Hi friends! Just posting something that’s been on my mind lately. Regularly scheduled programming to resume shortly – I have a new outfit post coming up!
You may have noticed “courtesy of” or “c/o” in some of my outfits. For shits and giggles, I want to clarify what this means. I’ve never received any complaints or hate-mail (because I have the BEST readers, but I may be biased); I was simply inspired to write an open letter to you after reading this fascinating and stimulating post by Delightfully Tacky. I’m in agreement with many of the sentiments in the comments of the aforementioned post, in that lately I’ve noticed a few big-name blogs losing touch with their personal style and succumbing to outfits composed entirely of one sponsor, or repeated outfits by one sponsor, and as a blog reader myself, I tend to wonder how much of it was their personal style and how much was obligation. A lot of times, this isn’t addressed openly and honestly to their readers.
So I thought, hey, I may not be big-name or hugely popular, but I’m going to boldly go where few fashion bloggers have gone before, and write you, dear reader, an open letter. For fellow fans of musicals, cue the line from The Sound of Music: “Let’s start at the very beginning…”
I’m a medical student, with no job, on a tight, tight budget. I started PSS as a girly haven for my love of fashion, accessories, design, and generally girly things, as well as an escape from the traumatic & sudden loss of my 20-year-old brother in October ’09.
After a while, sponsors came on board – sure, they pay for the ad space to show you their wonderful stores, but I want you to know two things about my sponsors. First, each is either personally contacted by myself since I am a fan of their products, or brought on board only after thorough review & approval. I also like to highlight Etsy shops I love because I’m all about supporting the small, single-person business – especially in this economy! What you may not see are the sponsor applications that I decline because they don’t relate to myself or my audience. (Some of them are quite ludicrous–yes, I’m talking to you, Stella Artois beer brewery!) Now, I’m not a hot-shot who gets contacted right and left for sponsorships, but yes, there are the occasional doozies.
Secondly: sponsor fees (advertising fees) do not make me a profit on my blog. They cover hosting costs (I’m not on a free service like Blogger, I love my self-hosted WordPress!), membership fees for things like web directories, blog promotion, and things like the shipping costs I incur when sending a giveaway item to a winner (which happens a lot, and tends to add up). Much as I would like for this blog to earn me some income, it simply does not. It just helps me to break even.
With regard to c/o outfit items – I’ll never wear an item that isn’t my style or taste, just because I got it for free. In fact, I’ve politely refused to wear or returned several items that were just plain ridiculous! Most importantly, nearly all of the items that are complimentary I picked out myself. So you know that it’s all me. And most I would have purchased myself if I weren’t a full-time student without a job. :) Sponsorships are a two-way street, and when PSS and a sponsor are mutual fans of one another, I think it’s a harmonious relationship that benefits not only both parties, but you the reader as well, since most of the time I am able to procure a promotional discount for PSS readers. I am a big fan of the win-win situation!
I go out of my way to ensure that I uphold the utmost integrity with my blog. I only hope other blogs take my lead (and the leads of others, like Elizabeth). Sorry to get heavy on y’all with this post, but it’s an issue I’ve been seeing on some blogs lately, and it prompted me to tell you that I have nothing but the utmost respect for you, and that always comes first. I am just being proactive and hope that others will find their own path.
Interestingly, a lot of this chatter in the blogosphere has been precipitated by some backlash about ModCloth’s blanketing of gifted items to top fashion bloggers, and inspired the tongue-in-cheek term, “ModCloth Robot”. Guess what? I’m a fan of ModCloth, but I think that a lot of their items are overpriced, and I’ve neither purchased nor received anything from ModCloth thus far. But I still think some mad props are in order to them for embracing the blogger phenomenon so avidly. That’s a good thing, right? Maybe they should just pull in the reins a little.
So who makes the cut when it comes to sponsoring Pretty Shiny Sparkly (and thus keeping it running)? Everybody you see in the list of sponsors in my sidebar. They are nothing less than amazing, and I have had the pleasure of personally communicating with every single one of them – and frequently. They also took a chance on this blog, and I’m so grateful for their support. Since most of you are like me and on a budget, they’ve provided you with some pretty fabulous promo codes as well. If you’re interested, feel free to click through to their amazing shops – bookmark for later, even, because every single one of them has my seal of approval, for what it’s worth. :)
Feel free to ask me any questions you have in the comments and will reply to them in turn. I’d also love to know your thoughts!
xoxo
Fashion’s Bold Step Forward
Edited by Ashe/Mischief Dramatis Personae
To be honest, I’ve been really excited about the content on the web lately…. because each week, it seems that fashion & style bloggers are making a bold step forward. In a niche that was once dominated by runway photographs and personal style posts, we’re evolving to include daring, thoughtful, provocative posts as well. I am continually shocked and amazed by the range of posts… from wearabout’s post on androgynous Indian men and Style Amor’s post on Arab women in fashion to posts about fashion blogging as a career at Style Eyes fashion blog.
