Get schooled by the Anthology

When I had the honour of giving a guest lecture at the Art Institute, I learned even more than I shared (thank you, Liv, for the invitation!). That was thanks to the students who sparked great debates and La Flore et La Faune, Design.Love.Fest and Haute World who contributed their insight to my presentation (thanks team!).

Herewith, my top four takeaways:

sweater-abercrombie

4. I am even nerdier than I thought. Not one of the students in the class is a blogger (unless you count those who created blogs for school projects, which I don’t — I once choreographed an interpretive dance for class, but that does not make me an interpretive dancer. Nor does that make me feel any less like a nerd.).

3. Blogs are changing fashion in a big way. See: Art of the Trench, Burberry’s street-style site shot by the Sartorialist himself, Gap’s t-shirt collaboration with Garance Dore, and the major fashion houses that are now live-streaming their shows. (Thank you Haute World, for your brilliant suggestions!)

2. Blogs aren’t changing fashion at all. To quote La Flore et La Faune: “I don’t think blogs have the slightest influence on the fashion business.” What about the sites I just listed? “Isn’t a blog signed by a person, not a brand?” asks La Flore. Ummm…

abercrombie-sweater

1. I have an addiction. Not one of the students is as unhealthily obsessed with blogs as I am. They would opt to flip through a magazine instead of click through what Design.Love.Fest calls the “never-ending vortex of inspiration”.

Does that mean I should be making a print version of the Anthology?

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17 Comments

  • Reply The Starving Stylist December 11, 2009 at 1:30 am

    omfg. could you even imagine if our blogs were turned into a print version? Gosh I would be afraid that it would just become a lot of litter around the city like all those 24hrs/metro newspapers! yikes!

  • Reply la flore et la faune December 11, 2009 at 1:57 am

    1. Very interesting compte-rendu. I’m very flattered to be among these brilliant bloggers.

    2. Your sweater looks like the one you noticed on the brunette there > http://lafloreetlafaune.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-this-love.html
    So perhaps blogs inspires fashion after all…

    3. I’m sure these students have secret blogs…

    4. Well, “The Anthology” would be a great title for a magazine. I’d be glad to be your parisian correspondant.

    5. Have a nice day.

  • Reply Jess December 11, 2009 at 7:20 am

    Love your boots!

  • Reply Alinka Johnson December 11, 2009 at 10:24 am

    I love blogs. They seem to be more real than a magazine could ever be (not saying I don’t love mags). Blogs definitely hold a space in my heart for inspiration, not simply for fashion but for life!

  • Reply Bri December 11, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    hollllllla girlfriend! congrats on the successful speech!

    ps. we need help.

  • Reply Gerri Ward December 11, 2009 at 1:32 pm

    WOW! CONGRATULATIONS! I wish I had been there because I know it was a fashionably fabulous lecture!:))
    xoxox,
    Gerri

  • Reply lisa December 11, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    Great sweater! I love how you paired it with a teal scarf. And like you, I think it’s strange that these students seem so indifferent to the blogosphere when I spend so much time on it. :-)

  • Reply aliciafashionista December 11, 2009 at 4:07 pm

    I don’t know what my life would be like without fashion blogs? Well, I suppose I’d have a few extra hours each day. I bet some of them do have blogs they were just too shy to say.
    Cool that you got to guest speak. Sounds like a fun class!
    Oh and of course, adorable outfit xo

  • Reply VancityAllie December 11, 2009 at 5:27 pm

    Wow good job on standing up in front of a roomful of people and talking and debating!

    I would for sure be nervous.

    I’m sure many of those students LOVE blogs and are on them every day…. they just don’t realize they are blogs. LaineyGossip is a blog, Perez Hilton is a blog, tons of amazing sites are actually blogs. So I don’t think people realize this :)

    P.S. That is a VERY nice sweater.

  • Reply Kristin December 11, 2009 at 7:30 pm

    I’d happily read your rag, as I’m addicted to mags. But I’m equally as addicted to blogs. In my world they must co-exist!

  • Reply MizzJ December 12, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    I agree with Vancity Allie, maybe these students don’t have a clear definition of what a blog is? Print is still what the majority probably reads, but I think that is going to change very soon. Everyday I hear more and more about how electronic media is overtaking traditional means. Personally I read blogs way more now than magazines b/c they’re written by people like me, not some snobby person in a board room.

  • Reply sofiasophie December 13, 2009 at 4:40 am

    actually I think blogs are changing fashion….

  • Reply JoAnn December 13, 2009 at 8:34 am

    Congrats on your lecture!
    I really think blogs are changing fashion — many magazines and designers are looking to places like Style Rookie, Sea of Shoes and the Sartorialist (just to name a few) for inspiration.
    That’s so weird those students aren’t attuned to blogging — maybe they just didn’t want to broadcast them if they had a blog.
    – JoAnn, Sidewalk Chalk

  • Reply Melissa December 13, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    Gorgeous outfit.

    It looks so warm and cozy!

  • Reply liv December 13, 2009 at 8:51 pm

    hey darling thx again for coming to my classroom and guest speaking – the students loved you. i hope in taking my course they recognize the importance of new media on fashion and the business world. from what they’ve handed in for my course project, looks like they’ve learned that lesson (many included blogs as a marketing strategy for the project).

    and of course that fabulous sweater which led to me finding my own perfect colourful knit. more on that to come on Beautiful Life.

  • Reply Miss Neira December 14, 2009 at 11:34 am

    Haha I love it Who wouldn’t love blogs? they’re just so much more personal and intimate, and so much more entertaining to read opinions on something like fashion!

  • Reply hauteworld December 14, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    Oh my, we are nerdier than we thought! Thanks for sharing your insights from the class. I too thought the students would be way more into internet media and blogs in particular. I’m guessing they’ve thoroughly embraced social networks like twitter & facebook, so blogs would logically be in their interest zone as well. Then again, as some have mentioned, they might be reading blogs and not realize it. In any case, I think blogs have an effect on traditional publications as well (i.e. the Sartorliast still works for GQ and Jane from Sea of Shoes or Susie Bubble have appeard in Elle several times), so whether they like it or not, whatever they’re flipping through is linked with the blogosphere!

  • Leave a Reply to VancityAllie