Style Bubble + Sketchbook Magazine

I love Style Bubble. I love Style Bubble's work so much that I put her on the first cover of Sketchbook Magazine. She showed some blog love by posting a short preview on my first issue, The Fashion Blogger Issue. Its coming out right after London Fashion Week so watch this space for updates. One of the graphic designers from SB Magazine kindly screen printed these images from the Style Bubble blog for our press folder. Click on the links below them to read the full review. Style Bubble also snapped up Kristen Knox our beloved Fashion Editor in New York Fashion Week. We can't wait to see them both in our hometown for the 25th anniversary fashion bash!
Style Bubble previews Sketchbook Magazine

Kristen Knox from the Clothes Whisperer on Style Bubble - Read This Post

One big step for me, one Huge Heart from Whistles

Today I attempted to take my first hard steps from girl walking about London with curiosity in ballet flats to girl armed with laptop and camera interviewing my favorite designers in London in high high heels. As much as I wear them back home in Bahrain (very little walking permitted) I don't wear them at all here unless its for a shmancy event where I feel obliged to. But today after lunching with Steff (Kathy Phillips Assistant+super cool person) I tested out one of my heels around the city. And it wasn't so bad, I event got a proud nod from the sales assistants when I walked proudly into Browns. Okay maybe she was just trying to be friendly but still, I feel today was a major step for me! Anywho I am now off to LCF to catch the next chapter of their Fashion on the Internet series. But until then here's a glimpse of Whistles funksy display window off Oxford Street.

Back into action. A new design for a new me

Now that I'm finally getting my life in order it seemed a perfect time to re-adjust my blog design. And though it may be not such a big deal for others it is a mega deal for me as I felt I needed a new clean white template to symbolize my a new clean slate of my life. After Christmas break I have to admit it was harder for me to adjust back into London life. This is super bewildering because for the first time in five years I was very homesick. But after a few adventures and lounge explorings I think I am back into my old self. I have many many updates for my loyal readers.

In the past week I have been:
1. Writing for Borderline magazine and in the process had to spend a night with Katja from Glam Canyon as she hosted her event at 145 Shoreditch High Street (pics and notes to follow)
2. Handed in my feature for the future issue of Boutique 1 Magazine ( have been working on it for over a month)
3. Found out that my favorite magazine Alef is going to cease to exist. RIP my beautiful magazine. I am trying to score an interview with the editorial team to scope out the situation and see maybe just maybe they might reprint for the future
4. Attended Susie Bubble's conversation at London College of Fashion. A talk on internet and fashion that was mega useful

I also am vowing to get back into the swing of things aka blogging more frequently. My life has been a turbulent express train since I have graduated and I think am finally settling into London life.

Geeking OUT !

Geek Attack! As if I haven't geeked out on Sussie Bubble before I keep geeking again and again and again. After reading on her site that she'll be at the London College of Fashion in Oxford Circus at say 5.30 I just happened to be around the corner finishing up from a press event and lunch at Busaba to then merrily walk in and sit next to fellow bloggers and peers to listen to the fashion blogger phenomenon who has about 14,000-16,000 hits a day.


The Apple chat was more chilled out with Susie doing most of the talking about what she does and why she does it. This time around people skipped the formalities and went straight into deep cut questions. The conference room became so full that someone actually had to me almost leaded out when she tried to sneak in to find her saved seat. Akwaaard! People were lining the back of the room with a-many crowding the front of the theatre. Many students and bloggers were recording the conversation which was super insightful. I am excited to share my notes with my fellow readers so indulge yourself below:

Ramblings& Notes from my personal diary:

• Susie had a dull job in media, only blog a few hours a day, last March she was asked by the editor of Dazed and Confused to be the commissioning editor of Dazed Digital. She recently got her own domain, .co.uk , and she has roughly 14,000-16,000 hits a day.
• AT one point she was obsessed with google analytics, the majority of her fan base is from the States the second is the UK. She thinks the States has more of a blogging routine.
• Teen Vogue mentioned her in an issue back in September 06 and she had a massive spike in traffic and US readership since then.
• Talking about blogs is a hot topic, The Observer pulled in a new audience. She keeps in mind that she chooses to be positive about everything and that allows her to be free and open. Her writing style has not changed, but now she more variety of content for her blog.
  
• Dazed has its own style and she has her own.
  
