SATURDAY BRUNCH Since 2008, Amber Lucas has gotten dressed, taken photos of herself and posted them online.
Tumble ’n’ Dry
Local DIY fashion blogs prove anyone’s a stylist BY HOLLY ABRAHAMS
T
ime was that stylish men and women turned to the styled celebrities of magazines to gather fashion expertise and trend predictions. Times have changed, of course, and nowadays just about everything’s online—not just world news but also the ever evolving world of fashion. Fashion bloggers have taken
on the role of critics, stylists and trendsetters, and in many ways have replaced the revered fashion creators of yesterday. While some of the most well-known of them—the Sartorialist, the Blond Salad, Fashion Toast—come to us from outside the North Bay, we have some must-reads in our community that are powered not by CondÊ Nast but by Tumblr. In the pre–Web 2.0 days of 2002, fashion blogs were maintained by the stylish few
already in the industry. Now more people are contributing their opinions, expert or not. Such blogs showcase photos, narrative and commentary about the world of fashion and, in a classic DIY spin, the lives of their creators. What’s especially inspiring is that many local fashion bloggers take inspiration from the runway but create or manipulate their own version at a much more accessible level. If you loved Versace’s spring collection, say,
you may be able to create a piece or two from it without having to budget for it. Amber Lucas, author and creator of the Blogspot-powered “Amber’s Mouthwash,� has been posting about her personal style for the last four years. The uniquely named blog is a reference to “spitting out� one’s own interpretation of fashion. “I see fashion as a form of self expression,� says Lucas, “a way to separate yourself from the crowd.� Lucas separates herself not only by dressing and styling with an artful eye, but also by writing with her readers in mind. “I have heard some fashion bloggers say that they shop ‘almost everyday’ for new clothes for their blog. What everyday girl can afford to do this? It’s simply not relatable. I inspire my readers to work with what they already have. When my readers can recognize items of mine and see them styled in several different ways, it inspires them, which is my number one reason for blogging.� In addition to reusing and refreshing the same items, Lucas also takes on the everygal position by creating looks that often showcase thrift or second-hand pieces, which seems to be a theme of North Bay fashion—mixing old with new, and ultimately “spitting out� something entirely original. The show-and-tell format of personal style is popular, but some brave fashion enthusiasts are camping out on the street to point out good style sense in others. Olivia Browning, photographer and commentator responsible for “O’ SNAP,� has been documenting the North Bay’s most stylish dressers for a little over a year; her work ) 28 is dedicated to those
NO RTH BAY BO H E M I AN | JUNE 6 –1 2, 20 1 2 | BOH EMI A N.COM
Amber’s Mouthwash
Arts Ideas
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