Reviews

As a companion piece to our post on the 25 best street fashion blogs, we take a look at the folks that bring us into their world via their outfits, insights, and experiences in the realm of personal style and fashion. Whether it’s France, China, Canada, the U.S.A., or elsewhere, these personal style bloggers are dedicated to strutting their stuff and spreading loads of style inspiration to the masses. Here is the complete list of the 25 personal style blogs that Style Invasion is loving the most in 2011:

#25 Phi Style
Tramanh Phi is an attorney with superb style. She’s also a fantastic writer. Her posts burst with colour and personality, and she blogs about much more than just pretty clothes. Prepare to get hooked.

#24 The Style Tribe
Five girls. Five styles. Five days a week. That’s all you really need to know.

#23 Jennifhsieh
Jennifer Hsieh is a college student on a budget, but she still manages to look like a million bucks while she (literally) prances around for the camera.

#22 Come Over To The Dark Side We Have Candy (COTTDS)
You should check out this delicious slice of personal style for the mere fact it’s got the greatest blog name in the history of blog names. Plus, they have candy.

#21 Monochroma.chic
According to her profile, this Toronto blogger can be won over with pretty shoes or spicy food. But it’s her delightfully dainty style that will have you tumbling head over heels.

#20 Bleed For Fashion
The girl behind this standout effort was recently dubbed “Canada’s Style Sweetheart”. By us. Just now.

#19 Fashionista Talk
Lida Mankovski is a fashion-obsessed Torontonian that’s currently attending law school in California. Whether she’s studying diligently by the pool or taking a summer trek across Asia, it seems she always finds time to blog about her personal adventures and her stunningly beautiful fashion choices.

#18 The Style Manual
Blake Jacobsen is a dapper, brooding, breakout star of the Lookbook generation. Go see what all the hype is about.

#17 I Am Style-ish
Dazzling personal style, an impressive shoe collection, meticulous fashion details, thoughtful videos, and even adorable dachshunds are on the menu of this Seattle-based blog.

#16 Extra Petite
It ain’t easy being petite. Learn all about the experiences and challenges this petite fashion lover faces while trying to build a wardrobe of pieces that fit and flatter.

#15 Girl & Closet
If you’ve ever dreamt of living in a quaint ocean-side town with your significant other, your beloved dog and your chubby orange cat, blogging about personal style and sharing bits of your life, then you’ll most certainly love this blog.

#14 Karla’s Closet
It’s fitting that Karla Deras is a former girl group member, seeing as how she has basically achieved pop star status with her blog, Karla’s Closet. You may as well join the adoring throngs and head on over there right now (if you haven’t already).

#13 This Time Tomorrow
Krystal Bick’s elegant, mature, and sophisticated style is on display at This Time Tomorrow, with her current shopping cravings and general musings about fashion thrown in for good measure.

#12 Blue Paper Lanterns
Check out this Seattle blogger’s site and witness what wonders can be done with an annual clothing budget of $600.

#11 Glisters And Blisters
One visit to Glisters and Blisters and you’ll get sucked in by the “eclectic and mood-based” style of this fashion-savvy girl from Jakarta, Indonesia.

#10 Fashiontoast
Fashiontoast’s Rumi Neely is the Oprah of personal style bloggers. Do not cross her. She will crush you. Seriously.

#9 The Cherry Blossom Girl
Surely you’ve heard of the Cherry Blossom Girl! Everything about this blog and its Paris-based hostess is exquisite. In other words, cherry blossoms + girl = winning combination.

#8 Song Of Style
Aimee Song’s stylishly smart wardrobe choices and undeniable allure will have you wishing they all could be California girls.

#7 9to5Chic
This goal-oriented, career-driven, fashion-minded blogger from San Francisco may be a “closet wannabe Martha Stewart”, but Martha’s got nothing on this girl when it comes to personal style.

#6 Her Waise Choice
Vancouver’s Jen Tam chooses to be stylish without being superficial, on trend without being a slave to fashion, and look good without looking down on others. Wise choice, indeed.

#5 Cheyenne Meets Chanel
The fashion diary of Shea Marie, a sultry, sexy, spicy, ultra stylish small town girl now living in Hollywood, California. Let the drooling begin!

#4 Le Blog De Betty
Betty Autier is a Paris-based style maven whose online logbook has been around since 2008 and has garnered quite a following. Ooh la la!

#3 The Sea Of Fertility
Xiaoxi (Nancy) Zhang is an illustrator/designer from China, currently living in Berlin. Her quirky style is often juxtaposed with her wonderfully whimsical fashion illustrations, making The Sea Of Fertility a true breath of fresh air.

#2 Fated To Be Hated
If you crave generous helpings of sassy and spunky style, then this blog by Bebe Zeva is for you!

