I sometimes wonder how different my style would be if I had never started writing this blog. I think the honest answer would have to be that writing this blog affects it quite a lot. That is not because I only choose my outfits in the morning to look good on the blog, it is really important to me to look good anyway, but if you spend so much time thinking about fashion (and I spend all day everyday writing about fashion) then it is bound to have some sort of impact on what you wear. Isn't it?
Here are 4 of the ways that I think being a fashion blogger has influenced my style over the last few years:
Real Life Vs A Photograph
The photographs that I take of my outfits always look different to what I see when I look in the mirror. I am not sure if this is the same for everyone else but for me a photograph almost allows you to step back and view the overall look more objectively. In my pictures the detail is not as obvious and the colours usually look duller than they seem to in real life. Overall I tend to find that many of the outfits that I used to wear and think looked OK looked quite boring in a photograph. This has led me to wear brighter and bolder colour combinations and more statement pieces. I also often decide not to wear a particular outfit again after seeing it on the blog, seeing pictures of myself makes me much more critical than looking in the mirror.
Constant Variety
I don't try and wear a different outfit every single day. I don't think I would have the wardrobe or imgination for this and when I find an outfit that I like naturally I want to wear it again. But I do strive to have an element of variety in what I am wearing. In the past it has been easy to lapse into wearing jeans every day, my blog makes me make a little bit of effort to feature different outfits and allows me to justify to myself the time I spend choosing an outfit that I might only venture outside the house in for the school run.Sometimes I end up wearing things that look slightly strange in the quest for variety but I would rather make a few 'mistakes' than always look exactly the same and it is this experimentation that has helped me to find some of my favourite outfits.
Greater Awareness
Fashion blogging has given me a much greater awareness of the brands and designers that are out there partly through research and partly through the press releases that I recieve. I also spend much more time researching eco and ethical brands which allows me to think about and consider the clothes that I buy much more than before. I am a lot less reliant on the same high street shops than I used to be and try out a lot more new options.
The Influence of Other Fashion Bloggers
Last but not least, since starting writing my blog, I spend a lot of time reading other blogs. I think that the power of suggestion is huge and just seeing another bloggers outfit posts fills my head with so many different outfit ideas. Without this inspiration I think my outfit and shopping choices would be much more limited.
Overall I think being a blogger has probably affected my style for the better. I feel much happier and more confident in the clothes that I wear now, perhaps as a result of the support and lovely comments from those who read my blog. I also think I make much more effort over how I look. Working from home and looking after 2 children make it very easy to slip into that comfort zone.
I know there are times when people probably think that what I am wearing looks completely nuts, (and they may well be right), although no one has actually ever said anything. Perhaps sometimes I try too hard and it all ends up going wrong. By becoming more adventurous with the clothes that you wear you are also always going to open yourself up to people being more judgemental about how you look. But in balance, the amount that I gain by writing and featuring outfits on my blog definitely makes it worthwhile for me- style or no style.
I was quite interested to read some of the recent posts for Friend Friday on authenticity. I did question how authentic my own style is when it is a product of fashion blogging? But then we are all constantly developing and changing throughout our lives as a result of our experiences and environment. For me my blog is partly a way to develop myself. I think writing a fashion blog hasn't just affected my style it has to some extent changed me as a person and I believe I completely am the person that you see in my outfit posts.
I would love to hear from other fashion bloggers how (if at all) they think that being a fashion blogger affects their style.
with warmest wishes
Ceri X
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