MORE Cash Than Dash

After reading Veshoevius’s fantastic post, I got to thinking about the differences between fashion blogs and fashion magazines, like Vogue.

Now, I must confess, I’m a complete fashion mag addict – I have a subscription to Grazia, Elle and Vogue.

There are a few reasons for my addiction:

♥ they feed my daydreams with pretty clothes that I know I will never be able to afford but dream that one day I might!

♥ they hire some of the most amazing fashion photographers of our time;

♥ the styling provides inspiration;

♥ more often than not there is at least one interesting editorial, or interview.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to see designer clothes and to later see the influence of said clothes on what I find on the high street but it can get a little disheartening when page after page is filled with “must buy” clothes/accessories/shoes that I just can’t afford.

In April 2009 Vogue reintroduced their “More Dash Than Cash” feature. I was hooked immediately. Finally a spread each month in one of my favourite magazines featuring clothes that I could actually afford and wear. Indeed Vogue claimed, the “series … shows you don’t need to spend a fortune to look great – canny shopping and a big helping of clever styling tips will do the trick”. Brilliant. Or so it was. Nearly two years on and it seems that you need considerably More Cash Than Dash” than you once did. Apparently the recession hasn’t come to those in Vogue Towers! This month the average price of each of the eight outfits featured was £550!! Each outfit (bar one) has at least one piece costing over £200! How many pieces in your wardrobe cost that? In my ‘budget’ wardrobe, precisely no pieces cost that sort of money. Since when is a £299 maxi skirt a budget piece or a £350 sleeveless trench? And don’t even get me started on £295 leather leg-warmers!! (I’m sure Geneva over at A Pair And A Spare would be able to come up with a fabulously frugal DIY for these!)

Vogue is not the only fashion magazine on the newsagents’ shelves that has lost touch with its readership, it has merely been taken as an example here.

This is where my love for fashion blogs comes in. For the most part, those fashion blogs that I read on a regular basis are written by women on a similar budget to me. Therefore, I can – if I so want – afford to go out and buy the clothes I see without breaking the bank.

In addition, while the styling and photography in fashion magazines is often stunning and innovative, it is also often unrealistic and impractical for every day life; case in point, this month’s “First Class Accessories” shoot in Vogue which features many a sky high heeled model lounging in the airport before take off. Not many of us mere mortals have the luxury of flying first class – most of us have to struggle to haul our own bags up to the Economy check-in ourselves – leaving us (or at least, me) looking rather dishevelled! The styling on fashion blogs – although often colourful and quirky – is far more tailored to the life-style most of us lead, i.e. running out to work and home again to make the beds and cook the dinner!

Whilst fashion magazines try to be all things to all people, fashion blogs have the luxury of being able to be more selective with their content, or indeed, more diverse. I, personally, came to fashion blogs through my love of street style – I love Grazia’s Style Hunter spread each week but with only four or five shots I found myself craving more and found my way onto blogs like The Sartorialist and What Katie Wore in an attempt to fulfil my cravings for more and more creative and stylish outfit inspiration. Of course, like any addict, after discovering the medium of blogs I quickly moved on to other blogs who posted OOTD (Outfit Of The Day) photos alongside other topics of interest – i.e. baking, shopping, bargains – and suddenly all of my internet based leisure time was taken up with gorging on these blogs. Leia of Leia’s Delights recently pointed out that what she likes most about the blogs that she reads is the personal interaction with the bloggers, whether it be via email, comments or twitter. So right.

What do you think? Are fashion magazines out of touch with their readers? Do they serve a different purpose to fashion bloggers?