Image HERE

Earlier this week I bought a copy of a popular weekly women's magazine.  This, for me, is not a particularly uncommon occurrence: I do not have the same vehement opposition to magazines that I have noticed some other bloggers do.  Personally, I prefer the magazines with a stronger current affairs and features content, as opposed to those with a predominant fashion theme.  But this week, I found that even my regular faithful wound me up.  The article in question was asking what something called my "make-up age" was.  The Middleton sisters and Kitty from the X Factor have make-up ages older than their actual ages, whilst Alexa Chung's cosmetic habits are, apparently, more aligned to someone much younger than her twenty-seven years.

Although to a degree I could understand what the magazine was trying to say (in a nutshell: what you put on your face does have an effect on the overall look that you portray), the snarky tone and relatively useless advice was what riled me.  Apparently, I can achieve a more youthful look by applying smokey eyeshadow and liner, but leaving out the mascara.  Come again?  I have naturally light skin and hair - including my eyelashes - and look half-asleep without any mascara at all.  For me, smokey eyes without mascara would look unfinished and just plain weird.  Meanwhile, the Middletons were blasted for their heavy use of eyeliner, but given how frequently they're both photgraphed these days, the need to accentuate their eyes with such dark hair seems pretty obvious to me.

Even having thought about it for a few days, I am concerned that I am overreacting somewhat to this particular article.  I mean, in all likelihood, the advice does carry some degree of logic and sense, but in many ways it very succinctly summarises the criticisms I, and many others, seem to have of the printed media as a whole.  Firstly, the need to make a point by running down some women whilst holding up others as icons.  We hate it when male-dominated newspapers and magazines do it, so why does an established, respected women's weekly feel the need to stoop to such tactics?  Secondly, the obsession with age.  How is this still an issue?  In an age where women will need to work until age 60 and beyond, it seems somewhat futile to obsess over the preservation of the illusion of a few golden years in a woman's early twenties, when there is quite evidently so much more to life. Finally, and this is porbably the problem that publishers wrangle with a lot, is this particular feature/section/publication even relevant now?  The rise of the online magazine - much like this one - mean that content can be created and shared so quickly, and be found easily by its target audience for free that it's a wonder some magazines haven't gone out of print much sooner.

I suppose though, I have answered that last question before I had even asked it.  I currently suscribe to two monthly women's magazines, and will purchase others on a more ad hoc basis as I wish, despite being a fairly heavy consumer of fashion and beauty blogs.  In a way, this is similar to my getting news and current affairs information from a variety of media outlets - both paid for and free-to-access.  I don't always agree with every article or viewpoint, but I consider it important to be informed from every angle.  Perhaps I need to adopt the same attitude toward something that is, let's face it, far less important in the overall scheme of things.

What are your views on women's magazines?  Is there still a place for them in the new 'age of the blog'?

I'm happy to announce that, after consulting with the rest of the British Style Bloggers team, our Blog of the Month title for October goes to...

Pretty Divine

Congratulations! Look out for an e-mail from me soon with instructions as to what happens next.

Also, a big 'well done' to all the nominees - it's not an easy decision to pick a winner each month and you all did well to be nominated!

Our Blog of the Month competition for November will open on Tuesday 1st - keep checking the homepage for more info.

- Rachel x (community manager)

Dear British Style Bloggers reader,

My name is Amy Claire, and I'm the Founder and Editor in Chief of British Style Bloggers. Two years ago in August, I set BSB up without really knowing what I was doing, and I've been striving to improve it ever since. Regular readers probably know how often we take time out to revamp and to make ourselves better. I love this project, and I am determined to make it into something wonderful, however long it takes me to get things perfect.

With that in mind, we're currently in the process of changing the way that we work, yet again. The contract on this (frankly attrocious!) website runs out in January, and as I have three blissful months of summer coming up - ah, the Southern Hemisphere! - I'll be using them to rebuild a new site.

So... this is your chance to have your input. Tell us what you think we can improve. Tell us what you'd like to see on the new site. Tell us what's missing form the old site.

