Citizen's Choice BEST Blogs 2010: Clothes, Cameras, & Coffee

Citizen's Choice: Best Blogs 2010
Personal favorite: Clothes, Cameras and Coffee
This is Roz. 

And this is her blog: clothescamerasandcoffee.blogspot.com

Meet Roz Jana. Beautiful wunderkind from rural England, and possibly the best thing blooming in the blogosphere since, well, anything. 

Now 15 years old (she was under 14 when she started her blog) Roz has the poise and perspective of an old soul, however, a VERY stylish old soul. Her love of vintage permeates Clothes, Camera and Coffee, and her various collaborations features a precocious sophistication that appeals to her readers of all ages.  

She lives with her parents and brother in rural England, the Midlands to be exact, which plays gorgeous backdrop in many of her photo shoots; her parents take turns behind the camera, but the style of Clothes, Cameras and Coffee is all Roz. Roz shows a remarkable lack of self-consciousness, nor does she display any sign of typical teen-aged self-obsessiveness. Instead her focus is on friends, fashion history, music, and poetry.  Her muse is the world around her, and her blog posts come off as a conversation she carries on with her creativity.

One of my favorite posts was the one she did as an homage to a vintage '60's cover of Harper's Bazaar. 

Roz Jana reflects on art, fashion and life. Her blog is Clothes, Cameras and Coffee.

This past year, Roz created a D.I.Y. viral experiment: the  Mummy Scissors Project. After contacting a handful of fellow bloggers, she designed the project to promote ideas over the act of selling a product.  She posted an open invitation for others to participate by creating their own version of the "Mummy Scissors," an D.I.Y. project that involves transforming a pair a sewing snips into a necklace. People from all over the world responded, prompted  by London-based blogger Jill Carin Adams of the street style blog, Streetstyle: Pics by Polka Dot, who is also a friend to Roz. Jill posted her version of the project as a way of cheering Roz, who was, at the time, convalescing at a hospital in London. The project is on-going and people are invited to post their contribution on her page. You can learn more about the Mummy Scissors Project by clicking here.

(photo credit: Inspiration Partout)

In October of 2010, Roz announced to her readers that she was to be undergoing surgery. She had been diagnosed with scoliosis. and was to undergo a painful operation to straighten her spine. In typical Roz fashion, she used the event to create an outfit post as an homage to Alexander McQueen, and his innovative spine prints. She designed a dress, fashioning silk scraps on its back, to emulate her crooked spinal column. The operation was a success, and Roz returned to the blogosphere, back on track and better than ever.

Art imitating Life: Roz Jana uses her scoliosis as inspiration for a dress.

In Roz's own words: "I am inspired by vintage films, favourite photographers (Tim Walker, Richard Avedon etc), old photos, the outdoors, books and the moodboards I make. These subsequently inspire my blog & outfits. For my blog posts, as well as a general description of outfit components and location, I tend to write about things I've been thinking or issues I feel strongly about - for example, I recently talked about the rise in University fees for students in the UK. I always seem to end up saying something about the weather too!"

Timeless beauty and timeless style are the hallmarks of Clothes, Cameras and Coffee.

On blogs: "I have really been enjoying reading Style Bubble ever since I found her blog back in spring (I know - a late jump onto the band wagon). She is a truly innovative woman, both in her writing and style.I feel honoured to have met Jill (of Street Style: Pics by Polka Dot) as she has a huge amount of warmth and compassion. Plus, she does great street style photos!"

Her top 3 picks for Best Blogs 2010:

• Karl Largerfeld's guide to life (http://www.fakekarl.com/) never fails to amuse - a friend and I can quote back parts of favourite posts!

• Barbro Anderson (http://barkatt-barbro.blogspot.com/) was a favourite new find of 2010. She has a very unique and memorable approach to style. 

• Hope Adela from Pink Champagne (http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/) recently started blogging again, and I'm very glad she did! Her 'Alice in Urban land' shoot is a particular highlight.

