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Saturday

blogger authority: welcome to 2010, retailers

Last week, this quote in a WWD feature really jumped out at me:

“The fact that...[bloggers] are not experts is misleading and their blogging isn’t accurate. It dilutes the message of the store or the designer. Some bloggers are really credible and good. My issue with the bloggers is that they don’t have the authority.” 
Stephanie Solomon, vice president of fashion direction at Bloomingdale’s
I wondered, who does Ms. Solomon think has the authority? Especially coming from someone who works at such a huge retail company, I found myself thinking she was crazy. Who has the authority if not the wearers/consumers themselves? If a trend doesn't fly for the "real people" of this world, it's not going to sell, and Bloomingdale's will suffer--no matter if their fashion director, who, I presume, has this elusive authority, endorsed such trend.

a stylista captured by both mr newton and the sartorialist,
helping to propel the return of 70s wideleg trousers


Fashion has always been a balance of looking at what is happening on the street and wanting to push things forward.  In the day and age of blogs and sites like Chictopia, the not-often-talked-about influence of REAL people is finally coming to light. Anyone who doesn't recognize it is quickly being left in the dust!

Even Bloomingdale's slightly-less-stylish sister, Macy's, has an open mind...
“There’s something to say about celebrity power and blogger power. It influences businesses. It’s not just who designs [the clothes], it’s who wears them.
Nicole Fischelis, group vice president and fashion director at Macy’s Inc.

Not only are bloggers helping to propel trends, they're also influencing how current trends are executed. As Barbara Atkin, VP of fashion direction at Holt Renfrew, Canada, put it, "People are adapting a look and seeing how to wear it immediately...social media will affect how we buy and it will affect our deliveries." This idea of the fashion industry being "swallowed up by social media" is quickly becoming unavoidable, but, if used correctly, it offers an extraordinary way for retailers and designers themselves to learn how to make their items more appealing to the "real world," even continuing to interpret them after creation by altering merchandising to speak to shoppers' desires.

So, who do you think should, or does, have the authority in fashion? Are bloggers taking away power from designers and retailers, or helping to advance fashion itself? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

6 comments:

Wangari said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Wangari said...

Really great post Laura! I would say the power is starting to move away from retailers and dseigners and onto "everyday people" and that is due to bloggers and sites like Chictopia. I love that fact because it's encouraging and very inspiring to see real people's style no matter where in the world they are.. yeah, I think I lost my train of thought. But I have to say it again, Great post!

Kelly Lauren said...

I totally agree and that Bloomies woman is a bitch. In my opinion, I can't relate to the high fashion styles of the runway if not through my own interpretations and inspiration on the internet. I can't afford it, but I can be inspired by looks that were inspired by the high fashion, and adjust it to my means.

let's have a community here, not an authority!

Kelly Lauren said...

I totally agree and that Bloomies woman is a bitch. In my opinion, I can't relate to the high fashion styles of the runway if not through my own interpretations and inspiration on the internet. I can't afford it, but I can be inspired by looks that were inspired by the high fashion, and adjust it to my means.

let's have a community here, not an authority!

Caroline said...

Great post! I think bloggers are definitely helping advance fashion .. much faster than in the past. Designers and retailers have the power to plant the seed, but social media is propelling it in a direction and at a speed that traditional marketing simply can't. I can't tell you how many times I've seen something on a blogger and went and bought it. I think it's because there is a personality and trust behind certain bloggers that you just don't get from retailers/designers.

wow .. that got long :) just my thoughts ...

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