Comment, as much as you can, and we'll see what we can do to improve - we will, I think, hit the nail on the head, this time, and make it perfect.

Here's to the future of BSB!

- Amy x

--

PS - we're also looking for new staff! Please, please, please, get in touch if you're at all interested. Email: amy@britishstylebloggers.org.uk. Thank you!

Believe it or not, but the 'man clutch' is not a new fad.  Its been around for sometime now, however it is just about to hit the high street.  Last week saw The Evening Standard run a story on the 'clutch' and if London men would wear it.  The resonding answer should be yes, but people have mixed views. Check out some of our highlights of the man clutch and let us know what you think.

Well whatever you think, I am off to raid my girl-friends cupboard and see what I can find.

Callum from Maketh-The-Man

Men's style columnist

To be perfectly honest, I didn't think I would ever seriously write the title that graces this blog post, but then my career at British Style has opened a whole load of doors that I didn't even know were there.  After a week in windy West Wales, I found myself hopping on a train to Paddington to spend the day at the fabulous Fashion Mavericks show and the Somerset House Exhibition.

Obscure Couture, S/S 12

Despite reading all the blog posts and magazine articles I could lay my hands on leading up to the event, I still didn't really have any idea what to expect from my first ever London Fashion Week.  I have 'done' the odd event for British Style before and always had a fun, interesting time, but Fashion week was actually making me nervous.  What do I wear?  What do I say to people?  What if I don't get in?  Thankfully, my amazing Editor At Large looked after that last issue for me, but those first two problems were all mine to handle.  In the end I settled on a two-tone H&M dress, plum coloured tights and brown brogues - I am a comfort girl at heart - and decided that I would just fake a bit of confidence and see how things went.

XO, S/S 12

In many ways I feel that Fashion Mavericks was the perfect initiation to the madness of Fashion Week.  We were seriously well-looked after and there was a fantastic, friendly atmosphere that I must admit I wasn't expecting.  I had lots of fun capturing the looks on the catwalk as British Style's semi-official photographer, and I could have stayed and people-watched the show goers all day.    The exhibition at Somerset House was totally fascinating too, and I was totally awe-inspired seeing such beautiful designs up close, and there too I encountered many a friendly face (alongside the odd blogger ego).

Obscure Couture, S/S 12

One thing that still baffles me though: the shows didn't help me to understand anymore about what I should and shouldn't be wearing once Spring/Summer 2012 arrives.  The clothes were beautiful and the shows were well co-ordinated, but all I could see was that Fashion Week shows give designers the free reign to run with whatever theme they fancy for that particular season, and we as consumers will happily purchase it when the trends filter down to whatever level we can afford.

Kiki Kamanu, S/S 12

But you know what?  I think that's what Fashion Week is supposed to be about.  We are not supposed to emerge from the shows brainwashed into wearing one particular cut, colour, style or fabric; instead, it's about taking those ideas and making them your own.  So many of the people I saw both at Fashion Mavericks and Somerset House were wearing what they liked, in a way that worked for them.  They took elements of Autumn/Winter 2011's most popular looks, but mixed them up with older looks, one-off pieces and vintage to make them unique.  If I'm lucky enough to get invited back next year, I'll have to bear that in mind.

Hi guys!

The shortlist for this month's Blog of the Month Competition is as follows:

• A Blog From Blackpool
• Victoria's Procrastination Project
• Memoir Mode
• The Cosmetic Crave
• Pretty Divine

Congrats to all those shortlisted!!

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to make the shortlist and to judge the competition each month because all you bloggers are just too good at what you do! You all make my own blog look a bit rubbish to be honest. :)

The winner will be announced on the 28th.

Good luck, everyone!

- Rachel x (Community Manager)

Sarah first came to my attention through the centre of all things super cute that is in her jewellery store Temporary:Secretary, which she founded back in Spring 2008. I soon discovered she also has a gorgeous Temporary:Secretary blog alongside it which is just as delightful to look at and gives a fascinating glimpse into her personal style as well as the world of her jewellery. She's a Northern bunny with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Marketing and is the sweetest girl, so let's get to know her...