On her future: "My immediate plans involve featuring some creative projects planned for my blog, as well as lots of behind the camera photographic shoots once I'm sufficiently recovered to be energetically out and about. I'm very excited about all the possibilities brought about by blogging, and would like to experiment more with these options.  In the future I would like to study English Literature at either Oxford or UCL, then work freelance as a photographer or writer. However, I'm already toying with different creative self employment ideas now, to try and raise some funds for University."

Clothes, Cameras and Coffee is a work-of-art-in-progress. It is a personal style blog that transcends mere trends in fashion, but represents the style exploration of youthful beauty and old soul Roz Jana, who, with the loving support of her friends and family, has a very beautiful and very bright future ahead of her.

Citizen's Choice BEST Blogs 2010: Grit and Glamour

Vahni's cool wit and warm honesty make fashion blog  Grit and Glamour one tall glass of water.

Self described shoe addict & fashion blogger Vahni Georgoulakos has been blogging since 2006. Her heady cocktail of "New-York-moxie-meets-Southern-hospitality" is an intoxicating libation sipped eagarly by her rapidly growing fan base, many of which are part of a loose-knit but loyal blogging community referred to as the Style Nation. Her blog, Grit and Glamour,  has grown exponentially in 2010, exploding into the blogger scene when Vahni, or V as she's known in the blogosphere, decided to take a more interactive role with her readers.

A professional writer by trade, V has written for various online venues, but probably the best fit, and most pivotal in growing her audience, has been her contributions to Independent Fashion Bloggers. IFB is a robust blogging community founded by Jennine Jacob of the Coveted, and has been instrumental in the burgeoning  influence of fashion bloggers in general. Vahni's involvement with IFB and Modly Chic's Friend Friday has firmly set Grit and Glamour in the blogosphere firmanent as polestar for fashion bloggers everywhere. 
 
This past year, Vahni put together a series of blog-specific articles entitled "Build a Better Blog," a must-read primer for any serious style blogger worth her salt. In the works for 2011: a Vegas-bound Style Nation blogger symposium, co-coordinated  by Vahni and Beverly of Style Underdog.  Vahni recently announced her pick for Blogger of the Year which you can read by clicking here. The following is an interview with this extraordinary woman.

WVW: What V Wore: Vahni's first outfit post featured her beloved Mongolian lamb's vest

The Citizen: You're a professional writer and have been blogging for several years now, but 2010 seemed to be a tipping point for your blog, Grit and Glamour. Tell me, what triggered the growth to your blog in this past year?

Vahni: First, I finally got off my blogging island. I ventured into uncharted territory and actually started visiting other blogs and commenting. Second, I reached out to Jennine of Independent Fashion Bloggers and pitched some articles to her...and she accepted! Third, I started looking at blogging from a technical perspective, and it occurred to me that I could help other bloggers by sharing tips about content development that I've learned in my 10+ years doing just that professionally. Fourth, and most important, I decided I would practice what I preach. If I wanted a dialogue, I would have to reciprocate. If I wanted to level the playing blogging field, I would have to show people how.

The Citizen: While your blog is heavy on well-written original content, much of the allure of G&G is YOUR interaction with your readers. G&G-heads are a rabid bunch of die-hards (me included) who seem to feel a direct rapport with you. So you seem to be a very good reader and listener, not just a writer. How much of this listening skill do you think plays a role in your success as a blogger, and as a professional writer?  

Vahni: Lord have mercy, Bella, you crack me up. "Rabid bunch of die-hards"...I like that. You make a great point here...a lot of commenting is the "listening" part; the best way to connect with another person is to HEAR what they have said and to VALIDATE it. I try to read and remember what my commenters have written, not in an endeavor to increase my readership, and not for some sycophantic ploy—it's because it helps me to know everyone as an individual. It enables me to see that blogger's face in my mind, to know what their personality is like, and to connect it all. When I see a comment from you, Bella Q, I think: Bold. Fearless. Funny. Brilliant pattern-mixer from Sacramento. When I see one from Leia of Leia's Delight's, I think: Beautiful, exotic, vegetarian Londoner with amazing saris. When I see Kristy's name (of Vogue Gone Rogue), I think: Greek-American, crazy-talented, smart cookie currently in Italy. And so on.

