How to Stay Ahead of Fashion Trends

Fashion will never be stagnant.  Instead, trends swiftly come and go in the world of fashion. Sure, this keeps things interesting, but it can make your life tough as an industry blogger.  That'...

6 Keys to Analyzing Your Blog’s Audience

Success isn't just about having a successful blog—it's about understanding your audience. Without a complete understanding of your audience, your blog can be difficult to monetize. Even more dangerously, it...

Sustainable Fashion Brands You’ll Love To Wear

Sustainable fashion is quickly becoming a hot topic, especially as the issue of climate change comes into better view through current research. As opposed to fast fashion where clothing is worn only a few tim...

How To Start A Successful Beauty Blog

Starting a beauty blog is a fun and exciting process, one that allows you to unleash your creativity and share your knowledge with like-minded people while trying out new beauty products and techniques. And s...

How to Appear More Authentic in Your Fashion Blogging

It seems like everyone and their brother has a blog these days. People write about food, travel, books and fashion. Yet what sets skilled bloggers apart from casual writers is authenticity.  Online fan...

What Is Business Casual for Men?

Business casual attire is a gray area in men’s fashion. Men everywhere struggle with the concept, trying to find that elusive happy medium between business and casual. To complicate matters, different desig...

8 Best Grammar Checker Tools for Bloggers

There are a lot of grammar checking tools, but which tool is best for bloggers? We did some research and now will share the results with you. Why Check? Automatic grammar checking is useful for everyone, from...

Missed SIMPLY LA? Lisa Valerie Morgan Shares Her Experience With IFB

Two weeks ago, Independent Fashion Blogger contributor Lisa Valerie Morgan (@lisavmorgan) of Pretty Little Shopper's had the chance to attend SIMPLY LA Conference series on behalf of IFB. She shares some of the...

How This Fashion Blogger Quit Her Day Job By Using Poshmark

Kate Heimann quit her day job in March of 2014. She had started her personal style blog Wear in LA in November of 2011 and for three years built a strong following, and while many bloggers talk about how they w...

Six Things For Personal Style Bloggers To Do Before Buying New Clothes

I've been a personal style blogger for almost 8 years. When it comes to taking photos of myself on a regular basis, falling into the "new clothes" habit is not only bad for my bank account, it also is bad for...

How Many QUALITY Posts Can You Write Per Day? Per Week?

For many bloggers, posting three times a week does not make a living for them. Many bloggers, writers, and even journalists juggle freelance gigs, work for digital mags that require multiple posts per day. Je...

Three Native American Sites Fashion Bloggers Need to Know About

Happy Indigenous People's Day! Instead of Columbus Day, Seattle and Minneapolis are celebrating Indigenous People's Day as a way of recognizing the cultural contributions of the people who were already living in America when Columbus "discovered" it. What's this have to do with fashion blogging?

Why Personal Blogs Can Never Really Survive Monetization

Are you a personal style blogger? Do you blog about your life in hopes of making it in the "big time?" It sounds amazing, like do a job you love and never work a day in your life, and you love your life... bu...

Why Read Fashion & Beauty Blogs Anymore?

Last week, Ashley Robison, forwarded a post from Zoe London, a beauty blogger who was approached by a beauty brand for fashion week only to be rejected by the very  same brand that approached moments after sh...

Do Bloggers Really Get Paid for Press Releases, Freebies or Campaigns?

Ok, so when I started blogging in 2007, I did not know a thing about the publishing industry. Not. A. Thing. In retrospect, I wish I had someone with experience sit down and tell me what was what, because I mad...

Are “Fashion Blogger Boyfriends” Even Happy Taking Our Photos?

No one likes to air their dirty laundry, even if it's well curated laundry. I'm going to come out and say it. My husband never volunteers to take an outfit photo. Sometimes I have to talk him into it. So...

4 Blogger Tools to Host Link-Ups & Share Links

What better way to engage your community, give other bloggers an opportunity to promote their own blogs, while promoting your own blog than a Link-Up? Now, Link-Ups have been around for ages in various forms,...

11 Super Handy Scheduling Tools for Bloggers

The Holidays are here. You may be taking your annual vacation to see family, or to go on an actual vacation. Hanging out at a computer may NOT be an option. Whether you will be far from an internet connection...

40 Fashion Films & TV to Binge on Netflix

You know what's great about Thanksgiving? Other than hanging out with your family and loved ones, the turkey, pumpkin pie, the National Dog Show (we always watch since no one in my house watches football). The ...

What Do YOU Want From Your Readers?

When you start your blog, you think about what you want from your blog. You think about what kind of content you want to create. You think about what kind of design you want, what kind of logo you want... all...