What or who do you look to for style inspiration?

Zooey Deschanel. Although I have known who she was (Elf, Almost Famous, Failure To Launch, The Happening, etc) I haven't always been a fan but I have loved her style since 500 Days Of Summer. I'm also a huge fan of Joseph Gordon Levitt - I really want them to be a real life couple!!! But I am more inspired by people around me. Real people, non celebrities. When I was at college, we used to sit in town and people watch. I like observing real people. That is probably why I would rather read blogs than buy magazines.

What inspired you to start blogging and has your motivation to carry on changed at all?

No one in particular inspired me to blog as I really didn't understand blogging when I first signed up to blogger. I learnt about blogging from when I interned at a fashion company. It was only this year when I started reading fashion and style blogs, and built up a list of favourites. I didn't have a clue before this year. When I started the business three years ago, I started a blog to go hand in hand with each other. I wanted to give an insight into a start-up business, and just build upon it. I neglected the blog last year, I got so busy with work and I lost my way a little bit! I wasn't confident to post photos of myself so I kept the blog on a very "behind the scenes" basis. I wasn't very inspired by this; certainly not enough to blog regularly, and so I knew I needed a new direction to keep the blog active. After some emails from customers asking me to show style inspiration of how to wear certain pieces of Temporary:Secretary jewellery, I took on board their suggestions and I finally plucked up the courage to get some outfit posts! I was very nervous of what the feedback or reaction might be! I am good with self motivation, though. Being self-employed you have to be able to motivate yourself - I recently challenged myself to post on the blog every day for one week. I just hope I keep it up from now on!

What were the hardest challenges to solve or work around in your early blogging days? The hardest was definitely finding what I wanted to blog about. As I mentioned in the previous answer, I definitely lost my way. For it to work, I think it's important to find something you genuinely enjoy blogging about, whether it be fashion, style, beauty, books, gadgets, cars, news, celebs! Anything! You have to have a genuine interest in the subject(s) you're writing about. Another challenge I encountered was deciding on what I want my blog to look like. It's not important and it isn't the end of the worldl if you don't know how to move things around on your blog. But we all want our blogs to look good and easy to navigate around. It's easier now that I have a format I work to. But in the early days of blogging, the layout was terrible, my photos were all over the place and inconsistent. I didn't really understand blogging back then and I didn't know how to blogger properly. Now, it will annoy me if my photos are not as clear as they can be, or if my paragraphs don't align neatly. But layout and header isn't vital, and these are not really hard challenges, it's just me being annoyingly obsessed with wanting every single thing to look cohesive and perfect!

Very well done on the Look Magazine competition, your entry was absolutely amazing! How has the experience been? Thank you, Florrie. For anyone who hasn't read the posts yet, here's the link to it http://temporary-secretary.blogspot.com/search/label/LookShowWSC. I wasn't going to enter because I didn't think a small blog like mine would be noticed and considered. I remember saying that "I would leave it up to the proper bloggers". After having a little think about it, I thought "What have I got to lose?" and I just went for it. It really isn't about how many followers you have or how many hits you get per month, all entries are treated equally and everyone has an equal chance of winning. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be there and to blog for LOOK Magazine, I never get to go to events like this. I saw it as "work" so I did my very best to do a good job for Look Magazine. I never saw it as if the day was about me, it was about wanting to share the experience with everyone like I had promised in my submission post for the competition (http://temporary-secretary.blogspot.com/2011/08/lookshowwsc.html). I wanted to comprehensively report about the event and get the best photos as I can, give an insight in to my experience and write about it in a way so that it would maybe inspire or encourage other people to enter the next blog competition. If I can do it, anyone can do it.

What is the very best thing from your blogging experience?

This is a cliche but (apart from Look Show), it is the friends that I've made from blogging; Talking to likeminded people and having that common interest in blogging. More recently also, a highlight is having one or two opportunities to blog for big brands. As a fashion marketing graduate (who previously had ambition to work in fashion PR), I find it exciting to have a very small part in working with fashion brands. Having a business myself, I know what brands want from a blogger. And as a blogger, I know how to blog about brands. I am still learning but it's all about clear, honest communication and relationship between the the blogger, the reader and the brand.