I consider many of my readers (like you) to be my friends. So I want to show them through my comments and writing, that I hear them, that they mean something to me. Because they...and you...do.

Grit & Grammar: V's P.O.V. is shared in perfectly dictated English.

The Citizen: What direction do you see G&G going towards in 2011?

V: I made so much progress this year that I'm kind of afraid that there's no way I can one-up myself. But in reality, there are a million more things I could do better. I don't know if my direction will change, because I like where I'm going. Perhaps a better response for me is that I plan to expand on where I am now. I need to hone my photography and videography. I want to create a richer multi-media experience on G&G. I may look into creating a "Blogging Boot Camp," as some have suggested to me. I want to really harness technology and do things other bloggers haven't done. I can't divulge all that's going on in my head, but suffice it to say that if I can get it sorted, I have some plans for some really cool stuff.

The Citizen: What are your 3 favorite blogs, blogs that you HAVE to read daily?

V: GAH! I hate questions like these, just because there are so many blogs I just adore. It's not you...I get asked this all the time. OK. Most of the time, I'm non-committal. For you, Bella, I will commit. I’m always consistently impressed by Pretty Shiny Sparkly and Beautifully Invisible. Of the superbloggers, I adore Karla’s Closet and The Glamourai. Oops, that’s four. I suck at math. And I’m bad at following the rules.

The Citizen: What inspires you?

V: Fashion magazines. Art. Music. Pop culture. Great food. Great blogs. Pretty much everything except the aforementioned mathematics and the local news.

The Citizen: If you could give just one piece of advice to a blogger just starting out in 2011, what would your words of wisdom be?

 
V: If you don't know how to do it, Google it. And one more (told you I’m bad about rules, except for the Golden one): Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Online and in real life.

Read more on how Vahni rules over at gritandglamour.com
And be sure to follow her on Twitter: @gritandglamour

The Citizen's Choice BEST Blog of 2010: The Clothes Horse

Rebecca Stice has shared her sure-footed style since 2007 as The Clothes Horse, arguably the best independent style blog in the world. This Yank brings a literary sense with artistic leanings to her posts, publishing well-written content on a frequent and regular basis which is even more impressive in her 3rd year as blogger.  Her self-portraits, frequently posed in natural surroundings, have possibly been one of  the most influential in the genre of outfit posts.  Her signature movable gifs have been copied ad nauseum, while her once distinctive dress aesthetic, is now patently copied and plastered all over Lookbook.nu. Stice's original images are keen examples of moody photography as much as they are of great styling.  Her latest foray has been in the medium of videos, which we plan on seeing more of in the new decade. 

Riding in Style: Rebecca Stice is The Clothes Horse

The Citizen: What was the biggest change for you (& your blog) in 2010?

The Clothes Horse: Moving from Washington to Virginia was a whole change all around; I mean for me, I had to transition to a new home and for the blog my backgrounds in my photos became VERY different. Now I take pictures at the beach nearly every week!

The Citizen: Who are YOUR 3 favorite bloggers? 

The Clothes Horse: It's really hard for me to choose because I don't tend to have favorites across the board; I like certain blogs for certain things. That said, maybe: Calivintage, Hannah and Landon, and Noitillfem.

  "I don't tend to have favorites
across the board; I like certain blogs
for certain things."

The Citizen: What direction do you see The Clothes Horse going in 2011? How is it going to be different/ the same?

The Clothes Horse: To be honest, I'm not entirely certain because I'm not sure what I will be doing in 2011! I might go to law school in the Fall, so that would involve me moving (again) and possibly scaling back on the blog some. However I might no go to law school, I might move again anyway, and if things are really awesome I'll go on another Euro trip, or some other adventure abroad!

For the blog, I'd love to do more videos in 2011, and to keep working on my photograph quality. I'd also like to do some actual photo shoots with friends and maybe play with styling other people.

The Citizen: As an established blogger, you know the ropes. What's the single most important piece of advice you'd like to share with any new bloggers just starting out? 