How to Make An Animated GIF from Video in Seconds

Ever been confused on how to make an animated GIF? Or do you not have Photoshop? Don't worry... imgflip makes animated GIFs from your videos in a snap! So if you have a favorite clip from a movie, or would like...

24 Fashion Blogging Lessons From Animated GIFs

What can you learn from animated GIFs? Plenty! 1. Get right to the point.   (source) 2. Have fun with other bloggers. (source) 3. Don't waste your time judging other bloggers. (source) 4. Even if you're ad...

How to Take Professional Quality Headshots of Yourself

Headshots. Believe it or not, they're not just for real estate agents and actors. Headshots are handy for bloggers as well. We can use them for "about pages," Twitter and Facebook profiles, LinkedIn profiles, p...

10 Places to Find Creepy Halloween Images

Halloween is in two days. I am hosting a Halloween party at my house and am frantically sewing, gluing, and putting everything together for the big day. But in the digital world, Halloween is an awesome time to...

13 Resources for Finding Local and Regional Bloggers

When we talked about the challenges facing new bloggers and how to break through those new blogger barriers, one suggestion that came up was networking with your fellow local and regional bloggers.  While a l...

21 Link-Ups to Promote Your Outfit Posts

Never has there been more places to promote your blogs, and particularly, outfit posts! While, "What are you wearing" communities ie. Lookbok.nu have existed for a long time, not as well-known, but equally ...

5 Types of Posts Fashion Bloggers Should Really Do More Often….

Ever get tired of the same-old, same-old posts? "Here's what I'm wearing today!" or "Look, this collection launched!" Yeah, I like those posts too, but I also like a little variety in my fashion blog consumpt...

8 Tough Challenges New Bloggers Face Today

IFB is great for many things, and I believe the best thing that our contributors have to offer is years and years of experience in the industry.  That being said, our experience doesn't always help when it co...

Blog Milk Now Has Beautiful Themes for Blogger AND WordPress

Ah, the question of Blogger or Wordpress. Both have been suffering from relatively nerdy designs lately compared to other platforms like Tumblr, Squarespace, and Virb. Even though Wordpress has a history of cus...

Where to Get Cool Blogger Templates for Fashion Bloggers: Jelly Design Studio

For those of you on Blogger wanting more designed templates to make your fashion blog stand out, it's not always so easy to find great designs as most custom templates are for Wordpress, Tumblr has some really ...

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet! Post Titles for Fashion Bloggers

You have a fraction of a second to get our attention. Your post is inspired, your photos are gorgeous, your readers are going to love your post, but wait... what do you title your post? Believe it or not y...

Keep It Simple: 4 Tips for the Part-Time or Hobby Blogger

Many of the members in the IFB Community are hobby bloggers or part-time bloggers, myself included!  I'm sure by now you've all realized that blogging can quickly take over your life if you let it and that ma...

Is Fashion Blogging Broken? 5 Issues Hurting Bloggers

It surprises me whenever I hear an authority in the fashion blogging community say things like, "The bubble has burst." "Things have changed so much, and it just doesn't work anymore." "The fashion ...

Daily Inspiration: Energy flows where intention goes… Create your day.

Every morning when I wake up, I like to set my intentions for the day. Things I would like to accomplish, whether it be a task or to keep my cool during stressful times. Without taking the time to set intenti...

6 Tips for An Insanely Effective Blog Giveaway

Brands use contests and sweepstakes to drive engagement and to support new customer acquisition initiatives.  Why shouldn't your blog leverage promotions in a similar way?  Here are a few tips to help you set...

Daily Inspiration: Creativity is Intelligence Having Fun

Mondays are always tough. You'd think after the weekend we'd all be rested and raring to go, but it takes a minute to get the brain back into it's groove. Which is why I'd like to kick off the week with th...

Daily Inspiration: People are going to judge you anyway…

As bloggers we're constantly putting ourselves "out there" as personal style bloggers we're putting our images out there, as fashion bloggers we're putting our opinions out there, it can get pretty personal s...

Daily Inspiration: Don’t Quit Your Day Dream

How many of you like to day dream? I know, I sure love day dreaming! Some may think day dreaming is wasting time, but I like to think of it as exploring the possibilities. What does your mind want to accom...

Daily Inspiration: Independence is Happiness

  Happy 4th of July! Here in the US, it's Independence Day... which usually means a day off, fireworks, something off the grill... hamburgers or veggie dogs. I usually like to reflect on what it ...