#1 Style Scrapbook
Great style, great pictures, great design, and a ridiculously frequent stream of updates elevates this blog to superstar standing. Thank goodness for Mexican freelance stylists blogging from Amsterdam!

And don’t forget to check out our NEW list of the best personal style blogs of 2013!

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There are literally hundreds of street fashion blogs currently in existence (maybe millions!) The big players come from nations all over the globe, including Japan, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Brazil, and Malaysia. With camera in hand, these intrepid photographers approach the stylish folks on the bustling city streets and capture the most standout looks for all to see and enjoy via their blogs. Being a street fashion photographer myself, I like to check out a lot of those blogs. Here are the 25 online street fashion portals Style Invasion is loving the most in 2011:

#25 Garbagelapsap.com
Yes, Malaysia has a street fashion blog! You probably didn’t know that, so just go check it out already.

#24 Street TONIC
Crisp images and a simple, yet pleasing design that will have you nodding your head and grunting in satisfaction as you marvel at what the people of Milan are wearing.

#23 Geeky Chic
You won’t find any stylish nerds here (okay, maybe a few) but Toronto’s Geeky Chic has got great pictures AND great writing.

#22 Urban Weeds
Straight out of Portland, Oregon, Urban Weeds bills itself as a street style blog, but it’s more a collection of wonderful people portraits.

#21 TorontoVerve
The man behind the camera, Nigel Hamid, is relentless in his pursuit of “the undeniable style and energy that people in the Greater Toronto Area possess.” Even a full-time job in banking doesn’t stop him from posting regularly.

#20 Cracker Your Wardrobe
Not a blog per se, but this Korea-based site (with a name that makes no sense, but sounds pretty darn cool) has new street fashion pictures that magically appear every month, and they’re pretty sweet.

#19 HiStyley
HiStyley rhymes with Guy Smiley. Mere coincidence? I dunno, but the appeal of this Los Angeles offering lies in its great design and bang-on photography.

#18 Street Peeper
Phil Oh is a mainstay on the world street fashion scene. He trots the globe, peeping the streets wherever he goes. Oh Phil, we love you so.

#17 Stylesightings
Dapper gents and sublime ladies have been spotted (and now photographed!) roaming the style capitals of planet Earth.

#16 Drop Tokyo
Tokyo-a-go-go, baby! Many of the pictures here are taken at parties, shows, and various other venues where cool people gather to look pretty for the camera.

#15 Streetstyle By Stela
A South America-based blog (also with global coverage) helmed by photographer Stela Alves. Beautiful women in floral patterns and open-toe shoes abound.

#14 Street Style Aesthetic
A showcase for the photography of Wayne Tippets – a UK-based shooter who mostly hangs out in London and Paris. Features a mix of models, editors, and bloggers, as well as everyday people that look like they could be models, editors, and bloggers.

#13 Vanessa Jackman
Some like it haute. Do you? If yes, you’ll love this blog by Vanessa Jackman, an “Australian lawyer turned photographer living in London.” Snaps from Paris, London, New York, and other fashion hot spots.

#12 PimPumPam
Want to know what brands people are wearing? Check. Want to know what they had for breakfast? Check. Interesting little Q&A’s accompany street style photographs of everyday people in Vienna, Austria (and elsewhere).

#11 Slickwalk
You don’t see a lot of head-to-toe street style pictures taken in a landscape (horizontal) orientation, but Russia’s Slickwalk pulls it off beautifully. Check it out, comrades!

#10 The Style Kaleidoscope
Bursting with colourful images from the streets of Birmingham, UK, since October of 2010, this charming site will hit you with a wave of nostalgic longing for the days when photographs really were square and blotchy.

#9 Style-Arena.jp
Covers Tokyo street fashion, with 30 new looks that come at you every week (literally, as people are snapped as they walk towards the camera). Five distinct areas of the city are featured, which are Harajuku, Shibuya, Omotesando, Daikanyama, and Ginza. For those who love Japanese style with a slightly more “mature” bend to it.

#8 Easy Fashion In Paris
Is everyone in Paris stunningly beautiful? Beats me, but this blog will make you think so.

#7 Le 21eme Arrondissement
Adam Sinding’s New York-headquartered blog (formerly Seattle) gets points for originality. The style snaps are often accompanied by short video clips in which the subjects introduce themselves and list what they’re wearing.

#6 Citizen Couture
Jason Jean is a New York-based former tax professional turned freelance photographer. He started Citizen Couture in 2009 and his photographs of the fashion elite are simply spectacular.

#5 XSSAT
Top notch pictures from the streets (and runways) of Australia. Add to that mini-interviews and a blogger with an engaging writing style and this Sydney-based site’s got a winning recipe.

#4 Mr. Newton
Mr. Newton is a New York resident (and citizen of the world) with a built-in radar for gorgeous women with jaw-dropping style.

