Fashion writing
Sophie
Sophie Eggleton is a fashion journalist writing for The Guardian, Stylebible, Gunpowder, Amelias, WhisperMag, Disappear Here and Open Magazine. Her desire to write about fashion was fuelled by years of devouring glossy magazines from cover to cover, and her loft now serves as a retirement home for age-old issues she can’t bring herself to throw away. For more on Sophie, visit www.sophieeggleton.withtank.com or www.sophieeggleton.co.uk
As a teenage I started preparing to be a fashion journalist without even realising it. My bedroom was, and still is, crowded with piles of fashion glossies, pages of my favourite articles or shoots ripped out of newspapers and pinned to the walls or pasted into scrap books.
After reading the articles, I often used to think about how I would have approached the theme, and whether I agreed with the journalist’s opinion. This would lead me to constructing sentences in my head, imagining that I was writing the feature. I had no official background in fashion but knew that I wanted to get involved and as with anything I really want, I kept hammering away. I’d never want to have the regret of not trying to pursue it.
To have a chance of making it as a fashion journalist you have to learn one thing first - everything relates to fashion. Throughout my Fine Art degree, as well as my excessive magazine reading and internet perusing I would trawl the shops, go to the cinema and watch bands play
I’ve found my love of film and music a valuable part of my training. Clothes are integral in helping to create a mood. They also have the ability to evoke an era or class, making it a vital ingredient in film-making.
Fashion has also been responsible for transforming live musical performance to visual spectacles and creating iconic album covers/music videos. The style of musicians have a massive influence on the masses too - think Mods, Goths, Nu-rave…
Going to gigs and festivals is a great way to spot emerging trends too. I remember seeing ubiquitous wet-look leggings months before they became one of the most prevalent trends among London’s fashion-conscious twenty-somethings; similarly, the straw fedora and Barber jacket also made appearances.
The influence of stylists and designer brands is well known within the film and television industry too, the most obvious being the Sex in the City wardrobe created by flame haired Patricia Field. It’s important for wannabe fashion journalists to have knowledge, past and present, of a variety of creative industries.
In today’s celebrity-obsessed world, actresses, pop-stars and sport-stars have a huge influence on consumers; one paparazzi shot or scene from a movie can cause the fashion devotees to flock to the stores, in attempts to emulate their style.
When you begin to find work within the genre, you’ll be faced by new challenges. When the bulk of your writing is descriptive, it can be hard to continue to think of ways to express what you’re seeing - you’ll find yourself repeating words such as sartorial, chic, and nonchalant. Having a knowledge of movies and art will gift you with adjectives and comparisons that make it easier for you to make express yourself in an original way. For example, Zac Posens soft palette was similar to that of Sofia Coppola’s candy soaked Marie Antoinette.
Don’t worry if you can’t afford to adorn yourself in the high-end desirables you yearn to write about. For the most part, I don’t have the money to fritter on clothes, apart from the occasional indulge in the odd sample sale. Instead I make sure trawl the shops for research. Yes, it can be torturous at times, but you need to be aware of what’s working on the high street and in the high end stores so you’re equipped to let readers know how they can interpret trends from the catwalk, adjusted to their particular budget.
When Fashion Week comes round, hopefully you will get invites to some shows. If not immerse yourself in the up-to-date reports and catwalk images published by newspapers and websites - read them, and try and work out for yourself what the trends will be that season…
Being individual is important. Although I read other peoples articles for research, I try and make sure that it doesn’t taint my opinion if I am profiling a person or company. People don’t want to read doctored versions of opinions they’ve read before - they want to hear your voice, understand your perspective.
It can be hard to make a living from fashion writing, particularly early on. While there are numerous opportunities to contribute fashion blogs and websites, a large number do not pay. This is a great way of building up experience and portfolios though, and if you keep to deadlines and produce accurate, insightful features, it’s likely to improve your chances of receiving paid work in future.
Starting you own blog can pay off too - look at the phenomenon that is Susie Bubble! The ideal scenario would be to wangle a regular column or get a full time position at a magazine or newspaper. Failing this, freelance writing can be a great way of making extra money alongside a full time position if you don’t mind spending some of your spare time writing.
Before I pitch an idea I look at publication, their readerships and style, consider the issue they are working on, and try and come up with appropriate features. And if my pitches are declined I try again…
