Like the password-protected clubs children form on the school playground, the fashion world appears rather uninviting. With astronomically high-priced garments and VIP-only fashion shows, the fashion industry, to many, seems to be reserved for the experts and the elites. While the average person could not afford a $1,670 Alexander McQueen sweater dress and would not be invited to sit front row besides Anna Wintour, the fashion industry has recently been welcoming some new members.

The rise in fashion and style blogs has opened the doors to the fashion world, allowing normal, everyday fashion enthusiasts to step into the stylish terrain. Although Boston is not yet considered a fashion ‘hot spot’ like New York or Paris, many stylish Bostonians have plunged into the fashion world by creating their own fashion and style blogs. In doing so, bloggers have also engaged the community in a broad discussion about fashion.

Becoming a Blogger-ista

Bostonista, a fashion blog founded by Kara Weymouth, focuses primarily on industry news, trends and products. After graduating college in 2007 with a degree in English, Weymouth was unable to find a job in the fashion or magazine industry. Weymouth accepted a position working at a school, but she yearned for an outlet to connect her to what she calls her ‘real industry.’ So Weymouth, 23, created Bostonista.

‘It started out really small but now I sell ad space and receive press releases and invites from all over the world-it has become my own little, legitimate business!’ Weymouth said. ‘It has also given me fashion experience that I never would have had otherwise.’
Since Weymouth launched Bostonista in 2007, her blog has attracted 103,193 visitors. In a typical Bostonista post, Weymouth first posts photographs of models on the runway, and then critiques the garments. A Sept. 15 post entitled ‘Marc Jacobs 2010′ features eight looks from Marc Jacobs’ upcoming spring/summer collection, followed by Weymouth’s commentary, in which she deems his line ‘confusing to those outside of the fashion world.’ To help readers, Weymouth breaks Jacobs’ collection down into ‘wearable pieces,’ advising the romantic types to opt for his ruffled coats, and the more masculine, for his military jackets.

While newsworthy fashion blogs like Bostonista focus on the industry trends, style blogs spotlight personal style. Beyond Boston Chic, a style blog founded last winter by Martine Severin, 31, features photographs of real, stylish people Severin encounters on the streets. In August, Severin’s inspiration, Scott Schuman, founder of The Sartorialist style blog, published a book, The Sartorialist, which Severin keeps on her dining room table.
‘Beyond Boston Chic is a part of a growing street-style movement around the world where photographers attempt to capture the style aesthetic or essence of their city,’ Severin said. ‘The blog gives me a great opportunity to talk to people who don’t have personal stylists, who may or may not have truck loads of money yet take pride in their appearance.’

Each post on Beyond Boston Chic, which attracts approximately 8,900 visitors per month, is dedicated to a different person whose style caught Severin’s eye. Posts are titled with the person’s name followed by the location in which he or she was discovered, such as ‘Brittney on Brattle’ and ‘Bruce on Dartmouth.’ Severin then posts a photograph she snapped with her Nikon and details what she found striking about the person’s ensemble.

Fashion for All

In addition to style bloggers’ emphasis on real people, both fashion and style blogs are working together to make fashion more accessible to the public. The information featured on fashion blogs keeps readers up-to-date, while the photographs featured on style blogs like Severin’s serve as inspiration-real fashion for real people.
‘I want people to look at the pictures and think, I could do that,’ Severin said. ‘I wouldn’t, but I could.’

Not only are fashion and style blogs making fashion more accessible, they are also helping to develop Boston’s fashion scene, which appears rather lackluster compared to that of New York or Paris. Liana Peterson, founder of the fashion blog New Brahmin and style editor of Stuff magazine, studied marketing at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in NYC. Although she never thought she would leave NYC, Peterson, 27, moved to Boston, where she, through New Brahmin, works to revamp how Boston is perceived in the fashion world.

Peterson herself has come across what she calls ‘incredible pockets of terribly stylish people’ in Boston, who she believes are as worthy as anyone in New York in Paris. She believes, however, that Bostonians are more concerned with other, more cerebral passions.

‘So many people in Boston are doing such incredible things like cancer research and developing economic policies for third-world countries, keeping kids out of the streets or even making robots and lasers, that fashion just ends up seeming vapid and superficial in such a cerebral town,’ Peterson said.

Fashion and style blogs have created a new facet to fashion, and one to which the industry is paying great attention. Schuman, The Sartorialist, was recently named one of Time magazine’s top 100 design influencers. The designers themselves are also recognizing the significance of the blogs, as illustrated by Marc Jacobs’ fascination with blogger Tavi Gevinson. Last year, Tavi, a 13-year-old from a suburb in Illinois, launched her blog, Style Rookie. This year, Tavi sat front row at Marc Jacobs’ Fashion Week show and was dubbed the designer’s latest muse.

Fashion and style blogs allow readers to sneak a closer peek at a once-distant world and enable bloggers to establish themselves and their point of views. Everyone, however, is able to embrace a shared passion, forming a club that is welcoming to all.
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