No matter how many trends sweep through the fashion world, the timeless looks of fashion’s most beloved icons are always in style. This week’s Links a la mode gives a nod to iconic visionaries and brands–both old, new and on the rise. Can you think of anyone else you’d rather hang out with… or have in your Google+ circle?

LINKS À LA MODE: AUGUST 4TH

• A Prettier Place: Jean Paul Gaultier • Retrospective
• An Old Story: The 90′s Are All That
• Best of Bklyn: Giving Back Fashionably
• Castle Fashion: Shoe profile for All Saints Heels
• Cosmolawlitan: The Kate Effect? Fashion Icons and Their Influence on Consumer Behavior
• DignityZine: Iconoclass: Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Get the modern day look for under $100!
• Dress Code: High Fashion: Inspiring fashion since over 50 years: Alfred Hitchcock`s blondes
• Dressful: It’s not WHAT you wear, it’s HOW you wear it
• Fashables: So… I think She’s a Model
• Fashion is Evolution: This new installment of my favorite feature (Fictional Fashion Icon) is all about Margot Tenenbaum.
• Fashioned by Love: Fashion legend: Jeanne Lanvin
• Fumiko Kawa: [inspiration] Alexander Wang F/W 2011 shoe
• Heather Fonseca: Balenciaga and Spain
• Her Majestys Glam: How to: Make-Up Like Marilyn
• IFB: Google+ for Fashion Bloggers
• Kyoto Maiko: The Absence of Ivy
• Lady In Lycra: Everybody Talks About My Blog. A tribute to my new fave t-shirt
• Simplyfrabulous: Shoes and art, when a heel become a “chef d’oeuvre”
• Sometimes Almost Always: LA DJ Fashion
• Style Ceviche: The beautiful Sasha Pivovarova

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Whether we realize it or not, we are all influenced by something, whether it be celebrities, trends or designs of the past. This week’s links a la mode celebrates influencers and the voices we create from our inspiration. As fashion bloggers, we have each other to look for when we are feeling uninspired and this community is something we should never take for granted!

Links à la Mode: July 28st

• 1972projects: WASTED
• a tout le monde: Simple & to the Point!
• Beyond Fabric: The Lost Art of Keeping it Simple
• Bespoke Baroque: The Challenge to Wear Less Black (and Grey and Beige)
• Bonnie Vie: Body Con(scious)
• Britt + Whit: Wall Art
• Chanel and Something Else: The Naked Back
• Dress With Courage: How do you define blogging success?
• Fashables: Forever 21 Dresses
• FASHSTASH: Redefining the Gender Boundaries in Fashion
• I Got Style and I’m Fab: A Reflection on Small-Town Fashion
• IFB: What Makes a Blogger Influential?
• Interrobangs Anonymous: Revolution Through Sweaty Apathy
• Kings Rule Together: A Kings Response: GQ 40 Worst-Dress Cities in America
• Lifestyles of the Thrifty and Shameless: Everybody, Everywear (again)
• Panache Offblast: Bring Out Your Inner Geek-Chic!
• Pretty Innovative: Geeked Out Over eCommerce
• Style Island: I’ll be on your side forever more..that’s what trends are for
• Styling You: 10 Ways to Dress for French Champagne on an Aussie Beer Budget
• The Loudmouth Lifestyle: Competing, Comparing Confessing

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Apparently the other day, Scott Schuman – the Sartorialist – announced that he hated style blogs.  No big surprise there – The Cut said: “The Sartorialist’s Scott Schuman is unimpressed with girls who dress up and take pictures of themselves and post them online, mainly because they don’t seem to have extensive wardrobes.”

It sparked a pretty great Twitter conversation through members of Independent Fashion Bloggers – but it all boiled down to one thing:  Your style is much more influential than the Sartorialist.