Images via The Curvy Fashionista, The Coveted, Hello Beauty, and Wearabout
Links à la Mode : May 20th
- Awakened Aesthetic – Giveaway! Enter to win a hand-embellished floral top by independent designer Eliza + Axel and take the floral trend in a different direction.
- CMYKaboom!: – New York Fashion Week Coverage: IFB “Evolving Influence” Conference
- fete a fete: – Clarins Instant Sun Light summer makeup
- Guacamole & Toast: – What makes a good fashion blog? How can we avoid turning into one of the minority of superficial fashion bloggers that everyone stereotypes us to be?
- hello beauty!: – we have a new makeup lesson video with Guerlain’s top makeup artist and a review of the Guerlain Summer 2010 Collection.
- Holier Than Now: – How to fall in love with last year’s summer essential, all over again.
- Independent Fashion Bloggers – Skills Bloggers Can Use to Get Hired
- Jewelry Whore: – Designer You Should Know: Elsa Schiaparelli
- kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS: – An exclusive interview with Amanda deLeon, a fabulous avant garde designer from North Carolina, and personal favorite of Kat Von D!
- M.I.S.S.: – TV: Follow the Leader: A New Style Series Promo! | M.I.S.S.
- Pretty Shiny Sparkly: – Exploring the trend of resin-coated black denim, with a best of the best roundup!
- Shoe-a-Day: – How to Shop for Shoes when you’re living ohsofaraway from civilization.
- Style Amor: – Celebrating the Beauty of Arab Women & Our Diverse Culture
- Style Eyes Fashion Blog: – A career as a fashion blogger – have you considered a career as a fashion blogger? Here are my experiences.
- Stylish Thought: – The Dressing Dilemma: Who do women really dress for?
- The Coveted – Anica boutique is the place to experiment with avant garde
- The Curvy Fashionista: – Curves in the USA? A Question… The Elite of fashion magazines across the pond are fashioning the most fabulous spreads of full figured fashionista, bloggers, and models, will the US follow suit?
- The Recessionista: – Jeans: We’re Spending More and Shopping Longer Does anyone recall the moment when jeans became a luxury item?
- The Thrifty Poet: – “Why Should I Be Ashamed of My Shape” — why I think classifying women into only 4 different body shapes (two of them fruit) isn’t right
- wearabout: – The luxury of not caring – a look inside an androgynous indian male’s wardrobe.
- What 2 Wear Where: – After the fab opportunity to preview the Met’s exhibit “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity”, we looked at each of the perfectly portrayed eras and paired them with contemporary looks.
Some great posts from the May 20th edition! I’m a bit late in posting this, but hopefully you’ll take some time out this weekend to check out these fabulous bloggers!
Hey lovely ladies! Issue #7 of Style Sample Magazine (the magazine about fashion bloggers!) is hot off the presses, and yours truly has penned a step-by-step guide on how to start incorporating video-blogging into your fashion blog. Check it out below–it’s free to read online!–in its nifty reader (may I suggest the full-screen for a totally tubular experience?).
I also highly recommend subscribing to the magazine if you’re at all interested in fashion or fashion blogging – it’s such a wonderful resource for fashion bloggers like myself, and it’s the only one of its kind.
Also, in case you missed it, the May newsletter is out. If you aren’t already subscribed to my once-monthly email of sparkles and goodness, what the heck are you waiting for?
"Look Ma, I'm published!"
Click on the magazine below to go full-screen and read the article, or the entire issue, right here:
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What do you think??
Hey all! My touch of vintage & glamour post was featured in the IFB weekly links roundup. I’ve posted the entire roundup below so you can click away whenever you’re bored (which, if you’re at work, and browsing PSS, pretty much is a given). Enjoy! Got some great new posts coming up!
Pretty, Pretty
Edited by Jennine Jacob
It’s official, Spring is in full swing… we’ve all shed our winter fluff and there’s a certain buzz in the air… well, other than the pollen count. Like every week, we have a wonderful selection of links, but the recurring theme here was making ourselves pretty, whether it be donning floral prints, DIY embellishments, watercoloring, even bunny ears or refreshing the ol’ makeup pallette with the new season’s colors.
Oh, and if you’re looking for something to do this summer… IFB is looking for interns!
Links à la Mode : April 8
