phoenix Art Museum, to put on their most recent exhibit "Digital Print Fashion."
Christina Binkley of The Wall Street Journal Photo courtesy Phoenix Art Museum.Christina Binkley's lecture really got me thinking about modern day fashion journalism, and how the world of journalism and fashion is changing rapidly due to the technology revolution. Instead of having a few fashion magazines to read and chose from, there are now thousands of fashion blogs on the Internet that you can Google. Nowadays if you can't make it to any largescale fashion weeks you can stream them online, seeing probably more of the runway shows than the people actually attending.
So how do you make it as a successful blogger in today’s competitive world of fashion writing? Through the last nine months I have learned a lot about fashion journalism working for The State Press, and I know I'm not the only fashion blogger at ASU. So here are some tips and tricks I have come up with and learned on my journey of writing about fashion. Enjoy and happy blogging!
Tip 1. Decide on a theme and aesthetic
First and foremost decide what kind of things you want to be writing about. This will lead you to create a pleasing aesthetic for your blog, name, and help brainstorm story ideas. Discover where your strong suit is and let yourself expand on that. Whatever it may be make sure you have some sort of direction, allowing your blog to more organized from the start.
Tip 2. Think outside the box and be unique
Christina Binkley made a good point on Wednesday night when she said there are thousands of blogs that tell people what to wear, and if she solely wrote just about that she would be bored out of her mind and not proud to share her work. To be successful you need to find unique stories, and take different angles instead of covering the obvious, which has likely already been done. The top fashion bloggers in today’s world have a found their own particular purpose in the fashion world, allowing them to take different angles on a story.
Desk of a fashion blogger. Photo by Gabi NelsonTip 3. Keep the design simple
When designing your blog it is important to keep it true to yourself, while also keeping it clean and simple. Design something that stands out, but avoid making it too busy and overpowering. Keep in mind that you want your photographs and words to stand out the most — the layout is just a bonus in making your blog great.
Tip 4. Incorporate multimedia
Fashion is visual, and most people interested in fashion blogs are going to want to view photographs and videos over reading large paragraphs of text. Keep this in mind, and try to keep it fresh by incorporating graphic design, photography, and videos in your blog keeping it fresh and visually alive.
Tip 5. Spread the word
Don't be afraid to market yourself. Social media can be your best friend when trying to get your blog out there, so make sure you set up a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook account to share away. Communicating and starting friendships with other bloggers also helps as well, so stay updated on others blogs and make sure to comment and tell them what you like! More than likely they will do the same for you.
Tip 6. Be consistent
Make sure you are updating frequently and keeping it fresh for your readers.
With any comments, suggestions, or story ideas contact me at gmnelson@asu.edu, or find me on Twitter @gabinelsonlove
