That was the question that started Social Stylists.
SocialStylists.com was created to have a forum to discuss trends that are seen in magazines and what people are wearing on the streets.

As fashion junkies, we love reading the opinions of editors and looking at all the magazine spreads. But more important in our view, are the opinions of people on the street. Real people are the ones that determine what is really in style. So the inspiration for the blog was to fill in the gaps sometimes left by traditional magazines.

Editing it down –
Editors provide inspiration. They lay it all out there, exaggerating trends for effect and great pictures. It takes people talking to say, “this is workable, this is not.” Often people love what magazines are showing, but aren’t sure how to wear it in real life. Socialstylists lets you ask and give advice on something you see in a magazine or on the street. See what real people are wearing on the Style Monitor page. Get your opinion heard and find out what others are saying. It’s like having your friends always available for fashion advice.

Timing –
We also wanted to fill in the timing gap left by traditional magazines. As a boutique owner, it drove me crazy that editorials would come out so far in advance of the product or the season. This year I’m carrying fantastic long gloves.
When did they get editorial coverage? August.
When did they arrive in the store? October.
When will people start to wear them? November.
We want to stay current at Social Stylists – more of what’s happening right now.

Real Trends –
Sometimes magazine have promoted things that just end up ridiculous. A few seasons ago it was high-waist jeans. This things made Mischa Barton look heavy, so what chance did the rest of us have? Sensibly, real people never grabbed this trend. This year the not-so-sensible item editors are promoting are denim leggings. And oddly enough, I haven’t seen anyone wearing these on the street yet. On the other hand, I think street fashionistas have grabbed the textured tights trend and ran. I don’t really see celebrities and editors promoting these, but real people are definitely there.

So we may chat about a trend, style, store or product – whatever we think is current. We’ll often take a topic from what people on the site are discussing on the Trend Talk page and go deeper on the subject. People are where we get our inspiration.

After all, our mantra is “Editors don’t determine what’s in style, you do.”