The Street Style Debate: A Response to US Vogue


This morning I woke up and opened Instagram, as I do every other day. Though today, my feed was flooded by opposing argumentative responses to a US Vogue article. Noticing that these responses were strongly defending the role of both bloggers and street style photographers, I instantly took to finding the piece online. What I read from US Vogue was both saddening and disappointing.

US Vogue's 'Ciao Milano!' article discusses Milan's recent Fashion Week. Amongst discussions about favoured collections and revolutionary pieces, each contributing editor makes frequent comments about the schizophrenic nature of the street style concept, mainly targeting bloggers. Controversial comments are made about this massively trending aspect of the modern fashion industry, for example: 'note to bloggers...please stop. Find another business. You are heralding the death of style', 'the professional blogger bit, with the added aggression of the street photographer swarm who attend them, is horrible, but most of all, pathetic', 'it's all pretty embarrassing - even more so when you consider what else is going on in the world. (Have you registered to vote yet? Don't forget the debate on Monday!)'

These type of comments extremely sadden me. As an undergraduate English Lit student and aspiring editor, Vogue is the magazine that I have long admired and wish to work for, so to read these comments criticising two aspects of the industry which I thoroughly involve myself in and enjoy, is belittling. Yet what US Vogue fails to state is that, in making these comments, their writing becomes rather hypocritical. Prior to this article, US Vogue have portrayed nothing but support for bloggers and street style photographers, as they feature those 'oh so famous' street style pictures across their website and Instagram feed during every fashion week. 'Your daily street style inspiration is here', 'see the best street style ensembles out of Milan' and 'spotted on the street: the best looks from #MFW' are just a few of their recent captions which highlight the importance of the street style concept - quite simply, it is a form of inspiration! And bloggers have made this street style concept renowned due to the publicity surrounding them. People are inspired by an image connoting every day life, so seeing a blogger figure on the street who has built something from nothing is undeniably inspiring and influential.

Furthermore, the article talks about the pointlessness of wearing certain chosen clothes for the intention of being photographed and receiving 'likes' on social media. Yet US Vogue continues to promote 'Insta-Famous' influencers such as Kendall Jenner, who features on the 2016 September Issue with the caption: 'the face that launched a billion likes.' And she was photographed wearing Gucci, Galliano, Prada and Vetements clothes that were chosen for her for the intention of gaining attention and sparking influence. These names are also worn on the street, so if both aspects of the industry are promoting designers through artistic images of their clothing, what's the problem? Everything is about influence in the fashion industry, and influence is found through imagery. Whether it be imagery from the catwalk or every day life outside, both inspire.

I believe fashion, in particular Vogue, is about honouring artistic craftsmanship. Of course, these editors do honour the design craftsmanship of Gucci and Versace in their article (and very rightly so), but craftsmanship is not solely limited to designers in the fashion industry. Craftsmanship is applicable to photographers, influencers, bloggers, stylists and of course magazine editors! So why should one aspect of the fashion industry belittle another when it similarly serves as a form of art, and similarly promotes clothing though photography like in a magazine? In publishing this article, US Vogue have undoubtedly received a great deal of publicity and attention to the magazine, due to its controversial nature. However, criticising an aspect of the same industry which they have long fed into through promotion and which serves as a vital part of modern fashion is disappointing, to say the least. Of course, it is crucial to honour the traditional and core aspects of the industry, so assessing new collections from iconic houses is vitally important. However, living in an age where the death of print is a saddening possibility, it is wrong to mock bloggers and street style photographers who epitomise fashion in the 21st century.

So, whilst I was originally going to post the following street style images from London Fashion Week as another presentation of my recent photography, I now do so in response to US Vogue's lack of respect for bloggers and street style - essentially the modern fashion industry. I hope my images below will highlight the artistic nature that is associated with both bloggers and street style photographers! As, in anything associated with fashion, they are encompassed in art and creativity.

I hope that you all enjoy my following LFW street style photography! Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below.