• Susie can write up a post in 5 minutes, and doesn't need to think about it.
• She laughs that she doesn't sleep much , she has 400 blogs on her daily blog roll, and logs on to 30 websites a day, she also reads magazines and tries to widen her media scape.
• Magazines are more well thought.
• She has outfit experimentations with her own style. Likes to link with what is happening in fashion which offers a personal connection.
• "I am worried about what people who think they know me and that worries me."
  
• "I used to go on Fashion spot forums. I like the interaction on the internet. People around me don't necessarily love fashion the way I do. So the internet to me is a release and space for me to geek out in fashion."
• "I started about 10 websites with Geocities on random topics which had no correlation before I discovered typepead."
• People tend to use Sussie Bubble pages as trend research and forecasting.
• "In 2007 Chanel and Gucci organized trips for bloggers to tailor made for bloggers, and you can tell they were trying to deal with bloggers in a different manner. It is a certain thing if I feel I could get content off of it that would interest readers then I would go and do it. But I try to show an account of my own experiences. This is what I saw. I don't have to write about them unless its of interest to me."
• How did you start getting traffic? It all happened in an organic manner, I just asked 3 of my favority bloggers to link to me. But I have already established myself on forums and commentating on other blogs. Style.com also linked to me and it evolved as a natural thing.
• Buys the Guardian the newspaper because she loves the writing style. Likes thier content and the way they write.
  
• Blogs make fashion more accesible and democratic.
• The relationship between brand and blog is very tricky but again its the way one handles it.
• It has been a struggle in the last 9 months juggling work and the blog and maintaining it and keeping it updated.
  
• I have limited knowledge with HTML and javascript aesthetics. But if I could go back and do it all over again I might have had customized skin for my page. Am not too fussed about pictures but its more about content.
  
• Where do you find the motivation to get up at 6 am and cover events like the Angel sale? I have a natural enthusiasm , I would be there anyways, queing and taking photos.
  
• I spend 1-2 hours a day blogging nowadays, but I constantly have 20-30 ideas for posts.
• I try to write openly and freely and not dispute a bitter tone when I feel like I am being attacked, but I do feel like I have a resposibility to fashion bloggers and my readers.
• The blog is a self reflection of me and a post is done in a state of mind so I don't regret anything I have posted about.
  
• I relate to fashion in a different way , I consume it through my blog.
  

I have been Tagged !

So i've been tagged! It was a while back and I want to thank Trisch Express for tagging me! It made me feel ever so special ! I was asked to write 7 personal things about myself and tag another 7 to do the same. So here it goes:

1. I miss my grandparents. They both died 11 months from each other 8 years ago when I was 14 years old. I still remember them clearly, my grandfather taught me how to read a clock and with my timetables. He hung paintings I made for him when I was very little in his store. I still remember the paper became yellow and my pencil colours faded but he still kept them hung. My grandmother used to love play dolls with me and I remember her soft skin and smell. I try never to bring them up anymore because it makes my mom cry.

2. I am inconsistent with everything except with my relationships. I go through phases where I read non-stop sometimes 3 books in a week and then none for a couple of months. Or all I crave is mexican food or strawberry juice and I binge on that for weeks at a time. It happens with blogging and answering my emails as well. I go through weeks of non blogging then one day I would write 10 or 15.

3. I dream of travelling the world in 6 months and following the trail of Che Geuvara when he was a still a student in Latin America. Some places on my worldly adventure include Greece, Tibet, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bali, Hawaii, Jamaica, Las Vegas and LA, Morroco, and Aussie.

4. My favorite food shall forver be Safi with white rice and daal, Bahrain's homemade speciality. It's the first meal I have as soon as my plane lands in Bahrain's humid weather.


5. I have lived in London for 5 years and its become so much apart of my identity and I have learned to embrace all that is British yet whenever I close my eyes, I see myself in NY. Head scratcher , me thinks so ..

6. I have a beautiful blag dog called Diesel in Bahrain, he is half retreiver, quarter German Sheperd and quarter Doberman. He is one year old, he pees everywhere and loves to be cuddled and hugged.

7. I have been lucky to meet and work with both Liza Bruce and Marko Matysik in London. Though they work in different fields in fashion, they are muses to me, and are artists, fashion designers, and visionaries. They have altered my vision of who I want to be and have expanded my way of thinking!