You see, most of us suffer from smaller closets.  Not many of us have money to throw at an “extensive wardrobe” – and in an age of minimalism (not to mention expensive apartments!) girls don’t necessarily want to keep all that extra junk around.  Women are constantly looking for a few simple and effective pieces that always work. They want pieces that they can mix and match, not a bulging closet where you can’t tell what you’ve got.  Parisian style is in – small closets, staple pieces in quality cuts and colors; not this American idea of “have it all, and have it all shipped to you!”  And the women and bloggers I know who have more simple wardrobes are actually much more inspiring than Mr. Stuck-up.

While I do own a copy of The Sartorialist book, I don’t see it as a style bible.  I see it as a great work of portraiture (not even photography in general – how hard can it be to shoot someone outside in natural light after you’ve meticulously posed them?) and the expressions he captures are just fine.  But as far as style goes, the “style” of this “street style photographer” is all his own.  It’s not a style I necessarily identify with, and after about 10 pages, all the subjects start to blend together.  How stylish is that?

What I love from the blogging community is that there are so many gals who take the leap – they set up a timer, they snap their own photo, they become vulnerable as they put their own image up on the net for anybody to gawk at, to see, to comment, to tear apart.  The ways in which they mix and match from a limited number of items inspires me to mix up my wardrobe.  Your style is much more creative, much more fun, MUCH MORE INFLUENTIAL than the Sartorialist.

It’s that simple.

Edited by Fajr of StylishThought.com

With so much going on in the world, the Japan earthquake, the upheaval in Libya, the aftermath of John Galliano’s actions and the social phenomenon that is Charlie Sheen, it’s great to see the fashion blogging community talking about the issues and bringing a little light with the fancy of fashion! Included in this week’s amazing links: Shopping to Aid Japan Relief, an outfit post for Charlie Sheen, exploring the new neon trend and behind the scenes of how Hermes scarves are made!

Links à la Mode: March 24th

• Arash Mazinai- Bling Bang: Exploring the Blood Diamond Trade
• Cheap & Chic Living- For Japan with Love
• Dress with Courage- Do you dress older or younger than you really are?
• Fashion Evolution- Ups and Downs in my Fashion History
• Fumiko Kawa- Two Patterns of Minimalism
• FOTW- When did Fashion become porn?
• Juliette Maxwell- How to Take Runway Pictures
• La Rouge- How to Live in Two Places at Once
• Missemmamm- An Ode to Charlie Sheen
• Miss Viki- Chat with Russian Art Illustrator Lena Ker
• My Heart Blogged- Blogs from the Heart: Citizen Rosebud
• Obsessive Coolness- Should Talent be Boycotted in Favor of Morality?
• Snappy and Snazzy- Rules of Flattery
• Style Bizarre- Beware of what you Wear
• Sugar Coated Style- Cherry Blossoms in the Breeze
• Tres Awesome- Hermes Festival of Craft
• Try It On Me- The Bright Stuff~ A neon color palette brings back memories of 1990′s fashion and fun!
• The Button Owl- DIY Fishtail Braid Tutorial
• The View from 5 ft 2- Aldo x Julian Louie x Spring/Summer
• Stylish Thought- 5 Fanciful Frocks for a Swinging Spring

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It’s a prime example of the feminist blogosphere’s tendency to tap into the market force of what I’ve come to think of as “outrage world”—the regularly occurring firestorms stirred up on mainstream, for-profit, woman-targeted blogs … They’re ignited by writers who are pushing readers to feel what the writers claim is righteously indignant rage but which is actually just petty jealousy, cleverly marketed as feminism.

Read the rest of my piece over on IFB (where I’ve just recently become a contributor)!

And our commenters’ thoughts on the matter?

Ellie Di said:

I think there’s something to “don’t feed the trolls”, but I also think that if we ignore the problem, it won’t go away (that particular advice never works). I’m not sure I have a concrete solution, though. Should bloggers block the comments or should they allow people to have their say? I guess the real question is who gets to decide. Perhaps those of us who aren’t trolls should be making more time to think about our responses and measure them out before hitting “submit”.

And Amanda noted:

What a great post. I really enjoyed reading it.
My opinion of the hate on the internet is basically this:
For every logical and level-headed person on the internet who wants actual and meaningful conversation, there are 20 who just want to act like complete assholes.