Faye .x


Faye-Isabella London Fashion Week Street Style Photography































































For all photography related enquiries, contact me at fayefearon@icloud.com


~ xxx ~


51 comments

  1. I hear ya! And I agree on everything you pointed out. Especially how ironic it is that Vogue seeks out bloggers and influences and uses them to their advantage, but then you have a person writing for Vogue about how much they hate them. Clearly this was not well planned out and the editor didn't make the right decision on publishing this piece. It's definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, but I think we should all just keep it classy, give our two cents, and move on. I really enjoyed reading your opinions on this. :)

    -Emily www.coatandcoffee.com

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    1. Thank you so much for your comment Emily! Exactly, the article bothered me so much as it was so hypocritical! I definitely agree, I think they published it to be controversial and for a kind of shock factor, but the response to it has been far from positive and in support of it! I love your attitude to this, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading my opinions on the subject! Have a wonderful day .xx

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  2. So much inspiration!! Love it!! Thanks for sharing your favorites!! Xx Susanne - http://bagatyou.com

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    1. You're welcome Susanne, I'm glad you enjoyed it! .x

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  3. Beautiful photos and so much inspiration!

    http://violettedaily.com/

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  4. Wow! I am in outfit heaven. I would love all the outfits. It has given me lots of ideas of what to wear this season.
    Thank you.
    Love
    Shanel
    http://babblingonbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/my-top-ten-holiday-makeup-gifts-2016.html?m=1

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    1. You're welcome Shanel! That's why I love street style and the photography presenting it, it gives so many of us inspiration! Have a wonderful day .x

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  5. I totally agree with you!! It's so hypocritical!!

    http://aparisianwardrobe.com/week-end-en-bretagne/

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    1. Thanks Céline, it's nice to see so many people agreeing with this idea! .x

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  6. Really enjoyed reading your post today. Loved the photos and found them really inspiring! Enjoy your day. Gemma x
    www.jacquardflower.uk

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    1. Thank you Jacquard, I'm so glad you did! You too lovely, thanks for visiting! .x

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  7. What a well-written post. I found the Vogue article incredibly disheartening as well. I really enjoyed reading your opinion on this. Thank you so much for speaking out.

    Love, Lindsey
    http://www.thenomisniche.com/

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    1. Thank you so much Lindsey, I really appreciate your comments here! .x

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  8. Such a great article, beautiful; you've made some valid points that I entirely agree with. When I first read the article, my mouth dropped. I couldn't believe editors for such a prestigious publication, who by the way featured Kim Kardashian on the FRONT COVER, who unlike Kendall is NOT in the fashion industry per se, very contradicting and condescending. To be honest, I felt a sense of jealousy in their tone, as though there's a sense of confusion as to why they aren't given the same (if not more) publicly and preferential treatment than that of the most influential bloggers. I don't know how this will effect Vogue, if in any major way, I guess only time will tell. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, beauty, as well as these gorgeous images! I hope you're having a great week so far!

    XO,

    Jalisa
    www.thestylecontour.com

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    1. Thank you so much for your comment Jalisa! I'm so glad you agree with the points I've made, and that you were as astonished as I was with the article! I completely agree, there definitely was a sense of jealousy in the tone of the article, which is silly as Vogue should be applauding new aspects of the industry which serve to help them too! Thanks again for your comment, have a wonderful day! .xx

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  9. If you ask me it's a little ignorant of Vogue to post such comments. All brands, big or small, rely on blogger nowadays to advertise their pieces. Bloggers are the future of the fashion and beauty industry. More and more people are reading blog and less and less are picking up fashion magazine. Bloggers are the new muses!
    Sorry Vogue if we're putting you out of business!

    XoXo,

    Tamara - LoveofMode.com

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    1. Thank you for your comment Tamara! I agree that bloggers are an essential part of the future fashion industry, it's just disappointing to read such comments from US Vogue! Have a great day .xx

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  10. Amazing!

    http://carinazz.blogspot.com.ee/

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  11. Amazing post,very interesting! <3

    mystylishcorner.blogspot.ba

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  12. I'm not a fashion blogger by any means, but I've been visiting sites like Vogue for years and you're right, they always have posts about the best street style from fashion events. How hypocritical of them to start ragging on the same people they were once promoting!

    www.beautyfromkatie.blogspot.com

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    1. I'm glad you agree Katie, their article was just purely hypocritical to me for this very reason! Thanks so much for reading my thoughts on the topic .x

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  13. It's a digital age, I hope everyone in fashion industry will support each other. Nicely written and the images are top-notch.

    www.busyandfab.com

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    1. It definitely is Mercy! Thank you so much! .x

