Movers and Shakers: The Fashion Blogs Gaining Influence

Another quarter marks another update to the Style99, our comprehensive fashion blog ranking of the world’s most influential style blogs. Our total index now includes more than 500 active blogs, up from 400 in the last ranking. The very top of the list hasn’t changed much, but past the top 5 blogs there’s definitely movement. Some of the changes come from newly included blogs, but most come from publishers in the January ranking making significant gains in multiple areas.

At the top of the list of gainers is Brazil’s Dia de Beaute, who jumped from 131st place in January to 75th in the current ranking. Beauty bloggers in general are moving up the ranks from the US (All Lacquered Up, BellaSugar, Makeup and Beauty Blog) to Spain (Arrebatadora).

Publishers who offer multi-topic coverage with fashion news, shopping and non-celebrity style also seem to be gaining ground. Everyone’s speculating about the future of Style.com now that Vogue has a site of its own, but their Style File blog has gained traction with readers, jumping from the 100th position to a comfortable ranking of 60th, well inside the top 99 of the current rankings.

Then there are the celebrity bloggers. Tavi’s Style Rookie, the eponymous Bryan Boy and Catherine Kallon’s Red Carpet Fashion Awards have appeared in print almost as frequently as the designers and labels they blog about. While the publicity surely hasn’t hurt, let’s give credit where it’s due: our rankings aren’t just measuring traffic, but the ways people engage after they’ve been to the site. It’s not just an influx of visitors, but an influx of people who enjoy what they see enough to share it and come back.

Then there are the men. If you thought women loved shoes, you haven’t been paying attention to the men’s fashion bloggers who have pages of posts profiling the latest sneakers down to the detail. You’ll also find style enthusiast obsessing over the most interesting watches and accessories, as well as what clothing is hitting the racks. While they may not be the first sites that come to mind when you hear the words “fashion blog,” the guys are no slouches in the influential style category.