"It's like Facebook only more stylish"

There is definitely a market for books that teach you how to have style. In the past few years alone, Rachel Zoe, Tim Gunn, Victoria Beckham, and Nina Garcia have written style guides. All of the guides claim to teach the reader how to have confidence, how to make the most of and personalize your wardrobe and how to cultivate good taste. That is a lot of cover in 200-300 pages.

Isaac Mizrahi, who has a ready-to-wear line at Target, decided to tack his name to the list of style guide authors even though the competition is stiff. How to Have Style is much like the other style guides, but there is one key difference: Mizrahi attempts to create a community. In the book, he helps 12 real women with wardrobe problems. He offers tips and solutions. He also shows you how to make an inspiration board. (My inspiration board is shown at left.) The guide tells readers to visit his website, Isaac Mizrahi NY. Mizrahi thinks it's important for women to interact with others about their wardrobes. At the website, you can look at Mizrahi's inspiration board, fellow member's boards or create your own. Mizrahi encourages members to "share ideas about style, inspiration, and fashion."

Bloggers Allowed Access to Fashion Week

Mercedes-Benz Fashion week in New York is over. The fashion blogosphere is abuzz with Spring 2009 trend forecasts even though we haven't had time to incorporate the Fall 2008 trends into our wardrobes yet. And now instead of simply surveying the shows at style.com, the bloggers can receive special press access to the shows in New York.

Inside the Tents collects various feeds, whether it be Twitter, Flickr, or live blogs, from bloggers at fashion week therefore providing collaborative coverage on the event. Other blogs have been updating their readers from fashion week as well. Fashionologie, Fashionista, Face Hunter and Coutorture are a few of the best.

This is only the fourth season that bloggers have been allowed special press access to the fashion shows. Blogs can be see as the alternative to, say, Vogue, Elle or Women's Wear Daily. And fashion blogs are proving to be something worth investing in. According to websiteoutlook.com, Fashionista receives 24,528 page views a day. The blog's networth is $55,501. People are seeking their fashion news outside of the normal confines and the fashion industry needs to see that.

Kelly Cutrone, founder of the public relations firm People's Revolution and fashion show producer, however, set the rules for fashion bloggers in 2007. If you aren't a member of the "real" press, a retail buyer or a celebrity then she thinks you should not be there. And even this season, bloggers feel like they're the lowest on the totem pole.

Well, we'll keep reading the blogs, Cutrone. Today's economy isn't conducive to print magazines, anyway. Embrace new technologies; start a fashion blog.