The Clothes Horse: Post original content! This can either mean creating everything (photographs and text), or finding stories and editorials/art/etc that isn't already on other blogs. Give people a reason to visit your blog; let them visit knowing they'll see something there they can't find anywhere else.

-Happy Holidays!
~Rebecca Stice, The Clothes Horse

The Citizen's Choice: BEST Blogs of 2010

The Citizen's Choice: Best Blogs of 2010

2010 was a bumper-crop year for blog excellence.

Fashion exploded across the blogosphere as the fashion industry made room for its new media darling: the fashion blogger. Personal style went viral.  Networks started sprouting up the world-wide-web over, featuring "every-day" people posting their outfits.  These networks and the accompanying personal blogs have served as catalysts for other's wardrobes, creating a new channel of style influence.

Creme de la creme: Susie Lau of Style Bubble

This blossoming democratization of fashion has quickly become as powerful a trend-maker as the dictates of Vogue, WWD, or Elle. With compelling components chronicling real-life fashion in real time, the personal style blogger has been pushing her svelte yet collective weight against the marketplace; that weight has resoundingly translated pounds into dollars, with retailers quickly cashing in on blogger pull. Suddenly what was hot in the blogosphere is sold-out at the mall.

2010 was THE YEAR OF THE FASHION BLOGGER.  The point is, the tipping point has tipped. And while there can only be one Style Bubble, Style Rookie, or Fashion Toast, there marches a veritable fashion army, a league of stylish and articulate creatives, sartorial soldiers who are beating to their own fashionable drum, and then posting about it. They come from all walks of life,  all ages, all sizes, multi-cultured & colored, charting the course, setting a trendy pace and forever changing the face of fashion.

The Citizen's Choice Awards go to the bestest & brightest  personal style blogs of 2010. The Citizen's criteria: consistent, creative and original content. The emphasis is on personal style, creative expression, original photography and an authentic voice.

Presenting the Citizen's Choice:
The Best Blogs of 2010

1) The Clothes Horse theclothes.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Stice. United States.

Brief description: This is the Best Blog of 2010. Generous servings of beautiful & bold yet introspective stylings, served up with a double helping of literary leanings. Lean, concisely written posts are paired with gorgeous, nature-saturated photography. Innovative with her movable picture gifs and Vimeo videos, The Clothes Horse is an American original.  Rebecca posts like a professional: profusely and with keen sartorial content. 

Citizen's Choice Blog of the Year: The Clothes Horse

2) Grit and Glamour  gritandglamour.com/

Vahni G. United States. 
Brief description: Professional writer/fashion maven Vahni took her blog to the next level in 2010, and her readers & followers with it. Grit and Glamour is characterized a clean lay-out, thoughtful, well-written articles, pertinent subject matter, and a high-level of reader interaction. Warm, personable and charming, Vahni is hands-down, smack-dab at the epi-center of the burgeoning fashion/style blogging community.

True Grit: Vahni of Grit & Glamour, part Amazon goddess, part fashion evangelist. All Glamorous.

3) Clothes Cameras & Coffee 
clothescamerasandcoffee.blogspot.com/

Roz Jana. United Kingdom. 
Brief description: Clothes Camera & Coffee is the creation of a 15 year-old English girl, Roz Jana. Photographed alternatively by her parents, Roz creates editorials (complete with story boards),  which she styles herself, and models in front of the camera. Recently, Roz has also been showcasing her talents behind the camera as well.  Her outfits, expertly styled from a  wardrobe consisting mainly of vintage clothing culled from charity shops, or ransacked from various family-member's closets, are  posed to perfection in the bucolic British countryside. Her sophisticated posts, and poise, belies her young age, and one can easily picture her as the next Grace Coddington.  

The future face of Fashion: Roz Jana stirs up style in Clothes, Cameras and Coffee.

4) Barbro Andersen barkatt-barbro.blogspot.com/

Barbro Andersen. Norway. 
Brief Description: Not just another model/photographer, this Norwegian beauty creates haunting images that could easily find its way on to the high-glossy pages of a fashion magazine. Barbro accepts her various accolades quietly, more focused on her honing her craft than she is on tooting her horn.

