Holt Renfrew pays tribute to Fashion Blogs
The tables have turned, and the fashion houses are now courting the most influential critics in the industry. No, not the powerhouses of print publications, like Anna Wintour’s Vogue, but the bloggers like me who keep their fingers on the pulse of street style faster than US Weekly glossies can hit the stands. Thank you, thank you. What was once considered an afterthought, or at best, an amateur attempt to voice one’s opinion on the latest trends, has now become a valid source of fashion expertise. Case in point: Canada’s retail Mecca, Holt Renfrew, will be celebrating fashion bloggers this Friday at the launch of their new flagship window installations. The Bloor Street location will pay tribute to the ‘newest international style influencers.’ Their June 23 news release reports that six bloggers were invited to be part of the celebration. The ‘diverse mix’ includes Scott Schuman (thesartorialist.blogspot.com); Jane Aldridge (seaofshoes.typepad.com); Anita Clarke (iwantigot.geekigirl.com); Tommy Ton (jakandjil.com); Bryan Boy (bryanboy.com) and Garance Dore (garancedore.fr/en).
Holt’s Creative Director, John Gerhardt, acknowledged that “bloggers have become the fashion world’s new celebrities. They’re knowledgeable and influential contributors to the modern media landscape. Their opinions and visuals are relevant, creative and thought-provoking, providing a constant source of inspiration. We are honoured to pay homage to their style.’
The grand unveiling of the new window installations will be ‘equipped with a 24-hour interactive touchscreen for the public to cast votes to help select Holt’s Contemporary Correspondent.’ (you choose between two girls from each of Canada’s major cities) ‘The two Toronto finalists will be competing in a series of fashion-related challenges being held over six weeks. Votes can also be cast through Holt Renfrew’s Facebook page and the winner will be determined based on total number of public votes.’
This is fantastic recognition for bloggers like me, who understand the swift speed at which relevant fashion evolves. The medium of print is struggling in not only this economy but also in this new era of touchscreen updates. The photospreads we simply couldn’t get enough of in the 1990s have now been replaced by to-the-minute photos posted on our favorite blogs. Condé Nast, for instance, once dominated the realm of fashion publications, but is now being compared to General Motors, after several magazines were shelved this year. Their strategy to survive, unsurprisingly, has been to strengthen their multimedia division. They even just promoted a new SVP today to manage their website marketing and digital media.
I don’t believe we have to fear the end of print any time soon. (What would we do while getting a pedicure or making it through a 6 hour flight?!) I do believe, however, that a marriage of sorts is due for the worlds of print and blogging. With major retailers now on board, the union is even more promising. It will ultimately be a beautiful blend of fashion reporting at its best, and Livelovely looks forward to being part of it.
I’ll tell you what you can do while getting that pedicure… surf around to blogs on your iphone. Print is dead! Long live print!