Marko Matysik's Fashion Illustration Exhibit

It finally came and went! Many weeks of planning Marko Matysik's Solo Fashion Illustration Opening came to fruition with a turnout of his close friends and members of the fashion circuit. I was lucky enough to be apart of the process of contributing the the success of the opening and did my duty of PA as guest list admin along with my galleria buddy Nina for the night. We spent the whole night in fistfulls of giggles and plenty of shifts to the bar for yummy fruity drinks!

Marko's paintings were prompted on beautiful rugs loaned to us that served as a beautiful framed background. There were also strict teacher-looking models dressed in Boudicca wearing Paul Smith frames, and Rupert Sanderson shoes, flipping through some of his collaged sketchbooks. His sketchbooks are beautiful, thick, and covered with backstage access to all the ready to wear shows from every fashion week. Marko takes great pride in his books, producing as many as 10 for each fashion week. Times that by 4 and you got a whole lot of sketchbook. Some inetrtesing guests at the opening was Ekow Eshun (Director ICA), Percy Parker (Designer PPQ), John and Monique Davidson (J&M Davidson), Tim Blanks (Vogue), and Clare Coulson (Harper's Bazaar). I also managed to see some of my chums, Steff from Vogue, Anya from Tatler, and my lovely Sharmon who is a personal shopper at Selfridge's. All in all it was an intimate gathering and a celebration of Marko's work. To finish off the night I was thankful to have my loverly friends whisk me off to a much needed bite to eat after the show at Tartine. Be sure to snag the latest copy of the Evening Standard Mag as well as Vogue China/Taiwan to glimpse coverage of the event.

Fashion Ambition is now reading ...

Fashion Ambition Critiques

I'm still very new to the blogging world, which I am learning from everyday with much fascination. So it came as a good surprise to me when The Barbican linked my post Viktor & Rolf Are Coming To Town to their Critic Review section.

Critic?? Moi ? How exciting! And I did not conceal my excitement when I found I was right under such influential publications and ultra cool bloggers like The Times Online, vogue.com, Art is Alive(Blogs about fashion,art,architecture,and design), and De Telegraph Netherlands.

Just being side by side with Vogue is a good enough reason to be giddy all the day long.

The Blogging Kit

The blogging kit is fast becoming as crucial to me as my make-up kit. What is a blogging kit you wonder? I’m not trying to sell you software that helps you start your own blog- that stuff is nonsense; you can do it for free at blogspot.com. So the kit you ask? What is it? What does it contain?

The blog kit comes in three forms, the Home Blogging Kit, the On-The-Go Blogging Kit, and The Clutch Kit. The blog kit is the equipment of a blogger. They are the tools, the supplies, the ‘stuff’ that allow the blogger to blog and let alone co-exist. Truthfully we have most of these possessions anyways, but I noticed I need a certain checklist of gear to take with me when I’m on the go or at home blogging. If one piece of equipment is missing I usually find I am stuck and even worse unable to publish that blog.

So these are the ingredients of the:

Home Blogging Kit

Location: Your place, or zone

Description: This kit is designed to be placed at random, but most likely in your own private home/space. This is the space where you have fast i-net connection, where you can have iTunes on, a cup of tea beside you, and most probably where you are most relaxed.

Supplement:

1. Laptop or PC ( Laptop is preferable as you can take it out with you to cafes, trips)+ charger

2. Digital Camera ( or a professional one if you want to have top-notch images) +charger+transfer wire

3. Tray with cushion- An excellent tip I got from someone where you put your laptop on the tray and the tray goes on your lap.

4. Mobile Phone + charger

5. Tripod – if your dressing up, a tripod will keep the camera in place for you to take pictures of yourself

6. Long mirror- useful to dress in front of before taking pics of you dressing up

7. Notebook+pen

8. 2008/2009 Diary-useful when penciling in exhibition dates

9. Photoshop program- fantastic program for collaging and editing images

On-The-Go Blogging Kit

Location: Out of the home

Description: This kit is designed to be fit in a large tote or handbag. It is used when you are out and about, taking street style pics, visiting shops, shopping, attending exhibitions, or meeting with friends, on a tube going to class, picnicking.