Daily Inspiration: You will never influence the world by trying to be like it

One of the biggest pieces of blogging advice is to have a "strong voice" or to be "unique" or to "stand out." Advice easier given than put into practice. However, why is this advice so important? Why does it ...

Daily Inspiration: Well Shit, At Least You Tried.

I literally laughed out loud when I saw this image, followed by a deep feeling of, "Oh, shit. Well, it's true." As we get older, we expect to be perfect, knowledgeable, and experienced the moment we star...

Daily Inspiration: If You Think Adventure is Dangerous, Try Routine, It’s Lethal

As bloggers, we're encouraged to develop routines: post at the same time of day, the same days of the week.  Create a brand, and stick to it through all social media platforms.  It can be scary to think of ...

Daily Inspiration: It always seems impossible until it’s done.

At the beginning of any journey, the destination always seems so far away. Taking a road trip, running a marathon, graduating from college, having a baby, all seem so far off and maybe even a bit impossible...

Daily Inspiration: Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.

It's so easy to get caught up fixing problems. Particularly on a Monday! Holy moly! But don't let your problems dictate where you go with your life. Sure, learn from mistakes, take your knowledge, but don't ...

Daily Inspiration: Whatever makes you feel bad, leave it.

When it comes to blogging, we're overloaded with messages, content, pitches, you name it. It's easy to feel like you're being pulled in a million different directions. So how do you deal? I used to read ...

Daily Inspiration: Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

So much wisdom revloves around being in the moment and living for today. So why not hit two birds with one stone and do something today that will also benefit you in the future. Whether it be working on the...

Daily Inspiration: Your dream job does not exist. You must create it.

A few years ago, I went to a talk with Anna Dello Russo who advised everyone to "Invent your job!" The truth is, everyone has special talents that are useful somewhere in some way. We all have our passions,...

Daily Inspiration: Great things are done by a series of small things brought together

  There is nothing like having a grand idea. I remember the first time I wanted to do a full day conference, even though had never done a conference before. I had thrown a few events, but nothing li...

Daily Inspiration: You’ll have a whole eternity to think inside the box.

Anyone can think "inside the box" it doesn't take much to come up with an idea that's already been thought before. But thinking outside the box? That's a challenge. That means taking risks. That's how progres...

Daily Inspiration: Next to excellence is the appreciation of it.

When I saw this quote, I thought of two things... the amazing people who can spot excellence in a sea of mediocrity, and the people who complain when excellence is being appreciated. Finding beauty and goo...

7 Ways You Can Borrow Ideas from Others

I wanted to title this post, "Shakespeare and the Beatles stole from their peers, you can too,"  but that's a bit long and cumbersome. (And really, it promotes the wrong idea.) I'm a firm believer that there...

5 Ways to Weave Quotations into a Feature Article

 by Chanelle Leslie of "Not So Naked" So you've found a designer that takes your fancy - let's call him Karl Lagerfeld - and he's agreed to have you interview him. You email over some questions, receive a ...

10 Outfit Photo Locations You Can Find Amost Anywhere

Taking outfit photos can be hard work just by themselves, but finding a good location? That's tough, especially if you feel like you live in the middle of nowhere, especially if you are looking to find a VARI...

Daily Inspiration: The Key to Failure is Trying to Please Everybody

We've all heard you can't please everybody, and that you shouldn't try to be all things to all people, but have we ever thought about linking failure to trying to please everybody? When I read this quote, ...

12 Reasons You Won’t “Make It” as a Blogger

I've contributed for IFB for the past four years and have written a LOT of posts.  I've also received thousands of comments over the years, so I feel like I have an idea of "what the IFB community wants."  Su...

The Fashion Blogger’s Guide to Editing Photos Like a Pro

Have you been to a blog that had 10 large photos of the same thing? Did you find it overwhelming? Are you posting multiple photos because that's what everyone else is doing? When it comes to taking photos, t...

Daily Inspiration: Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.

Ever get caught up in something thinking it would mean the "end of the world" only to forget about it a month later? Maybe I'm just a drama queen, but yeah, that happens from time to time. The things th...

Daily Inspiration: Be the Best Possible Version of Yourself, and Don’t Settle

We've all heard people tell us, "Be the best you can be!" Hello, army! But what does that really mean? Some days my best is just making it to work, other days my best is pretty damn good. I like the idea...

Daily Inspiration: Life is a Story: Make Yours The Best Seller

My whole life I didn't know what I wanted to do, but it had to be extraordinary. Now, my life didn't turn out to be exactly "extraordinary" but so far, I've been able to accomplish most of my goals on some le...

Daily Inspiration: There are always flowers for those who want to see them.

