Be honest. How many times have you sat in microeconomics and decided the best use of your time was to do some online window-shopping? Such is the essence of most fashion blogs. Skidmore bloggers, Ani Sepekoff and Keely Thomas-Menter, who both hail from fashion-friendly cities, New York City and San Francisco, explained how their blog, Canned Caviar (http://cannedcaviar.weebly.com/), highlights Skidmore fashion on a budget. Canned Caviar is divided into three sections – what the two bloggers wear, what fellow Skiddies wear, and fashion news.
The “what we see” section acts like a collective Skidmore closet. “Students here take more risks. They’re more experimental. This school’s on the right track to being original,” Keely said. For upcoming spring trends, the duo said pastels are coming back, however this spring is really more about translating your winter clothes into spring attire. “There’s so much brown this spring, which is a fall color. Every day’s a good day for chocolate,” Ani said. They also predict that shapes, such as draping, will be big this spring. “American Apparel was an easy way to be fashion forward. Now people are looking to add onto those outfits,” Ani said.
Naturally, I was curious to know how these two described their own styles. Ani summed hers up as “one part architectural, and one part urban chic with a serious interest in tight bottoms and loose tops. Everything I’m wearing is from Salvation Army, a thrift store, or it was free,” she said. Keely also said 80% of her wardrobe is vintage or thrift. Since the blog began this past winter, people have told her she has an edgy, rough-around-the-edges taste. “I depend on dark colors and unconventional combinations,” she said.
Photographs of student fashion, as well as their own, give perspective on the daring yet easy style seen on campus, but my favorite elements are the poignant descriptions in each entry. “Saya c/o 2011 charms us with this 1950’s house wife-esque moo-moo, for which her short hair is a wonderful complement to the overall look. The effect if half authentic, half ironic. Perhaps we shall see more Moo-Moos in the herd, n’est-ce pas?” The girls are witty, thoughtful and knowledgeable. I’m hooked! They will also have a Canned Caviar: Guide to Thrift and Vintage coming out on their blog later this week.
Skidmore also has another fashion blog, The Skidtorialist (http://theskidtorialist.tumblr.com/), a take on the New York City based Sartorialist blog, which captures the city’s street wear (http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/). Likewise, Skidtorialist aims to capture Skidmore street wear—the varied, the quirky, and the trends. The anonymous bloggers provide photographs, names, hometowns, and a quick quote from the fashion-forward student in the spotlight.
Creator of The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman wrote on his blog, “I started The Sartorialist simply to share photos of people that I saw on the streets of New York that I thought looked great… I thought I could shoot people on the street the way designers looked at people, and get and give inspiration to lots of people in the process.”
The Sartorialist also has a book in stores, simply entitled The Sartorialist.
Also on the fashion blogging scene is 13-year-old Tavi Williams from Chicago with her blog, Style Rookie (http://www.thestylerookie.com/). Well spoken and spunky, Tavi began the blog in 2008. Personally, anything I might have put on the Internet at age 11 would haunt me with embarrassment now, but Style Rookie is brilliant and completely impressive. Her posts vary from strong opinions about runway shows, to photo compilations of what catches her eye, to insightful, often amusing descriptions. She called the Herve Leger Fall 2010 line, “sportswear lizards,” reminiscent of “architectural jersey fabrics (which is a really lovely contrast).” Tavi’s surreal style also appears in her blog occasionally.
Implicit in all of these blogs is the goal of inspiring individualized fashion sense for viewers.
Easy-to-access, online fashion archives act as visual education, communicators for inspiration, and simple, cathartic eye-candy. A must-have as you prepare to update your spring wardrobe. And as these blogs continue to spring up on campus, we realize that we don’t always need the highest fashion tips–inspiration is all around us!