Here's what a renound fashion blogger is saying about the controversy of fashion blogs taking over the magazine industry:

Hi Kahtia,
Thanks for writing! It's a very interesting question that I suspect you won't get a firm answer to. It's too new and too transitional. However, I'm happy to offer my take on it.

Right now I think if you're interested in fashion, you read both. Blogs (like Fashionista) are great because you get the news the instant it happens. Just think about the Galliano thing happening now. It will show up as a review article in the April or May issues of mags, but you're hearing of-the-moment info now. I laugh when I read a mag about a "new" product that I wrote about 3 months earlier.

Where I think blogs can't take the place of magazines is in editorial spreads and longer articles. I personally work on a 13-inch macbook, and I much prefer seeing images in print rather than online. I like the tactile sensation of turning pages, too. There's something about a big print editorial that is so gorgeous--not really the same on a computer. And on blogs, people won't take the time to read a 3000 word profile. So there are a lot of amazing writers who are still in mags, and it makes sense. For some reason people don't have the patience to read something long online. That's not to say that there aren't amazing writers on blogs---they're just a bit more limited in the scope and depth of what they can write typically. This might change as more people get tablets, kindles, etc. and can carry a long story around w/them.

Blogs still struggle with this image that they don't do "real" journalism. Totally false. We write in a more relaxed, first person style, but our articles are carefully researched and reported. We have to overcome this idea that we're sloppy. Blogs also haven't figured out how to make a ton of money yet. Magazine advertising is easy--not so easy online. It's something the industry needs to figure out if they want to compete with the mags.

So, I guess I would say people are definitely moving towards blogs, they're definitely a "threat" to magazines, but right now the two are sort of perfectly co-existing.

As far as other things to look into: The Daily for iPad just launched. I'm sure you've heard about it. It's an iPad only news magazine. Very interesting hybrid that many people are skeptical about. And if you can somehow get hold of Brandon Holley, the EIC at Lucky, she would be a great resource. She's trying to incorporate bloggers into the magazine. Very interesting.

Let me know if you have any more questions, and good luck with the paper!

Best,
Cheryl