The amazing thing about perception is that it can be changed. You're having a bad day? Look for the good things? Blog not going as expected? Look at what's going right, look for the things that make you ...

Daily Inspiration: Kind Words Will Unlock an Iron Door

It's amazing what kindness can do. It can enrich your life, build the foundation for wonderful relationships. Even when meeting people, paying them a genuine compliment is a nice way to start a friendshi...

Daily Inspiration: Be a Voice, Not an Echo

We talk a lot about developing a "strong voice" here on IFB. It's the quality of a blog that's often cited as the single most important. Another way to think about it, are you voicing something original,...

Daily Inspiration: You are far too smart to be the only thing standing in your way.

When it comes right down to it. You are the only thing standing in your way. I know this speaking from experience. The times when I day dreamed about doing something more with my life, but didn't because...

Daily Inspiration: Successful people never worry about what others are doing.

Do we have to be overly concerned that other people are successful? Do other people's successes indicate our own demise? I hope the answer is "no." I find that when I'm heads down and working on my own stuff...

Daily Inspiration: Tough times don’t last; tough people do.

I don't know what this has to do with blogging, except that having this approach to life will make you a better blogger. Some of my favorite sayings are, "this too shall pass," and "the only thing you can ...

10 Ways to Build an Insanely Loyal Following

The internet is a fickle place. One minute you're hot, and the next minute... well, let's just say people move on quick. Building a loyal following can be difficult in a time where everything changes so quick...

Daily Inspiration: A Beautiful Thing Is Never Perfect

Perfection might be a virtue for some people... but in reality, how much do we really love perfection? Anne Hathaway is seemingly perfect, kind, talented, smart, and beautiful, yet all the gossip columns ab...

Daily Inspiration: Every Artist Was First an Amateur

Yes, it is true, every one begins as an amateur. I would even go a step further and say, we suck at first. Maybe some have a gift and do something ok the first time. But for the most part, to really beco...

10 Surprising Phrases You Might Be Getting Wrong

Many of us bloggers may not have started our blogs out of our love for the written word. There are many bloggers who are "ideas" people-- those who love sharing information about a favorite topic. Personally,...

Get Paid: Invoice Template for Your Blogger Services [DOWNLOAD]

The good news is, your blog is in business. You've got your first project approved by the client, and now what? You need to GET PAID! Sometimes business is done with a handshake, but for tax purposes, b...

7 Common Traits of High Quality Fashion Blogs

"Be so good they can't ignore you." ~Steve Martin I keep going back to this, because it's at once sage advice, and completely subjective advice. For bloggers wishing to become professional, getting noticed i...

The 6 Fashion Bloggers Personality Types

Fashion bloggers are an interesting mix aren't we? Who else takes photos of ourselves (often with a tripod) and posts them on the internet? Sounds strange when you say it out loud doesn't it? But somehow it's...

4 Creative Examples of Successful Sponsored Posts

After affiliate links & advertising, sponsored posts are the third tier in monetizing your blog. But how do you present these without them seeming like adverts in the midst of your otherwise heartfelt con...

Collaborate: 23 Beneficial Ideas To Do With Blogger Friends

By Jessie Holeva of trendhungry.com Blogging can be lonely. Whether you blog in the early morning before your 9 to 5, on the weekends, or 24/7 it’s usually a solo task. But take a look on Instagram. A lot of y...

Beginner SEO Tips for Fashion Bloggers

When you take a look at your analytics, where is most of your traffic coming from? For many blogs, as much as 50% of traffic can come from search engines.  With IFB, 44% of our traffic comes from Google organ...

Daily Inspiration: Some days you just have to create your own sunshine.

There are days where everything goes wrong. Toothpaste drops on your silk blouse, late for work, given bad news, accidentally deleted a 1000 word post, someone says something rude to you... ug. There are th...

Daily Inspiration: Doing what you like is freedom, Liking what you do is happiness

The search for happiness goes beyond the ages, as is the quest for freedom. I've found that after working a day job for most of my life, day jobs I never really suck with, that doing what you like is sup...

Daily Inspiration: The Grass Is Greener Where You Water It

We've all heard the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" cliche. It's a great saying that keeps us aware that we tend to compare ourselves and think that other people have it better. It's perce...

8 Business Books to Inspire the Entrepreneur Inside You

As the sunshine finally returns to those of us who've been under a long winter, why don't you head outside to get some vitamin D with a book that will help you take your blog & business to the next level....

Daily Inspiration: Small Things Become Great When Done With Love

Never underestimate what love can bring to the table. Your blog might be small, your tweet might only reach a few people, but if you show up and put your heart into what you do, it will show. When you...