Supplement:

1. Digitial camera+case
2. Camera charger( You don’t want to know how many times my camera ran out of charge just when I started clicking away)
3. Notebook+Pen – For noting down ideas/names of designers/street names
4. USB pen - Sometimes you really want to write a post so working on a friends computer/uni library/internet café/computer with no i-net connection a usb would convenient to files back and forth into your computer
5. iPod - This is useful when you need to drown out other people’s conversations at starbux while posting
6. Mobile phone
7. Business cards - You never know who you might bump into that would want your blog address also if you do street style most if not all people ask for your url address
8. Magazine - for those long tube travels- the smaller they are the lighter
9. Travel card
10. Student card -This is super useful for getting discounts practically everywhere
11. Tripod – If you are a street style perfectionist, this is a must
12. A to Z map - Very useful when looking for venues
    
13. Laptop Jacket ( useful when lugging the laptop around or is a good thigh shield for when your laptop is warming up)

The Clutch Kit

Description: Out of the home- usually at night

Location: This kit is designed for attending a dinner/party/a club and the blogger needs minimal gear to fit in a smaller bag to match that fancy dress. This kit could be very useful for the evening.

Supplements:

1. Camera
2. Mobile Phone
3. Business card
4. Tiny Pen
   

Fashion On the Internet

Blogging materials like how-to-books-on-blogging are quite scarce. I mean there are loads of articles and advice on the net but it’s up to you to make time and web surf for the advice and info you need. So when an opportunity comes along to attend a talk by bloggers or online fashion editors, you take it! Being as I live quite close to the apple store and I’ve been reading Style Bubble’s blog for two years there was no hesitation to go up there and listen to the advice and experiences of Guy Hipwell (founder and editor of fashion 156.com), Style Bubble (international blogger and reporter to fashion156.com), and Elliot Sainsbury (Menswear correspondent and daily blogger to fashion156.com).

It’s important to recognize what fashion156.com is and what it represents to the industry, to then appreciate its contributors and what they were sharing with us. Back in 2006 when the fashion industry was iffy about blogs and the fashion on the net, Guy Hipwell wanted to start an online glossy magazine that showcases new designers with edgy stories and photo shoots. For example, he was very inspired by the 2046, the movie, and wanted to put together a photo shoot that was inspired by it.

When no one showed any interest in his idea and Miu Miu put an ad campaign together that took inspiration from 2046, he knew he was unto something. After his AHA! Moment he decided he wanted to start a magazine where he could shoot what he wanted.

He worked with photographers to produce strong imagery, and hired great models to dress them in high end clothing. His previous Autumn 08/09 shoot was one of the hardest to shoot and pull together because it no one had seen the clothes yet and it was quite early on in the season that he wanted to shoot them for his mag.

There is a new issue every 12 days- talk about speed! But I guess that is the beauty of the net, how fast you can get information out there. Guy talks about how important it is for fashion156 to have a simple clean site so he can upload content faster without worrying too much about changing the template. He works with a simple template system. He talked quite passionately about his new issue, the paint issue which will include all hand painted garments that will then be auctioned off for charity. He is also working on putting together an exhibition showcasing the hand painted garments.

What is equally innovative about fashio156.com is the number of pages dedicated to menswear. There are 10 pages dedicated to both men and womenswear. Talk about symbolism. Its clear Guy thinks of men and women’s fashion as equally important. It is no new fact that there is lack of menswear coverage, and it’s great to see Guy challenging that concept.

There are roughly 30 people who contribute for each issue, and Guy puts together a theme for each one. It allows him focus and direction; it also keeps things edgy, and makes planning for the next issue easier.

What struck me most about when Guy was talking was truly how fast things work on the net. As a whole fashion is a fast paced, even insane paced industry, and its coverage on the net is even faster and more spontaneous. There is just so much to take in, it’s almost overwhelming. Fashion trends, and catwalk coverage are out within minutes of the shows, people could be commenting/reviewing them on the same day, and everyone is looking for the next new thing a few days later.

In conclusion Guy seemed engaging, passionate about fashio156.com , and most importantly open to new ideas and working with new designers, bloggers, writers. It was refreshing to hear him speak. You also get a real appreciation for what he has put together because just a couple of years ago online glossy fashion magazines were unheard of.

Style Bubble writes the Fashion Spy Column and the news bits and current news for fashion156.com. She tries to make fashion news and headlines sound more interesting and personal than the press by experiencing things herself as well as writing it from her point of view. She also looks at her column with fashion156 as an extension of her blog. She started the blog back in 2006 at the same time as the launching of fashion156. She works as a digital media planner during the day and blogs in her spare time. She was inspired by Diane Pernet who pioneered fashion blogging at a time when you could count the number of fashion bloggers on your fingers.