Nordic Beauty: Photographer, model, fashion writer: Barbro Andersen

5) Another Day to Dress Up
anotherdaytodressup.blogspot.com/

Megan Stewart. United States. 
Brief description: Meggs L-O-V-E-S her vintage. Lithe and leggy, this Californian charmer serves style sunny-side up. The premise is disarmingly simple: she posts  (almost) daily photos of her outfits, laden with vintage and thrift-store finds, amped-up with her signature hats, smokey thigh-highs or ankle socks with platform sandals.

California Sunshine: Meggs of Another Day to Dress Up

The Good Citizen Awards:  

The Citizen Rosebud would like to present
these special awards to the following incredible bloggers.

Classic Fantastic: 

District of Chic. E, Washington DC, USA. districtofchic.com/

That's Capitol! E turns head in classic cuts at District of Chic

Beyond Breathless:

Pandora. Louise Ebel, Paris, France. misspandora.fr

The capricious, the captivating Ms. Pandora

Red is your color & 2011 is YOUR Year: 

Vogue Gone Rogue. KristyElena, USA/Italy. 
voguegonerogue.com

Going Rogue: Kristy Elena makes it all look too easy at Vogue Gone Rogue

Local Favorite: 
Juniper James. Kari Shipman, California, USA. juniperjames.wordpress.com

Jumping Juniper: style maven Kari Shipman showcases sustainable style at Juniper James

"2010 was THE YEAR OF THE FASHION BLOGGER.
  The point is, the tipping point has tipped."

The Citizen's Choice 2010 Best Blogger Awards:

Best Impact: 

Style Bubble. Susie Lao, UK.  http://stylebubble.typepad.com/
Gala Darling. Gala Darling, USA. http://galadarling.com/ 
The Mavens:
The Glamourai, Kelly Framel, USA. theglamourai.com/

What I Wore, Jessica Quirk, USA.whatiwore.tumblr.com

Where Did U Get That, Karen Blanchard,
                            USA/UK. wheredidugetthat.com

Karla's Closet, Karla Deras,USA. karlascloset.blogspot.com

The Beauties:

Frou Frouu, Nadia Sawar, UK.froufrouu.com
Style Scrapbook, Andy Torres, Mexico/The Netherlands.
                          stylescrapbook.com
Jemina, Jemina Jakin, Indonesia/Singapore. jeminajakin.com 
Helmi Ostalla, Ranna, Finland. helmiotsalla.blogspot.com

The Charmers: 
What Katie Wore, Joe Sinclair & Katie MacKay,
                          UK.  whatkatiewore.com
Annushka, Annushka Litvinova, Russia.
                          annushkalitvinova.blogspot.com
Mis Papelicos, Sacramento Martinez, Spain.
                          mispapelicos.blogspot.com
Willow's Twig, Marta P, Poland. wierzbowawitka.blogspot.com

Vintage Vixens:
Liebemarlene, Rhiannon Leifheit, USA. liebemarlene.com
Calivintage, Erin Hagstrom,USA. calivintage.blogspot.com

Style is Style, Lydia Okello,Canada, styleisstyle.blogspot.com

Vixen Vintage,  Solanah, USA. vixenvintage.blogspot.com

The Budget Babes:
Kendi Everyday, Kendi Lea,USA. kendieveryday.blogspot.com
The New Professional, Angeline Evans, USA.
                           the-new-professional.blogspot.com

Miss Vinyl Ahoy, Suze, USA. missvinylahoy.wordpress.com

Clothed Much, a Modest Fashon Blog,
                           Elaine Hearn,USA. clothedmuch.com 

The Cool Kids:
Haiku Ambulance, Zoe Cullie, USA. zoecullie.com
Alice Point, Alice Point,Poland. alicepoint.blogspot.com

Late Afternoon, Liz Cherk, USA. popcultureafternoon.blogspot.com
Annie Spandex, Annie "Spandex", USA. anniespandex.com

Early Xmas

Ladies & Gentlemens, 

This Blossom is not at all ready for Christmas. Are YOU? 

