On Writing Fashion

16 Jul On Writing Fashion

 

One of the first writers that I was ever drawn to, fashion-wise, was Zandile Blay. She was the market editor at Paper magazine, Style & Culture columnist for the Huffington Post and then became the fashion editor at Essence.com before leaving for Nigeria to become Editor-in-Chief at Hello! Nigeria. She’s back stateside now, working as a fashion/beauty journalism professor at Syracuse University and Editor-at-Large of Scene magazine.

I say all that to say, I was taken with her. The way that her words came alive on my screen. She starred in a Coach campaign. The way her clothing was so magnetic. Her jumbo quilted Chanel. She was brown and fashion writer. Most importantly, she was accessible. 23-year-old me was a goner.

I was a fashion news reporter for her site The Blay Report.

“Writing is like giving birth, ” Zandile told StyleLikeU. “You have to be in love with someone to interview them.” I was so confused. How would I be able to write objectively if I was in love with whatever I was writing about?

Is that possible?

It is. I consume fashion wholly. I read whatever I can get my hands on. I like to know the history of things–the design houses, trends, designers, you name it, I like to know about it. Maybe I have a chip on my–sequined–shoulder because of the stigma that follows digital journalism, but I think reading about the industry you’re paid to report on, gives you an edge.

I remember during one my first fashion week with Glam, I asked my immediate boss what she thought added to her voice among so much noise, literally, in the room. “I’m super informed,” she told me. “You’d be surprised how many people don’t know why they like the things that they do.”

That, coupled with Zandile’s advice early-on, is why I have a goal of reading one book for pleasure, one book for fashion a month. Oh, and I try to take in all of the fashion exhibits I can. I didn’t get kicked out of the Met when I went to see the Beyond Fashion: Charles James exhibit, you guys!

Next stop, the Brooklyn museum. Apparently, they have quite the fashion library housed in their exhibition halls.

Wearing: DKNY Cozy, Topshop Dress// Louis Vuitton Speedy 25// BaubleBar Necklaces

p.s. I’m talking about wearing children’s clothing on Today.com. I like kids’ clothes and I can not lie. Read it here. 

Like a good neighbor State Farm is there.

Oh, and Disclosure: Compensation was provided by State Farm via Mode Media.