Hate will always be on the internet, because it’s made so easy for people who can sit anonymously behind a screen. It’s made even easier with hater blogs, encyclopedia dramatica and the like. I feel that if someone reaches a certain level of internet “fame,” that they should expect criticism to a certain level. I can’t stand personal attacks, like that fashion bloggers, why? blog that you posted. That person just spews hate and jealousy, and should consider how she would like it if it was her that was getting made fun of.

Right now fashion bloggers seem to be the target of internet hate…but it’s only a matter of time before they switch to something else. I have a beauty blog where I post my makeup looks, hopefully it’s not next!! :-O

What do you think?

Fashion History, Doing it Yourself, and Breaking Stereotypes

Edited by: Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista

My first week editing the Links a`la Mode and it was such a pleasure to peruse the latest jewels from the blogosphere! Imagine viewing the history of fashion through the lens of a exhibition or a syllabus of what you wish was taught. How about taking inspiration from the latest Jeffery Campbell shoe and tricking out your own for less? Better yet, let’s talk about the “nude” trend and its color classification, and while we are at it, let’s question the newest movement in advertising campaigns: Unretouched and real beauty- a breakthrough or a publicity stunt? From fashion tips, finds, and favorite things, this week’s links a`la mode will satiate your hunger for full frontal fashion!

Links à la Mode: June 24th

• Bay Area Style File Shoptalk: Stript Wax Bar
• Bonne Vie Is “nude” a problem? Or just a color palette?
• Fashion Butter How to deal with the girls (dressing a larger chest)
• Fasshonaburu looks back at the fashion rules she set for herself at the beginning of the year to see how’s she’s done following them
• Fish Tank Fashion Are “unretouched” and “real beauty” advertising campaigns just a publicity stunt?
• Grit and Glamour Photography for the Amateur, Stagefright-Afflicted Blogger
• Hello Beauty have a new makeup lesson video with the Bobbi Brown Beach Collection and Treatment Lip Shines on hello beauty! The lesson is by Bobbi Brown education executive Katrina Rau.
• Intrinsically Florrie From 50s swimwear to an 18th century duchess’s wardrobe; a look at her college’s fashion exhibition
• Living Embellished Take a course in Fashion History…you know, what you always wished your college offered!
• Lovely & Lavish With the help of a stylish scarf you can transform an everyday getup into a chic outfit, Lovely & Lavish explores this season’s best accessory!
• Meowsk Dressing for the playground, reminiscent of recess.
• Miss Jones and Me Shares a Few of her Favorite Things
• Miss Vinyl Ahoy DIY Jeffrey Campbell Tick shoes for under $20!
• Profresh Style Combining prints & textures
• Retro Chick Frock love: Hot picks from the world of reproduction vintage
• Simply Luxurious Summer items to add to your wardrobe
• Stylish Thought Everyone Loves a Quirky Girl: Examining quirky style and women who dress the part
• The Coveted Under the Sea, Closeup view of Cynthia Rowley’s Resort 2011 Collection
• The Curvy Fashionista The opening of Full Figured Fashion Week NYC 2010
• Wicked Whimsy How to build up a versatile & comfortable array of shoes
• Tog and Trappings Les flâneurie: How observation of life can inspire creativity

Edited by Retro Chick

With the Fashion Week season in full swing and Fashion Pulse Daily live blogging from the IFB conference it can be easy to forget that there are other things going on in the world, where real women are shopping and dressing for real occasions.

There were actually surprisingly few Fashion Week oriented posts submitted this week. Possibly the Fashion Week attendees are still too busy to partake in Links á la Mode, but what I did find was a lot of posts focused on fashion, style and image in the real world. A Typical Atypical calls for a low fashion revolution and Idiosyncratic Style urges you to bring out your cocktail frocks for every day. Meanwhile, in the body image arena Intrinsically Florrie learns to love her specs, Sugar & Spice discusses tanning and Mariels Castle weighs in (see what I did there?) on the body size debate.

