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For inspiration towards my first shoot it is necessary to research any Puritan inspired shoots that could help form any ideas. I feel as though the first four images at the top of this post are really effective- as the clothing themselves are somewhat historic and meaningful, I feel it is important to let them tell their own story, for example, the minimal background really draws attention to only the clothes. 

The full black and white shoot is extremely effective in my opinion. I feel as though the photographs really have a fashionable, trendy and modern aspect to them although at the same time the images really portray and capture the puritan trend. Again, the location used is fairly minimal by using a plain background which enhances the clothes and the striking look by the different models. I find this shoot really inspirational and feel something similar would really work on Instagram. This is because it really captures a chic and stylish look which would stand out to the huge fashion community on Instagram.

Master Class by Mario Testino for British Vogue- The location on this shoot seems to be extremely relevant as the old buildings enhance the Puritan inspired trend. The model is dressed head to toe in a much less modern style of the trend which I feel wouldn't work as well for my own shoot as I am experimenting with setting a trend rather than showing the history. I am extremely inspired by the perfect photography and the clear images amplify the detail of the clothing which is very distinct and eye-catching.

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As the first trend chosen is Puritan, I have decided it is necessary to research into the history of puritan. The Puritans first came about in the 1630s. They were a group of English Reformed Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to "purify" the Church of England from its "Catholic" practices, maintaining that the Church of England was only partially reformed. Puritans wore simple, layered woolen clothing that covered most of the body and was dyed in a variety of muted colors. Cuffs and collars and, for women, aprons and caps were all white.

Over time this trend has evolved into the fashion world. “Fashion’s new mood takes inspiration from the American Amish. Layer pinafores, long, floaty dresses and cotton scarves, then update the look with serious heels — what better way to keep the moral high ground?”  The Daily Mail 

Haute couture designers such as Saint Laurent and Valentino have designed many ranges of their clothing according to the puritan trend. What really stood out to me was the Saint Laurent runway in Spring 2013. I feel that this really captures the trend but in a modern and trendy way which embraces a more formal attire including shirts with crisp collars and other work wear styles, which remains youthful. This draws on popular cultural sources such as the character of Wednesday Adams from the horror film The Orphan. 

The Valentino fall 2013 ready to wear runway really captures the puritan trend. Valentino really plays along with the white high neck blouses, tight long dresses, the black and white only colour scheme as well as paying a huge attention to detail which includes beautiful lace elements which really emphasises the modern day look of this trend.

I created these mood boards to use as inspiration for my own shoot and I will experiment with dressing the model in clothes that replicate or are extremely similar to the mood boards shown above, I will focus on making sure i dress the model in high neck tight dresses, (black and white only) blouses and shirts. Although I will make sure I carry out the idea of making this trend look modern and youthful by including the lace detail to the clothing, short dresses and jeans. The clothing is extremely important to get right to make sure this trend is promoted effectively on Instagram.

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The macro trend chosen is Nocturne and within this is the micro trends Puritan theme, which embraces more formal attire including shirts with crisp collars and other work wear styles, which remains youthful. This draws on popular cultural sources such as the character of Wednesday Adams from the horror film The Orphan which plays on the conventional dress of the psycho to the instil fear and an element of suspense. 

The Night to Day range incorporates daywear inspired by nightwear with dressing gowns that act as coats to provide a layering approach. The materials are softer to reflect that it is drawing on sleepwear styling which includes silk and velvet. This style includes a belt and this highlights one’s waist. It also includes pleats which adds a feminine touch, however as the collection is black and white it could appeal to a unisex audience. 

Another trend is gothic casual which uses multiple layering of materials to create a romantic stylistic collection. Graphics are also used in a way that illustrates gothic style including graphic prints which have a grunge vision. The use of texture also creates this effect, providing greater variety in this trend compared to other micro trends. 

Another micro trend is midnight active, which embraces a sportier representation of nightwear. This trend is entirely black and the fabrics used reflect different layers including the use of zippers, silhouettes and varying lengths of skirts, jumpers and body warmers as well as hats. This is more of a casual look and despite it being all black it has a distinctively feminine look.

These are examples of the visual boards on WGSN that came under the nocturne trend. These trends really stood out to me as I feel it would be interesting to experiment with different models, trendy clothing and eye catching locations to enhance the trends.

In order to utilise my account as a means for promoting the Nocturne trend I will make sure to experiment with trying to get all of the different micro trends to blend together and stand out as one trend as this will be easier to promote to my followers. For example, by either using the same or similar looking models, repeating locations or even keeping a theme throughout the account such as all black and white.  

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After researching all about how Instagram utilises fashion, the ways different brands use Instagram for marketing, how bloggers become famous and set trends as well as researching failed bloggers, and looking at interesting ways such as editing apps and hash tagging apps to build and create your profile. I felt it was necessary to research WGSN and decide what trend I would focus on to promote using Instagram.

Using WGSN, enabled me to select the Nocturne trend that I will focus on promoting throughout my Instagram account. The Nocturne trend “explores darkness form a positive perspective” (WGSN Women's Forecast). This expresses the transformation of seeing night time as a fixed place. Rather, it is able to be alive like the daytime. This trend is to be marketed for A/W 17/18.

I feel as though this is an interesting trend as I can experiment with using trendy clothing, effective and eye catching locations and interesting looking models to promote the nocturne trend on Instagram.