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  14. Great article and very well written. That's another ome of the reasons why I stopped buying Vogue a couple of month ago.
    xox
    Lenya
    FashionDreams&Lifestyle

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    1. Thank you Lenya, I'm glad you enjoyed it! .x

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  15. Very well written article. That makes me so sad that Vogue would come out so harshly against people that are in their magazines! I love the images you included in this post! I find so much inspiration in seeing street styles and bloggers in fashion week! Thanks for the read!

    http://www.mylittlenest.org

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    1. Thank you very much Ruth! It was very saddening to read! I'm so glad you like my photos though! Have a wonderful day .x

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  16. I couldn't agree with you more. It's so upsetting to hear that a prestigious magazine like Vogue can take advantage of bloggers only to criticises them the next day.

    www.mydailywear.co.uk

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  17. Yes, you are so right! Thanks for your very intelligent words and the cool inspirations, too.
    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
    www.dressedwithsoul.com

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    1. You're welcome Rena, so glad you enjoyed the post! .x

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  18. I found it so laughable that the Vogue editors bashed bloggers for being pathetic when it comes to street style... Like HELLO? A lot of the people at fashion week that are having their pictures taken by photographers are magazine editors as well?? Smh at Vogue, they shouldn't have stirred a big issue in the first place.

    But on a side note, these photos look lovely! Love how well you captured LFW x

    http://nxkta.blogspot.com/ || http://instagram.com/nxktablog

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    1. I thought about this point too Ayisha, it's crazy! Thank you very much though lovely, I'm glad you like the photos! .x

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  19. Oh wow so much incredible inspiration

    Filipa xxx
    PlayingWithApparel.com | Instagram

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  20. Superb looks! Love the style.

    LUXESSED

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  21. wow so nice dress. I love to buy muslimah skirt to look pretty. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  22. What a refreshing and eloquent article! I'm so glad you addressed this. It's unfortunate that Vogue thinks it can monopolise fashion and discredit bloggers in a very patronising way, without even making a logical argument to support their claims. In my view, this article just made them look inconsistent and not credible. Fashion is not something which belongs to Vogue magazine exclusively! I think they're secretly scared of the positive developments which are happening in blogging, and perhaps they feel threatened by that!

    p.s - I'm loving the images you featured in your post Faye. Keep up the good work!

    Saba xx

    www.trulymadlydeeplyfashion.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you very much for your comment Saba! I'm so glad you enjoyed the article! I definitely agree, if they wished to make such claims their argument should have been much stronger. I definitely agree, there's a better way to address this threat though instead of completely belittling bloggers! Thanks again for your comment lovely, I'm so glad you like the images too! Have a wonderful day .xx

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  23. This outfit is GORGEOUS! Beautiful!! Love that color…
    Sunny | http://www.kevinluo.dk/cocktailkjoler-c-1.html

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  24. I mean the writer devo didn't think through before writing it, handing it in and publishing it. But you know what? Even tho magazine like Vogue still own their very unique position in the fashion world, the existence of blogger and online magazine or any online platforms prove the possibility other than traditional media. So, denying the importance of such trend is unwise in my opinion. And we do not need to justify ourselves for such unwise perspective of thinking. Hang in there sis!

    ps I also have a degree in English! And lovely photos of yours btw.

    xx Margaret
    www.maleemaleehong.com

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    1. I agree Margaret, there are so many aspects of the industry today which are all equally significant! So glad you like the photos too, thanks for visiting! .xx

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  25. I ADORE your street style pictures!! I love the vibe from them! I didn't read the article form Vogue but from what I read in your post it sounds pretty hypocrite from them! They are making money out of street style and bloggers so it's very low...
    Loved your post!
    xx
    Aurelie | http://www.surface85.com

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    1. Thank you so much Aurelie, I'm so glad you like my photos! It definitely was, quite disappointing to hear from them too! But I'm glad you enjoyed my thoughts and photographs! Have a great day .xx

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  26. Nothing makes me happy than the street style photos.This is some serious style there. I love the intese photography.
    New post on my blog . Do drop by soon <3
    ✿thefashionflite


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  27. I read parts of the article that Vogue put out and I found it very contradicting since they feature Kardashians who aren't what most would consider "Vogue". I think they just sold out and looking for some attention with that article. Great post btw <3

    Stacey + thebambieyes.com

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