It would be impossible to leave this weeks links without mentioning the untimely and incredibly sad death of Alexander McQueen. There were posts submitted on this issue but I made the decision not to include them, not because they were bad, but because I felt that if I included one persons post I would need to include them all. There has been so much personal reflection on the life and designs of this amazing man in the fashion blogging world that to choose a small selection seemed impossible. If you would like to read these posts then, as ever, the full list of submissions is available in the forums.

Links à la Mode: February 18th

• A Typical Atypical – What girls really want to read about, and why fashion bloggers are changing the face of fashion
• Bonne Vie – Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Inspiration: What you borrow from another culture when it comes to wardrobe should be thoughtful
• Confessions of a Fashion Editor – Dear New Look; it’s over!
• Eternal Masquerade – Covering the Parallels Between Our Current Winter Wonderland and Under the Sea Fashions
• Fashion Pulse Daily – Fashion Pulse Daily blogs live from the Future of Fashion Blogging panel during IFB’s Evolving influence conference this week!
• Hot Beauty Health – Ready for Spring? Here are 9 Big Beauty Trends for Spring 2010!
• Idiosyncratic Style – Fashion Dare – Let your party frocks come out and play!
• Intrinsically Florrie – Making a spectacle of oneself: learning to love glasses and finding the right pair
• Mariels Castle – It’s not about been skinny or fat its about being healthy!
• Retro Chick – Love, Lust & Burlesque with the Bridewell Collective
• SFindiefashion.com – Spring comes early to Golden Gate Park. Showcase of spring 2010 looks from San Francisco designers.
• Stacie Blair – Show your Olympic spirit with fashionable gear from Aritzia!
• Style Eyes – The dilemma of a fashion blogger and why I’m taking Dame Vivienne Westwoods advice to stop shopping
• Style Symmetry – Fashion Blogger Interview Kingdom of Style’s Queen Michelle
• Sugar and spice and all things nice – Discussing the dangers of tanning and why the only safe tan is one from a bottle!!
• The Clothing Menu – interview with independent jewelry and clothing designer, Norwegian Wood
• The Fashion Planner – The Fashion Planner is hosting an eUndies.com Giveaway!
• The Very Subjective – very subjective (and therefore – very true) observations about style do’s and do not’s.
• Thread Style – Heel-wearing fashionistas also can be feminists.
• twentyteneightyfour – My thoughts on style vs fashion and how our appetite for fashion blogs is part of our quest for style
• ventures of jenn – The Great Vintage Debate: the ‘price’ of vintage both within and outside of the western world and what it really means.

The Anti-Fashion Week

Edited by Dramatis Personae

That isn’t to say that I’m against Fashion Week… but more that this week’s Links á la Mode just really isn’t focused on it. With amazing interviews from kaKofoniesOfsi(gh)lens, Fashion in My Eyes, and Eternal Masquerade to great features on vintage clothing from Retro Chick and Unfunded, there’s as much fabulousness on off the catwalk as on.

Maybe it’s bitterness that I’ll be missing out on NYFW for the 3rd season in a row or maybe it’s my gentle heart preventing you all from Fashion Week burnout too soon…which it is, I’ll never tell.

Note from Editor : Please be sure to check out the IFB Conference at NYFW : Evolving Influence