#3 JAPANESE STREETS
JAPANESE STREETS was established by photo-journalist Kjeld Duits back in 2002, making it one of the first fashion blogs on the net, and the first to cover Japanese street fashion. Captures what the youth of Tokyo and Osaka are wearing – in striking detail.

#2 Tokyo Fashion
As its name implies, this blog is all about Tokyo fashion, albeit most of the focus is on the hip, world-famous fashion mecca of Harajuku. Prepare yourself for an onslaught of colour and eccentricity put on display by the teens and 20-somethings of Japan’s capital city.

#1 Chicago Street Style
If you’ve never been to Chicago, following this blog will make you feel like you have. Take a trip through the streets of the Windy City, where you’ll meet regular folks of varying styles and backgrounds. At the reins is Amy Creyer, who’s been running the show since June of 2010. Deft fashion insights and a good dose of personality punctuate the excellent photography.

Also, check out our NEW post on the 25 best personal style blogs of 2013!

Do you have a favourite street fashion blog? Mention it in the COMMENTS section, or by email: info [at] styleinvasion [dotcom]!

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There are a handful of Japanese street fashion sites I love to visit on a daily basis – some for the great photography, some for the crazy styles, and some for the fashion info and visitor comments. Here they are in no particular order:

JAPANESE STREETS – Street fashion from Tokyo and Osaka. Includes brand info & price details, features excellent photography & detail shots, insightful comments, fashion news and related articles, fashion show coverage. Check out the fashion-index section for info on Japanese brands, fashion schools, and magazines.

TOKYO FASHION – Focuses mainly on the Harajuku area of Tokyo. Large high-quality images, good detail shots, fashion news and articles. Lots of fashion information, including brands and magazine details, and comprehensive write-ups on what the people they photograph are wearing.

DROP TOKYO – Style snaps from various areas in Tokyo, including Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, etc. with a lot of the pictures being taken at fashion parties and openings. Big, crisp pictures. If you can read Japanese, you might want to check out their blog section.

STYLE ARENA – Features street style from a handful of areas in Tokyo – Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza, Daikanyama, and Omotesando. Nothing too crazy here, but there’s stylish looks a-plenty. There are 30 new pictures every week – six from each area. Site is mostly in Japanese.

RID SNAP – A site bursting with creative looks from Tokyo, has video style interviews, and party shots rounding out the main content. Extensive fashion details (though they’re in Japanese).

Also check out our post on the best personal style blogs!

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(This is a review post. If you want to buy a copy of KERA magazine, click here.)

It’s pretty exciting anytime you get a package in the mail, but it’s twice as good when it’s a couple of Japanese fashion magazines. In this case, KERA and Egg landed in my mailbox last week. Now that I’ve finished “reading” them (my Japanese is pretty basic), I figure I’ll present a brief rundown of each in this mini-review.

Egg
November issue
148 pages
Description: Features the genre of Japanese fashion known as gyaru style, and its subsets. There are various trademark features of the gyaru look, the main ones being tanned skin, blonde hair, and excessive makeup. Egg’s target audience seems to be teenage girls, and the content is very style-specific, though anyone with an appreciation for wild, extravagant street fashion can probably appreciate the magazine. A lot of pictures are taken on the street, but I think most of the subjects (if not all of them) are paid models.
Highlights
-“Black Revolution” spread – 8 pages of gyaru looks featuring black/darker colours
-“Street Groove” spread – 5 pages of autumn styles on the streets of Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya area.
-Several pages focusing on hair and makeup

KERA
November issue
196 pages
Description: Focuses mainly on punk and rock styles, with some other styles thrown in, such as gothic and lolita. The fashions here are not quite as “out there” as in Egg, but there are still plenty of crazy outfits and cool combinations to be enjoyed and appreciated. The target audience here also seems to be teenage girls, but the diversity of styles will probably appeal to a wider audience than what Egg has to offer. Also, a good number of looks featuring “real people.” Features an 8-page black and white comic.
Highlights
-Photo spread (with interview) of cover girl Kazumi Horisawa
-16-page “Street Snap” spread with several full-page pictures
-Plenty of pictures of cool clothes, shoes and accessories

These two publications are full of off-the-wall fashions from the Land of the Rising Sun, and are truly a visual delight. If you can’t read Japanese, you’ll obviously be missing out on a large chunk of information. If you like written information more than images, then maybe these magazines aren’t for you. But if you love amazing fashion photography and are curious about what’s hot, new and trendy in Japan, then I highly recommend both KERA and Egg.

If I had to choose just one, it would probably be KERA – more variety in the looks, features more actual street style, and has quite a few more pages than Egg.

You can get Egg and KERA, as well as several other Japanese fashion magazines, at J-list.com.

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