Real Style

   Thanks to the rising success of fashion blogs and websites like The Sartorialist, Chictopia, or Lookbook, I think the big-name fashion magazines are catching on. You can style as many models as you want, but nothing is more real, versatile, and fashionable than the people seen on the street. They wear their own personalities. Who better to dictate the latest trends, than the actual people who wear them, as opposed to the magazine that says so?
   Visit a summer music festival, and you might be more inspired than if you were to look at a magazine. The liveliness of the real people, and the versatility and beauty of their style comes across much better. Maybe that's what these magazine companies are catching on to. It tends to be called "Street Chic", and I love this idea of how it shows true fashion from real people. I can know that a girl is wearing what she wants, not what was thrown on her. Although these albums of street style seem to be only on the magazines' websites at the moment, I am so glad to see that the industry is finally recognizing the broadness and differences in the definition of "fashion".

   For sometime, Seventeen has had Style Wars, which showcases girls' style and lets viewers rate them.

   Teen Vogue has it's style watch with Street Chic articles, with slideshows of girls from different countries. Each album features about six girls from a country.

   Elle's Street Chic I've been following for a while now. There is an entire portion of the website devoted to what everyday, fashionable people are wearing. From the summer concert series to cities across the world, Elle really finds some great people.

   New York Magazine's website has a few showcases. Some participants send in their look with the chance to be featured, and NYmag does a roundup every week or so of a week in street style. Not only do I check NYmag's hourly cut fashion blog tri-daily, but I love keeping up with the Look Book. They find real people and ask them a few questions, it's fabulous.

   And now, Vogue - a.k.a. the Bible, or the reason I even thought to write this post - is starting to follow the trend! I was so excited when I read Wednesday's article that they are now introducing Local Look. Looking at the floral trend right now, Vogue online is asking readers to send in his or her own look and it could be featured. The article reads, "We want to know how you wear it, wherever you are." And that is what I love, what I find so great about fashion and these new types of articles. It reaches everywhere to every person.