The media product that I am blogging about is actually a blog called fashionista.com. Fashion journalist Faran Krentcil, who recently stopped posting as frequently because of a new position at NYLON magazine, is the creator and editor-in-chief. Currently, a slew of interns ranging from their late teens to mid-twenties report almost hourly on different aspects of the fashion world. Because of Fashionista's numerous connections, information on various aspects of the fashion industry, including news about models, upcoming shows, new lines and collaborations, emerging and classic designers, as well as open-ended questions meant to spark discussion among commenters of the blog are posted daily.
Considering that the audience of this media product are people in the industry, or students trying to break into the industry, I think the overall message is to live, breathe, and embody fashion. However, because of the cheeky language employed on the site, and an emphasis on "fast fashion" (including H&M, Forever 21, and diffusion lines for Target) I think another part of the message is that fashion cannot be taken too seriously and that the writers, and hopefully the audience of the site, lack the pretension that is associated with fashion. That being said, I believe that non-fashion “addicts” would view the audience of the site as a group of vapid, materialistic individuals who attempt to equate fashion with other cultural elements such as art and music.

There are many reasons why I like this site. One of them is the fact that unlike many fashion magazines and newspapers that are extremely expensive to subscribe to, fashionista.com is a blog that publishes current stories faster (hourly) and cheaper (free actually) than other publications such as Vogue and Women’s Wear Daily. Additionally, the graphics that fashionista.com uses and the images created using photoshop are fun and creative. For example, the photo below (scanned from French Vogue) of a model named Sasha P. has been photoshopped into a image of a guest check handwritten by Faran Krentcil. Usually the graphics on other fashion blogs are bland snapshots from runway shows.
Although I really enjoy the site, I think some improvements could be made. Sometimes the posts seem condescending. For instance, one of the posts I read recently made a snarky comment about peoples’ weight. Although fashion does have underlying connotations concerning thinness and beauty, I think that fashionista.com does try to break that stereotype. The blog, however, sometimes slips up and makes superficial remarks. Additionally, I think that sometimes the posts revolve around models too much and puts them on a pedestal. For instance, a recent post discussed a luxury brand switching their “face” from one model to another. I find posts like these to be uninformative because models simply are there to wear the clothes, they are not the clothing themselves and I do not think they deserve the celebrity which they sometimes receive.
The video below is an episode of "Girls Gone Styled" a project that Faran and her friend Abby, an editor at Elle, work on together. They do short episodes ranging from behind the scenes at Fashion Week to appropriate attire for different occasions.