Daily Inspiration: It takes nothing to join a crowd. It takes everything to stand alone.

One of the characteristics of the fashion blogging community is that we have a strong desire to be liked. I say this as compared to celebrity blogs, political blogs, hey, even tech blogs, all are here nor t...

Six Tax Tips for Bloggers

Have you filed your taxes yet? In the business of blogging, taxes are the biggest drag. For most of us at least. In fact, you many be reading this post in procrastination of actually doing your taxes. But no ...

Daily Inspiration: Sometimes Good Things Fall Apart So Better Things Can Fall Together

There was a lot of great energy this week, but over the last few days I've heard of a theme of things falling apart from various people. When I saw this quote it struck home, as every time something I wante...

Daily Inspiration: Nothing Great Was Ever Achieved Without Enthusiasm

The thing about blogging is that it is a long term activity. It's easy to be enthusiastic in the beginning, but as time goes on, it becomes easier and easier to become jaded, frustrated, burnt out. And true,...

Daily Inspiration: If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams…

One of the best beauty tips I know of is to be happy. Happy people radiate a beauty like nothing else that can be found in a jar. It's the truest kind of beauty. I know, sometimes we can have bad days. ...

6 Graphic Design Resources For Fashion Bloggers

Great graphic design is a critical part of branding your blog. It's as important as your Twitter strategies, your photography, hey, I would go as far as to say as it's as important as your text. Why? Becaus...

9 Fashion Bloggers Worth their Weight in Words

There are more niches in fashion blogging than we could ever begin to cover, but its worthwhile to explore bloggers whose main tool is words, not photographs.  Those who are exploring (and blogging about!) fa...

How to Protect your Blog from Plagiarism

Guest Post by Sandra Miller After investing that much time and effort in creating fresh, interesting and completely unique content for your blog, it would be best to also make sure your posts are protected...

Daily Inspiration: Nothing Great Ever Came That Easy

It always fascinates me how people think that bloggers just sit around all day taking Instagrams of cupcakes. For some of us, it might be that easy. But for me, it hasn't. It's important to note that ...

Daily Inspiration: You Can Never Be Overdressed…

Gotta love Oscar Wilde. But it's true, especially in fashion blogging. You can never be overdressed in this industry (even if some say we are "peacocking"). And even more so, you can never be overeducate...

Daily Inspiration: The Only Person You Try to be Better Than

When it comes to fashion blogging, it's hard not to compare. I don't know why we do it, but comparing ourselves to other bloggers: who's thinner, prettier, has more designer handbags, the list goes on, and ...

Daily Inspiration: Don’t Stumble Over Something Behind You

What happened, happened. Learn from mistakes and obstacles and move on. Easier said than done, no? We all tend to carry lessons from the past (if we're smart), which is a good thing. That's how we lea...

Daily Inspiration: If Your Dreams Don’t Scare You…

  Who would want to have scary dreams? Probably not very many people. When we say, if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough... we're not talking about the kind of fear you see in zombi...

Daily Inspiration: Everyone Is Perfect

"You are perfect, just the way you are." Either you love hearing that, or roll your eyes. But the truth is, that more often than not, we subject ourselves to self-criticism in the name of improvement. Ho...

A Fashion Blogger’s Guide to Covering Events Like a Pro

Last week we did a little bit of crowd sourcing to get an idea of the kinds of posts that the community might want to see from us. One such idea, which I really liked, was to discuss how to cover events as a ...

Daily Inspiration: A Head Full of Fears Has No Space For Dreams

When I was young, I didn't really know people who really went after their dreams. Not in the sense of reaching for the top of the top anyway. When I met someone who wanted to be a photographer, and just app...

Create Your Own Digital Magazines With Glossi

Click to view OntheRacks on GLOSSI.COM When I was in High School, I wanted to create magazines. More like fan 'zines with a photocopied issues with handwritten and typewritter'd text and collaged ...

Blogger True Story: My Blog Helped Me Get My Dream Job

I met Kiley Stenberg of a Sequin Dress at Breakfast a few fashion week seasons ago at a brunch (where else?) and we've been fast friends ever since. While living in Des Moines, Iowa, Kiley has been working at a...

Quotes from the Lost Generation on Writing

I've recently started reading  The Paris Wife; at 70 pages in, I'm completely captivated by this historical fiction piece and forgetting it's not an autobiography. More so, I'm reminded of my fascination and ...

Get To Know This Season’s Smart, Sassy & Stylish IFBcon Speakers

As we mentioned briefly in one of yesterday's posts, celebrity clout is not the most important quality in selecting our speakers each year for IFBcon. We work very hard to put together panels and select key...