Links à la Mode: February 11th

• 39thandbroadway.com: – How Designers Really View Their Customers
• A Typical Atypical: – I chat about how hard it must be to love fashion and be blind, and I question whether there ought to be a charity dedicated to helping people feel good about how they look even if they can’t see it in the mirror.
• Cafe Fashionista: – Style Secrets: Symbol of Style. A how-to on creating your very own trademark/signature look.
• dramatis personae – How to Pack for Mardi Gras!
• Eternal Masquerade: – Interview with young designer, and Teen Vogue/CFDA/Target scholarship winner, Jennifer Huang.
• Fab Blab: – Even after all these years, we continue to differentiate between dark and fair. How does this affect the fashion industry adversely?
• Fashion Cents: – Seven Style Basics that EVERYONE should know! Make sure you are not committing these style “sins.”
• fashion in my eyes: – Fashion is supposed to be fun! Interview with designer Arina Varga
• Haute World: – A Mad Tea Party? An exclusive look at how 9 luxury designers interpret Alice in Wonderland for French department store Printemps.
• Instant Vintage: – Blood, Sweat & T-Shirts: Learning the true cost of that cheap and chic outfit you just scored.
• kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS: – Interview with Anna Osterlund of Ravishing Mad
• Model Max: – Are ‘respectable’ fashion writers insecure with ‘upstart amateur’ fashion bloggers?
• Oranges and Apples: – Is fashion oppressive or fun? some belated thoughts on Tanya Gold hating fashion
• Rags to Reverie: – Vivienne Westwood showed that fashion forwardness could be inspired by the past
• Retro Chick: – Top tips to on the spot dating of Vintage Clothes
• THE COVETED: – Devil’s Advocate : blogging and corporate seeding
• The Fashion Planner: – DIY: How to Make Naughty Granny Panties for Valentine’s Day!
• the musings of ondo lady: – Back in 2006 Slave to Fashion, a three part documentary was aired on Channel 4 which took a really good look at the fashion industry.The aim was to make sense of the multi billion industry which everyone from the media to consumers seemed to be obsessed w
• The Recessionista: – an hour ago Rebecca Taylor & Milly: Fashion Week Inspiration
• Unfunded: – Photos and thoughts from the Vintage Fashion Expo in Santa Monica, CA.The

The Heavyweights

Edited by Dramatis Personae

Fashion’s getting heavier– and I’m not just talking about the rise of supermodels like Crystal Renn. This week we’ve got meaty posts covering ethical topics like the sustainability of bamboo at Awakened Aesthetic while Bonne-Vie covers the the implications of buying items made in China. We’ve got not 1–not 2, but 3 AMAZING Interviews this week at Alice in Stilettos, kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS, and White Rabbit. Even Gala Darling’s post on her 2010 Style Direction could serve as a paperweight, it’s so chock full of inspiring images, details, and notations.

As usual, there’s a fabulous collection of links in the forums for your continued reading pleasure!

Links à la Mode: January 21st

• Alice in Stilettos: – Interviewed brilliant 18 year old designer, Nathan Gerard!
• Awakened Aesthetic: – How Green is Your Bamboo?
• Bonne Vie: – At Bonne Vie, we talked about the impact of conscious spending on your wardrobe (and one girl’s journey to not buy “Made In China”)
• Cafe Fashionista: – Style Secrets: Stormy Sophistication. A comprehensive guide for the girl who wants to remain fashionable even in the midst of a monsoon!
• DailyDivaDish: – Vintage Broaches: 8 Unique ways to wear these treasures & more — includes many pics of different broaches & a DIY idea for reusing those with broken clasps.
• dramatis personae: – Following Your Instincts…When Meeting New People, When Shopping, When at Work, and When in Love
• Fashion Pulse Daily: – Ponders the significance of the C. Finley Wallpapered Dumpster Project
• For Those About to Shop: – nternational runway sensation Stacey McKenzie inspires aspiring models to be themselves.
• Gala Darling: – 2010 Style Direction: Psychadelic Ladies Who Lunch
• girl friday : – DIY Ribbon Necklace & Bracelet. tutoirial on how to make your own ribbon necklace.
• hello beauty! – In my post on Hello Beauty, I wrote about the new Bobbi Brown campaign. She’s using friends – not models.
• Idee Fixe: – Fashion and the arts charities supporting Haitian Relief on Idee Fixe
• In Life & In Fashion: – Make a “Most Coveted List” to avoid silly impulse spending! Includes tip on how to create your own list and what is currently on mine!
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: – How to Create Your Media Kit
• kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS: – My exclusive interview with Inbar Spector, an Israeli London-based designer whose renowned avant garde Bjork-inspired designs have been worn by celebrities such as Rihanna.
• Model Max: – A special report on the history of male modeling – from the 1980s to the present time, with short profiles of selected male models who remain successful even after modeling.
• Oranges and Apples: – Top tips for organising your wardrobe
• Retro Chick – The 4 things I’ve always wanted but never owned
• THE COVETED – Marion Cotillard and Franz Ferdinand team up for Dior
• the fashionate traveller: – the rock/burlesque/voodoo vibe that is alternative Sydney label Baroque & Roll.
• White Rabbit: – Introducing Sorcha Gillet, the Irish born textile designer and blogger.