Susie tries to cover things that are under the radar and the real aspect of fashion. She writes about new labels, shops and exhibitions she visits, as well as her personal experience with fashion. For all of you Susie fans who wondered why her blog is called Style Bubble, her nic back in her childhood was Susie Bubble because she always seemed like she was in her own world.

Susie sources her info by spending about 100 pounds buying magazine every month, and reading about 200 blogs (I don’t quite know if it was in a day or a week). She also likes to experience things herself and tries to attend as many events as possible to then report it instead of using bland pr releases. Talk about being updated!

Writing doesn’t take her long, but sourcing the right images and then laying them out together takes her longer.

She gave away a lot of tips and advice for bloggers like how she explores style and fashion and by demonstrating it and exploring it herself instead of copy pasting images. You get a real sense she is emotional about fashion and she’s blogging for the love of fashion instead of the business aspect of it. She also tries to keep her blog as ad-free as possible. For new blog boomers Susie tries to inject as much as of her personality into her blog as possible, and I think that is the best way to approach blogging.

Elliot Sainsbury read about Susie Bubble in the metro and ripped her off by creating a blog very similar to hers but from a boys point of view. He called it mainstreamliving. He talked about men’s approach to fashion and how in general it was hard to convince them to try something new and were a tad slippery when it comes to fashion in comparison to women. He then sent some his work to Guy Hipwell who then signed him up as menswear correspondent. He alongside Susie, both get free reign to write about what they want.

He talks about the positive aspect of blogging which he says toughens you up and makes you become faster when researching, writing, blogging etc. Elliot also recommended checking out the new Topman blog, TOPMANZINE, ponystep.com, mensrag.com and the ever so popular Sartorialist who documents both menswear and womenswear, and hones in on detail beautiful details in clothes.

By the end of the talk I was really aware of the industry’s negative view on blogging and fashion on the internet a few years ago, but you can now see that it is becoming better and the big players are realizing they have to deal/correspond/accept bloggers to their own benefit. There is still so much to learn about the mysterious blogging industry and not enough info available but it just makes attending these events more worthwhile. If you couldn’t make it, I hope this post is full packed with info which can be of some use, it def was to me.

fashion156.com presents..

(Deep sigh) What can I say about Style Bubble? Or Susie Bubble except (deep sigh). Back in 2006 I was flicking through an issue of Elle magazine, the travel sized one (it fits ever so neatly in all my handbags, even some of my clutches!) and I came across a list of bloggers to watch out for in the future. There were no images, no fancy font, just a couple of URL addresses. So I checked some of them out, and I found Style Bubble. I don’t know what attracted me to the site, except it was new, fun, and funny! I never book marked the page yet whenever I get Google staring at me in the face when I log into any computer I’m on, I find myself typing in the two words, Style Bubble. And then I am taken to the site. I have adapted to that method up until this day, it’s weird, but habits die hard I guess.

All I know is Susie Bubble was refreshing to me, compared to that entire monotone magazine ‘Buy Me!’ pure advertising reporting that I get in every magazine and website, Susie was about a girl I could relate to. A girl living in the city, with flaws and habits, and a messy closet, who loves to shop and play dress up in front of a long mirror.

Susie has come a long way with complimentary trips to New York for a Gucci event, and Paris as a guest of Chanel. And it’s been great just tagging along on her journey, watching her ups and downs, and sharing in on all the fun. Her passion for fashion has definitely inspired me to start my blog, and rock it like she has by being me and injecting as much of my personality into blogging and fashion as much as possible.

So I guess I keep going back to the Bubble because what I get is a personal commentary on fashion. Her articles are filled with depth and humor, a great combo. Her images from look books are astounding her method unpredictable and charismatic. I guess there is truly never a dull day with the Bubble! Here are the photos from her much awaited shoot with fashion156.com. Enjoy!

Susie Bubble Baby!

I am freeing my schedule at 7pm this Thursday for an exciting event! Susie Bubble will be at the apple store at Regents street to talk about fashion blogging. Along with her will be the editor and founder of fashion156.com , Guy Hipwell who Susie reports on fashion for. This should be pretty useful for all you blogger wannabes- and blogger beginners - or anyone at all as Susie is on top of her game with over 10,000 hits a day ! She defiantly knows her stuff so it would be worth it to come and take a look see! I know I will.