Since I started blogging about fashion week, I’ve occasionally had people compliment me on the fact that I seem confident enough to comment on the collections and designs. I am by no means an expert or trained in fashion journalism – I’m an amateur at best when it comes to these things – and even though I’ve never been lucky enough to have a coveted ticket for the shows, I do love writing about the collections and what I see.
So from my amateur stance, here are my own personal tips that I’ve picked up over the course of, nearly, four years of ‘newbie’ fashion week blogging.
1. Don’t try and report on everything
I’ve made this mistake before, but I’m trying to get better! There’s a reason why Vogue, Style.com and Who What Wear manage to cover the shows so extensively in real time – they literally have dozens of people on tap writing, editing and uploading their content on a daily basis and all on location. Remember you are one blogger most likely sat in your bedroom and you don’t have to write about every single collection you see. Be selective and choose a few to concentrate your efforts on. Aim for quality over quantity.
2. Get your facts right
Research is key when writing about a collection and your search engine of choice will become your best friend. Get those spellings for the labels right, which designers are behind them (Raf Simons at Dior, Christopher Bailey at Burberry, Sarah Burton at McQueen etc.) and know whether this is a ready to wear, couture or resort collection (easy enough to look up, they’re always labeled up everywhere on the web. Knowing know your netting from your tulle, or silk from your chiffon isn’t key but it will give your writing a bit of depth, but don’t get hung up on this. For me Style.com is my fashion week Bible when it comes to checking out the facts on the show and background on the designer, plus they are fantastic at archiving collections.
3. Notes, Notes, Notes
I keep a little notebook of notes with the names of the designers I spot during the season. Write down which collections catch your eye and why. Is it the colour or shape or ‘feel’ that attracts you? I always find having a written record of the collections you liked, even if you don’t post about all of them is good for trend spotting as you find consistent words/themes. These little notes are also pretty useful when the next season rolls around. You’ll now have copious reference notes on which designers you loved from the last time they showed their collections.
4. Highlight the up and coming
It’s absolutely fine to not to love bigger designers. Yes there will be showstoppers every seasons but don’t feel you have to love the Chanel’s or De La Renta’s just cause everyone else on the planet did. Finding lesser known names is so much fun and will make your coverage more unique. Again, Style.com are a great site for browsing, Vogue will also post every single collection during the seasons, so do a big of digging and see what you can find.
5. Write to the beat of your own drum
And finally the best piece of advice I can give is to find your mojo with how you present your ‘reviews’ on the collections. Everyone is different. You could report on a couple of collections in one post, focus on a trend, pick one designer for each city, or just concentration New York or London. It’s really up to you. Blogs like Style Bubble and Man Repeller are fantastic for inspiration on unique writing styles, but don’t copy, have fun with it!
So those are my tips. Hopefully writing about the fashion week collections doesn’t look so daunting now. Remember, no one is expecting you to be an expert.
Fashion week season can be one of the most inspiration times of year for us bloggers so take advantage of it and get writing!