Edited by Fashion Pulse Daily

This week, some of us looked back at icons of the past, such as // Fade to #c5c5c5‘s Marchesa Luisa Casati, Fabulous Finds Gal ‘s Horst photography post, and Cafe Fashionista‘s take on Diana Vreeland’s famous quotes, while others looked at how far we’ve come, such as The Curvy Fashionista‘s plus size fashion observations and A Dress & A Bike ‘s thoughts on what it means to be sexy. Each post brought a unique angle to the subject at hand, and raised important topics of self-expression, style, adaptation, trends, individuality, and acceptance. It’s fascinating to examine our own fashion-related introspection, and think about how our inner selves, thoughts and feelings, are reflected through the clothing choices we make, the pairing of certain looks, and of course our writing and blogs.

As expected, there was a fabulous round-up of links in the forum as well, all worthy of your eyeballs!

Links à la Mode: January 14th

• // Fade to #c5c5c5 – Marchesa Luisa Casati inspire artists, designers and authors till this day, more than 50 years after her death
• A Dress & A Bike – Discussion of the trends of ‘sexy’
• Alice in Stilettos – Runway Review: The Colors for Spring!
• Bonnie Vie – Discussing retail hell and how both customers and sales associates can contribute to better shopping experiences for everyone.
• Cafe Fashionista – Why Don’t You…? In the spirit of Diana Vreeland; a post featuring luxurious things one can do to make themselves feel fabulous!
• ’cause I’d rather waste my life pretending – Bites sized interview with Stephanie J, Editor In Chief of N.E.E.T Magazine
• Cool Mama Style - Is there an ideal pair of panties?
• Dedicated- Gets downright nosey with Nadia Izruna of the gorgeous & girly indie label Nadinoo
• Denim Debutante – teaches you about discrepancies in denim sizing
• Dramatis Personae – How to Custom Order Goods from Your Indie Friends
• Fabulous Finds Gal - Horst photography is a study in elegance, style and rarefied glamour that spanned 60 years
• Fashion Pulse Daily - Finds the Habillees series on the Sundance Channel to be the perfect elixir for another hectic fashion week soon approaching!
• Fasshionaburu – Reviews an indie label from Australia she discovered called Evil Twin
• Independent Fashion Bloggers- How to cover fashion week….when you’re not there.
• Le Quaintrelle - A collection of Hermes-inspired outfits from my own closet.
• M.I.S.S. – She’s Crafty – Safety Pin Epaulets & Fringe Lapel Pin
• odetoawe - Love for the movie Cry-Baby, and how to get Traci Lords’ rockabilly look
• Rags to Reverie - Fantastic plastic to slip on your fingers
• Skinny Buddha - Sending out some love to the artists creating handmade items
• Style Symmetry - Interview with Audi of Fashion For Nerds
• The Coveted – Snow boots? Winter comfort or style?
• The Curvy Fashionista - Plus size fashion has picked up major steam, inspiring both yeas and nays for the latest in V magazine- stating it just a trend- or is it?

And Birdie’s Link Picks for the week:

• Do You Overemphasize Happiness? – Maybe living an Interesting life is better than living a Happy life (Thanks for the link, Jaka!!)
• The Influence of Fashion Bloggers – Are fashion bloggers taking over the media industry?
• Studying the Life of Coco Chanel – Gwen Bell’s article on Coco is a GREAT read and offers the kind of lessons we could all use.
• How the French Keep it Simple and Retain that Fabulous “Je Ne Sais Quoi” – Need I say more?
• The Art of Second Chances: On Forgiving, Forgetting and Letting Go - If there’s ever a good time to implement this, it’s now!
• How Do I Become a Grown Up? - I’m not sure I want to be a grown up, but Sarah Von’s got the details when the inevitable happens.

So that’s it!  Read, learn, love and grow!