Independent Fashion Bloggers

"When my blog was four years old, an important fashion magazine came to me and asked me to be the editor-in-chief of its website," Doré told us with a smile. "I asked for a crazy salary because I thought they'd never give it to me, but when they made an offer, it was like, 'Oh, shit.'"

Five years ago, who would have thought someone could make a viable and profitable career out of...well...fashion blogging? It's safe to say that a certain set of bloggers (ahem, Susie Bubble and Bryanboy) have proven the naysayers wrong. During Fashion Week, Independent Fashion Bloggers is hosting a seriously major conference at Milk studios in NYC (February 10-11, 2011) that any budding blogger should attend. The two day conference will be packed with panels, workshops, and a party, plus you’ll score a fabulous gift bag. You’ll also learn about digital marketing, monetizing your blog, the evolution of the industry, and more from blogosphere and online media names like Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine, Face Hunter’s Yvan Rodic, Fashionista alum Faran Krentcil of Nylon, and Tumblr fashion director Rich Tong. The best part? Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are giving the keynote speech.

This weekend I attended the 2010 BlogHer conference here in NYC. BlogHer was founded in 2005 by Lisa Stone, Elisa Camahort Page and Jory Des Jardins with the mission “to create opportunities for women who blog to gain exposure, education, community and economic empowerment." BlogHer provides support to bloggers via an online presence and a publishing network where over 2,500 blogs appear. Plus, they throw a kick-ass conference every year. There were sessions offered for virtually every interest, and naturally I opted to attend the inaugural BlogHer fashion blogging session. It was moderated by Susan Wagner, who edits the style section on BlogHer.com. Panelists Jennine Jacob (The Coveted, Eat Sleep Denim, & founder of Independent Fashion Bloggers), Sarah Conley (Style IT), and Nichelle Pace (StyleMom) answered questions and offered their opinions in what became a lively and spirited discussion.