Catwalk Internet
An estimated 5,000 fashion blogs make the internet a catwalk in Germany. Quite a few work according to the principle “Slim girl presents the results of her last shopping trip”. We have picked out three that go in a different direction.
A heart for DIY
Elisabeth, known as Liz, has been interested in fashion since she was a teenager. She started sewing at the age of 14 and today she studies costume design at the University of Fine Arts in Dresden. “I am fascinated by the craftsmanship behind it, the individuality and the ability to make unusual materials wearable,” says the 26-year-old student. The YouTube channel and blog on which she shares her ideas and know-how therefore do not require any product placement. Rather, her followers will find numerous inspirations there for everything related to the topic of “handmade”: rainbow muffins and freebies, beautiful things for the home and of course plenty of fashion and accessories. For example, Liz shows how you can turn a simple shirt into a unique, new favorite piece in just a few steps, be it with a simple braiding technique or with artificial leather and spunbond. Liz likes to find and shop for new design ideas and pieces for her wardrobe in small shops and by browsing at flea and vintage markets. Every now and then, even the stylish student makes a mistake: “Everything is possible these days and when in doubt you defend the fashion sin with 'Oh, I'll save that for the next Bad Taste Party'.” Then you go with the wonderful black one Perfectly dressed adidas jogging pants from the Missy Elliot collection (including gold satin stripes on the sides).
Must-have for the winter semester?
A cozy wool coat! Preferably in pastel.
Man blogs...
... about fashion! And that means the duo of boys from Dandy Diary are pretty much alone on the blogging trail. With projects like the world's first fashion porn, a fashion designer card game (categories: penis size, number of unpaid interns) or a nude skater on Dolce & Gabbana's catwalk, David Roth and Jakob Haupt are shaking up the fashion scene and bringing the clothes back from the glittering fashion world the ground of facts. Photos of her outfits and the latest men's fashion trends can of course also be found on her blog.
Jakob, where does your love of fashion come from?
David has always been more of a fashion enthusiast of the two of us, leafing through fashion magazines and customizing outfits. It wasn't until I worked on Dandy Diary that I really got into the whole fashion thing. And in fact, for me it's less a love of fashion itself than a love of the often really strange people that this industry attracts.
Is it true that the blog was originally a university project?
Yes, David founded the blog while studying fashion journalism and then conveniently wrote his thesis about it. David now also gives courses at the university and tells students how to make fashion films.
How do you go about finding new trends?
We try to travel as much as possible, see different cities, go to the hottest parties and festivals. If in doubt, you are more likely to find clues about upcoming trends in a trendy restaurant than at a fashion event. Or in a developing part of town rather than the one with the Chanel and Dior stores.
The labels on your blog are probably not affordable for the average student. Do you have any tips for “poor” students who are still fashion victims?
Oh, often it's not all that expensive. The in-shoe of last year was the Stan Smith from Adidas. The basic version costs less than 100 euros. Otherwise, vintage shops are also an option – especially with the 70s trend currently coming back. Most fashion people sell half of their wardrobe after one season - then you can snap it up. And when in doubt, the old outlaw uniform works for boys: jeans from Levi's, white shirt, leather jacket.
Must-have for the winter semester?
I firmly believe in the comeback of loafers, i.e. men's slippers. However, not in combination with a jacket and chinos, but with an otherwise sporty to baggy outfit. With or without white socks - but never with colorful ones!
RUBENS WOULD FOLLOW
Plus size blogger Alegra Schminke shows that colorful and figure-hugging clothes can also be a few sizes larger. She launched her fashion blog in 2008 - and was one of the first to focus on fashion beyond clothing sizes 36/38. “Plus-size is now a term, but it is still far from being 'normal' for a fat woman to dress conspicuously,” says the newly qualified English and French trainee at high school. The whole thing is often accompanied by other topics such as feminism, body positivity or LGBT.
Even if she will probably no longer become a classic ballerina in this life: dressing up in boring, plain-colored and baggy clothes just to hide a few pounds is out of the question for Alegra and certainly not in her shopping bag. Rather, she celebrates her body with the courage to wear eye-catching prints and colors, and doesn't allow herself to be denied the right to wear short dresses.
In order to always have the right item in her closet, the 29-year-old commits “the biggest fashion sin of our time”: simply having too many clothes. “I would still like to say that I wear this variety 90 percent of the time, I love all of my clothes.” Especially perhaps the simple, black A-line skirt, which with its noticeable zipper at the back and a few pleats at the front shows off her feminine shape perfectly staged.
Must-have for the winter semester?
There will definitely be an abundance of huge checked scarves and ponchos on every campus in the winter semester!
An estimated 5,000 fashion blogs make the internet a catwalk in Germany. Quite a few work according to the principle “Slim girl presents the results of her last shopping trip”. We have picked out three that go in a different direction.
