Personal Style Blogs

Appearances That Fascinate

Rosie Findlay

Personal Style Blogs

Rosie Findlay

Distributed for Intellect Ltd

206 pages | 19 color plates | 7 x 9
Paper $33.00 ISBN: 9781783208340 Published December 2017 Not for sale in the United Kingdom or Europe
From Style Rookie to Style Bubble, personal style blogs exploded onto the scene in the mid-2000s giving voice to young and stylish writers who had their own unique take on the seasonal fashion cycle and how to curate an individual style within the shifting swirl of trends. Personal Style Blogs examines the history and rise of style blogging and looks closely at the relationship between bloggers and their (frequently anonymous) readers as well as the response of the fashion industry to style bloggers’ amateur and often unauthorized fashion reportage.
 
The book charts the development of the style blogosphere and its transformation from an alternative, experimental space to one dominated by the fashion industry. Complete with examples of several famous fashion bloggers, such as Susie Lau, Rumi Neely, and Tavi Gevinson, the author explores notions of individuality, aesthetics, and performance on both sides of the digital platform. Findlay asks: what can style blogging teach us about women’s writing and the performance of a private self online? And what drives style bloggers to carve a space for themselves online?
 
Contents
Acknowledgements
 
Introduction
 
Chapter 1: A Succession of Quick Leaps
 
Chapter 2: Blogging the Bedroom
 
Chapter 3: Intimacy at a Distance
 
Chapter 4: Performing Fashion’s Imaginary
 
Chapter 5: Style Bloggers and the Contested Field of Fashion
 
Conclusion
 
References
 
Index
 
Review Quotes
LSE Review of Books
"Extremely valuable in tracing the evolution of personal style blogging up until the present day and in depicting how fashion media has been revolutionising itself through a discursive process. . . . An exciting read for students, professionals as well as academics interested in the fields of fashion, media, blogging, digital transformation and creative work more generally."
Journal of European Popular Culture

"Over the course of five well-presented and thought-out chapters, Findlay leads readers through the origins, evolution and rise of the personal style blog. . . . Findlay has compiled a detailed, well-researched and accessible account of what personal style blogging is, where it came from and how it has grown. She pulls apart the psychology of the style blog and blogger, revealing them to be far more complex and important than they are often given credit for. She writes in an engaging, personal way that does not distract from the academic importance of her subject. Readers can feel her passion for the topic and world of personal style blogging through the voice of her writing, however, and that makes for an engaging academic piece."

Lucire
"Findlay traces the origins of fashion weblogs at the turn of the century and puts them all in the context of history and the fashion industry. It’s a remarkable analysis, properly referenced throughout, and highly recommended to those trying to navigate and understand the fashion blogosphere. . . . Such is the depth of Findlay’s research that she even looks at the original rise in photography in fashion magazines under Thomas Condé Nast. . . . [She] convincingly argues that blog communities are a valid social entity, one that the industry should accept as being here to stay."
Fashion, Style & Popular Culture
"One of the first books that traces the history of personal style blogging from inception to present day. . . . What Findlay weaves together is an exceptionally crafted dive into the world of style blogging."
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Culture Studies

Media Studies

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