In a city where fashion has
been moved to back burner at many local publications, a haven for style news is
being made on the web with the help of fashion blogging.
When the style section at
the Arizona Republic folded this year, Casey Hagarty and Ginger Murphy, style
section contributors, took their talent to the web and launched their blog,
Pink Slip Style.
“We both had worked for the
style section and we felt that now there was no fashion outlet,” Hagarty said.
“For some reason, fashion is being pulled out of publications because no one is
investing in luxury like they used to.”
Hagarty, whose style can be
described as “eclectic and vintage inspired” said that a blog seemed like the
best way to get the word out about fashion news here in Phoenix.
The blog is not only a
creative outlet for the two fashion savvy women, but a business venture as well.
“With this blog we have been
able to connect with a lot of businesses and now public relations,” Hagarty
said. “People are sending us press releases and we are getting deals with local
boutiques.”
Hagarty mentioned the
freedom involved with blog writing as opposed to working for a publication.
“When working for a
publication it becomes obligatory to write about the advertisers,” Hagarty
said. “You can’t try out the products and experience them when you are with a
publication.”
With a fan base established
while working for The Arizona Republic, Hagarty and Murphy realized that they
have a voice in the fashion industry here in Phoenix. Already, there have been
75 people that have subscribed to their blog since it was first launched this
July.
Kira Brown, editor of the
style section at Desert Living Today, a magazine that focuses on design,
architecture, fashion and art, also has her own Phoenix based fashion blog,
fashionphoenix.com.
Brown has worked with
Hagarty and Murphy through Desert Living Today by featuring several of their
reviews in the magazine.
“I love their blog,” Brown
said. “You have to have variety, and in my own blog I have featured other
people, it’s not just about you but also the industry.”
A blog can be used as a
platform to the next step in a career, Brown said. Her own blog led her to her
job now as style editor.
“You never know who will be
looking and reading,” Brown said.
For those looking to start
up their own fashion blog, Hagarty has a tip:
“If you don’t have a big
budget, you have to be informative,” Hagarty said. “Start off making it about
other people, bargains and shops.”
Though the economy left Hagarty
and Murphy out of a job, their passion for style still survives. The header on
their blog reads their new mantra, “laid off an looking good.”
Newlin Tillotson