I've been busy, and yet and not even remotely caught up. The only thing I've been catching is a cold; ack-choo, dtang-ku veddy much. 

BUT I wanted to share with you a few early Xmas presents I received yesterday, one of which regrettably is going to be returned for a smaller size. Check out these boots: 

Doc Martens is bloomin' madly! Shop here 

An even sweeter gift came from my dear blogger friend Reva, of Reva's Rags 2 Roses. She wrote a wonderful piece about me, and my blogs, complete with an interview. I have to say I was incredibly touched by her effort, it is such a honor to be held in such high esteem! Thank you Reva, so much! What a Christmas present! 

R E V A S R A G S 2 R O S E S: STREET SMART

Reva of Reva's Rags 2 Roses BLOOMS MADLY

You can read her wonderful post by clicking here.

Who wears Pearls & Puka Shells? I do!

 Reva recently organized a "Pearl Party" in which she invited a dozen or so bloggers to post a picture of them wearing pearls. I wish I would have remembered this outfit I wore a week ago, mixing up an vintage pearls and puka shells!

Check out Reva's Pearl Party here

 

 Heavy on the roses: the Citizen Rosebud blooms madly.

Now Wearing: 

• felted wool sweater from FreeStyle
• cotton chintz dress from Target
• vintage under-slip
• button ring/bead rings
• felted rosette pin (Morf, from the Midtown Bazaar)
• Hue tights
• No name Granny boots

Wishing you all a warm & wonderful holiday!
R E V A S R A G S 2 R O S E S: STREET SMART

#TEAMKRISTY: KristyElena IS Full-time Fabulous

Blogger Kristy Elena is a finalist in Sunglass Hut's competition, Full-time Fabulous. We are #teamkristy!

Let me say, for the record,
Kristy Elena
is ALREADY Full-time Fabulous.
She is however, also a FINALIST in Sunglass Hut's contest. You can read
all the glorious details here. Bookmark
it: kristy.fulltimefabulous.com  or add
to your Bloglovin' subscription
(just click here.)  The finalists are competing for a chance to blog for Sunglass Hut, complete with VIP privileges!
And our Kristy is in it to WIN it!

The Citizen Rosebud is a proud member of #teamkristy, the trending twitter team that is throwing its collective & stylish weight behind Kristy's run for the Sunglass Hut's Put it On: Full Time Fabulous contest. I won't pretend to be objective but for the sake of fairness, this #teamkristy member DID watch each and every one of the 10 finalist's video submissions as well as take a peek of their FTF blog entries. I think I can honestly & objectively declare that Kristy's posts & videos stand head & shoulders above the pack. 

Kristy has FABULOUS made in the shade.

Wanna find out if you're on #teamkristy? Put One On and find FULL-TIME FABULOUS, and see for yourself: kristy.fulltimefabulous.com

Bella Q of the the Citizen Rosebud is straight up #teamkristy.

Show your support for Kristy

on twitter!

Follow her on twitter

@kristyelena,

and use #teamkristy

and #fulltimefabulous

hashtags in your tweets.
-Bella Q

 

outfit post: The Black Elf

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world
         & behold, everything is softer & more beautiful.          

            - Norman Vincent Peale

Here's my subtle nod to holiday spirits. I found this monstrous fur helmet at Thrift Town last week, and pretty much wear it whenever possible (read: when it's NOT raining.) Celebrating Christmas spirit by wearing my thrifted candycane striped tights, paired with a black cotton Victoriana-style dress, and a cobalt/black striped sweater. I thought I resembled a shadowy Xmas elf. 

Happy Holidays, yo!

Speak into the flower. Black Elf reports back to the North Pole

My neighbor Lori took this full body shot of me so you can see the total effect. God bless 'er.

Now Wearing: 

• Thrifted vintage fur hat (Thrift Town)
• Target, Merona Black cotton dress w/ eyelet hem
• Target, Striped sweater 
• Thrifted candycane striped tights
• Dr. Scholl's platform wedges (from years ago, and now I wish I would have bought 10 pair!)