Before I left for Oxford, I asked my girlfriend who came
last year what I should pack. Her response was “Not much, you will definitely
want to do shopping!” I took her advice and came with a couple of staples, not
nearly enough to last through two weeks with hopes of adding some new statement
pieces to my wardrobe. When I got here, I was utterly surprised on how
different the fashion trends were and how much I could not ration out the
pounds in order or purchase a dress that is NOT my style. After wearing the
same t-shirt, three days in a row, I came to the conclusion that I should
probably do a little fashion research while I am here and apply it to
advertising.
In class we have discussed the effects of social media
several times, but I have yet to apply it to the newest form of advertising.
Being a fashion guru, I follow several fashion bloggers on instagram to stay
relevant and check up on the recent trends and find inspiration through the
unique and creative outfit combinations. Brands today will give the successful
fashion bloggers products from cosmetics, handbags and accessories, full ensembles,
all the way to restaurant cards, movie premieres, and hotel stays in hopes that this
21-year-old girl will post an instagram photo of the fabulous meal she had in a
specific restaurant or a view from the W’s rooftop pool and lounge with a
positive caption and geo-tag. If the brand is really lucky, maybe she will
dedicate an entire blog entry on an experience and not just a tweet.
I was interested to see if fashion bloggers in the UK were
as prevalent as fashion bloggers in the United States, and if so, who are
these bloggers who set the stage for what’s hot and what’s not!? I picked the
August 2014 version of Company Magazine, which
is a magazine that we do not have in the states. Featured on this colorful
cover is an American actress, Ashley Benson. This month's issues cover the
“Summer Fashion Special” and “It’s the Ibiza Issue.” Figuring out just how
social media savvy the UK fashion world is was quite easy when the front cover
states “Ashley Benson, our fave actress on Instagram (4 million agree!).” Also,
flipping through the magazine, I saw multiple hashtags, references to twitter,
instagram, and facebook. There was even an article called “Confessions of a
Blogger's Boyfriend” and a feature on Lucy Rance who is a blogger for
Lulutrixabelle.com. Now that I determined fashion bloggers who are predominant in
the UK, I did some research.
An Internet search brought me to the Top 15 Fashion Bloggers in the UK and the Top 15 Fashion Bloggers in the United States. I was shocked to see
that a good portion of the fashion bloggers that ranked highest on the charts
in the US actually came from London and major US cities. On the other hand, the
top UK Fashion bloggers all came from the UK or other European countries. What
I can conclude from the lack of American influence on UK Blogs, and the obscene
amount of Americans following European blogs: America is lacking on setting
the fashion agenda.
It appears that European countries are ahead of all the new
trends; clothes, shoes, accessories, food, travel, and much more. In
advertising, it is imperative to stay on the cutting edge and be the first to
do something before competitors. When working on building a brand's image, or
reinventing a brand, I will not be hesitant to look for European influence and
use their styles and inventiveness to bring back to the United States.
It turns out maybe I should get shopping while I am abroad;
the trends are soon to explode in the US of A.
I think that it's interesting that you made this point as I was reading an article the other day that said some restaurants were going to start giving phone chargers with people's food so that the customers would instagram a picture of what they were eating and promote that restaurant. I think that social media has become a major influence in these areas of food and fashion because you want to make people jealous of what you are eating or wearing. We live in a very show-boaty society and we want to make it known that you are trying to set a trend of your own.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of fashion the UK is definitely well ahead of us. I love walking down the street here and seeing the different pieces that people wear here that I probably won't see in the states for another couple of months or so. It has definitely been a fun experience shopping her and seeing what I can bring back to the states with me.
Sara, I think this is an interesting example of how British media cultivates American fashion bloggers. In class we were struggling to come up with examples of how our culture is influenced by other countries because our entertainment media is so pervasive. It's important to recognize the ways in which we rely on other fashion bloggers, artists, etc. as trendsetters.
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ReplyDeleteIt is very true that American fashion is a little behind on the trends than European countries. Fashion is something I am very passionate about, and I spend a good amount of time researching it. Not only are fashion blogs popular in the US and UK, but fashion "vlogs"(video blogs) on youtube are extremely popular and have allowed for regular girls to become virtual celebrities. I am subscribed to fashion and beauty gurus on youtube that live in the United States and the United Kingdom, and I love comparing the different styles they portray in their videos.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting, and an aspect of the British-American cultural and media relationship that I never thought to consider. Without intentionally noticing it, I have seen how fashion flows from Europe to America on numerous occasions (more than once I've seen a trend discussed in a UK publication and then a little while later it blows up in the US, or even found an item I wanted to buy on a UK site and had to wait for it to become available in the US). The more I think about it, the more I see a massive flow of trends in different areas from the UK to the US- fashion, TV (including scripted and reality shows), and certain music. It's harder to think from the American side about how much influence on trends the US has on the UK, but maybe that's a perception problem and there isn't as much of a lack as I see. I think it would be a really interesting conversation to have with a local, about how much the country tends to look to America on different topics.
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