Do you feel your style has evolved at all since you began blogging? I don't think it has evolved since I started blogging but I've only been doing style posts since April - May of this year. I started the blog in 2008 but I didn't start showing my own personal style until Spring 2011. I love that through style blogs, you can see how a person fashion sense has changed. I'm sure that since 2008, my style has changed!

I have always admired your entrepreneurial spirit with your jewellery shop, do you have any tips for turning a retail dream into a reality?

My ambition was to work with high street fashion brands, and my university studies has equipped me to work within many areas of fashion (pattern cutting, sewing technician, fashion photography, design, graphics, illustration, marketing/promotion, branding, trend research) and so I was quite excited to anticipate what pathway I'd take after I graduated but I accidentally became self employed, having started the business during my time at uni (part time for the pocket money!) running my own fashion accessories company. There was potential in it and I found it hard to give it up, I'm glad I didn't let go. My ultimate advice to anyone who's considering a career in fashion is to be prepared for hard work, it's fast but it's good to be kept on your toes. The job perks are incredibly, though. Working as your own boss is the same - I rarely take weekends off and I don't sleep until 2am! Luckily, I enjoy being productive. I am a work-aholic! I do have the flexibility of starting work at 10am, but days are long and you'll need to switch you "on" button for multi-tasking! Make a mistake and there's no one to blame. The rewards are great though, and the satisfaction of knowing you achieved something all by yourself is incredible.

What's the best piece of blogging advice you've been given and would you like to add some wisdom of your own?

I don't think I've been given direct advice but only because I never actively seek it. I am still new to all of this! I read the advice given on twitter, blogs and youtube, and I think the one that people always say is to remember to blog for yourself, first and foremost! Start a blog and build on it at a gradual pace. Don't expect freebies or have an influx of followers overnight. They are extra bonuses and those are the aspects that bloggers have worked hard for. I have also seen some SEO's advice but that something I need to get my head around. My own personal advice to give to bloggers is that blogging is part of social media, and you have to remember to be sociable! Don't neglect your readers. Talk to people on twitter, reply to blog comments and take feedback on board. I am proud to say that I have replied to every single blog comment I've received. I make sure that I read every girls (or boys) comments and then visit their blog to check out their latest posts and to leave a comment on their blog. No matter if I get 10 or 100 comments on one blog posts, I will make time to go on all of their blogs in return. (Not all at once though!) This is, of course, easy for me to do this because my job consists of spending a lot of time on the computer and the internet. I work for myself and time is flexible ... I think they've got a word for this.....I think they call this "procrastination"!

Intrinsically Florrie x

Last year we were lucky enough to attend the very first Britain's Next Top Model Live and had a fantastic time. This year it's back at BINTM Live and thanks to the lovely folk at Stuart Higgins PR you could be there too.

Based on the hugely successful show BINTM Live returns to the ExCel centre in London with a whole host of events, stands and experiences to make this a top fashion day out. All the girls from the series, including of course winner Jade Thompson, will be walking in the spectacular catwalk event as well as being in the press area for photo calls with Judges Charley Speed and Grace Woodward.

For the aspiring models out there be sure to check out the open catwalk, hosted by Charlotte from last year's show, plus that was where Jade herself was first spotted.

For a chance to win one of five pairs of tickets answer this questioin

Who won this year's BINTM?

send your answers to rachel@britishstylebloggers.org.uk by 7pm on Wednesday 19th October to be in with a chance.

For a second entry tweet "I want to win go to BINTM Live please @British_Style!"

Terms and Conditions

• This offer is open to UK residents only.
• One tweet and email per person please, it only clogs up my inbox and duplicate entries will not be counted.
• Tickets are valid for just one day of the three day event and are admission only.
• Tickets are non transferable.
• Complimentary tickets obtained through this offer may not be duplicated as all tickets will be scanned on entry to the show.