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When looking through WGSN to choose a trend, it was interesting to see that even they have found relevant Instagrams that they have noticed inspiring and promoting trends. 

I researched and looked into the different Instagram accounts that WGSN looked at to get some inspiration for my own posts. Although all of these trends that WGSN spotted were more beauty inspired rather than fashion it was still interesting to see which type of posts create trends. What I noticed is that these trends were being promoted by the account holder themselves, such as selfies and photos of them. 

I feel as though it would be interesting to take a different approach myself, for example take professional photographs of a different range of models- I feel as though these accounts spotted by WGSN look somewhat amateur and unprofessional. 

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This is a useful chart showing the most liked photos using these specific hashtags.

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Throughout my research I realised how important it is to hashtag on Instagram in order to promote trends. I tested out typing popular trends found on Instagram to the search bar and as seen above so many images appeared. This shows me how important it is to hashtag the correct words underneath each post in order to receive likes and followers.

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After researching into Instagram, blogging and vlogging I felt it would be very beneficial to create a survey of 9 questions to find out more about what the audience are interested in. 71 participants took place in answering this survey, although, the participants were not asked their gender, age or level of interest in fashion which could have provided greater insight into how trends are consumed.

The response to the first question was images. This helped me to decide how best to begin a trend and the power of selecting pictures to communicate a vision. 

For the second question, 60% said that it did not bother them, which was a surprising result due to the explicit commercialisation of the content. It was explicit that if a trend is successful and has a following that branded posts online can be a way to monetise this new form of communication.

The result for the third question provided a clear indication that Instagram is the preferred means for keeping up with fashion bloggers and only 7% said they read blogs. Specifically, 32% said they did not follow fashion bloggers, but this might be reflective of the fact that the sample of participants were not asked based on their interest in fashion and were instead a broad selection of people. This response did encourage me to use Instagram in order to set my trend.

My fourth question was asked as over my research I discovered that Chiara Ferrangi appeared to be the most successful fashion blogger, however 78% of those asked in the market research had not heard of her. This also indicates that when people consume online material they might not take a personal interest in the person posting, but may still be observing their influence. This was deduced from the fact that with a few participants once showed who Ferrangi was they then realised that they had seen her posts, but were unaware of her name. It thus exposed that the name of the person hosting is not as important as having innovative and exciting content. 

The response to the fifth question was that 63% said that they had purchased an item they had seen on a fashion blogger. It is clear that social media can operate as a tool for retailers as those who look at trends are encouraged to purchase the items they see. This implies that fashion blogs play a key role in marketing products. The answer also shows blogs provide a means to finding out where items can be sourced which will influence the information added to the trend.

The response to the sixth question was somewhat confusing. As 30% said they would be encouraged to wear an emerging trend, whilst 55% said they might and 15% said they wouldn’t. It shows some inconsistency with those who said they would purchase the item having seen it on a fashion blog, however 30% did select that they would wear it implying a parallel with the previous question.

For the seventh question 94% said yes which confirmed the influence of this form of social media in communicating the latest styles and combinations of clothes. Thus despite the earlier response that implied that fashion blogs were not consumed as much as Instagram if one were to seek information about the latest trends it would be through this channel.

The eighth question, 65% were influenced by high street brands, which implies that they were most connected to accessible forms of fashion. This suggests that those who participated are more likely to consume clothing and styles from shops that they know, however they were able to select more than one answer which resulted in a high proportion (59%) selecting friends and family, showing the role of society in spreading trends. It was also revealed that fashion bloggers on Instagram also influenced trends, supporting earlier evidence of their influence. Street style obtained a high level of responses too with 52% saying they drew inspiration from observations of those around them. This influenced me to critically evaluate fashion in everyday life, which will broaden the focus from high end designers to high street retail too. Fashion magazines received 34%, which implies a shift from traditional forms of media to digital ones. This re-affirms the growing significance of social media in communication fashion trends.

For the ninth question, celebrity style was the most popular, followed by street style, then fashion photography and blogger’s own outfit posts. The least popular choice was fashion inspiration posts. This supports earlier evidence of the influence of street style, but also implies how popular media figures attract the most clicks.

This feedback from both fashion and non-fashion consumers will influence the strategy implemented for launching a trend.

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As many successful bloggers also use vlogging as a vital way to promote themselves and their trends I felt it would be important to spend time researching and learning about vlogs as this could be an interesting way to promote my trend.

Vlogging is is a TV style platform online (mainly YouTube) as contributors present their fashion ideas through video.

A really successful blogger and vlogger Zoella stood out to me. She shows 15 minute clips of the details of her outfits which seem to be extremely successful and popular videos that her fans love to watch.

Chriselle Lim and Amy Pham’s vlog is different to Zoella’s as they discuss new looks, items and accessories and can promote styles to thousands of their viewers. Using You Tube they host videos with their fashion advice and tips.

Vlogging is an opportunity for individuals to have a voice on fashion and to build trust with their audience in their contribution. However, as successful as many vlogs seem to be, it is clear that they started off by just blogging and using Instagram as their main tools of communication and as they became more popular they decided to voice their opinion through videos. I feel it is important to start with what seems to be the most successful form of social media to promote a trend which is Instagram.

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I came across an article by Justine Harman, Elle 2015- all about how her Instagram account failed. 

She explains how she met an editor at an event and she showed her how to become Instagram famous. She goes on to explain how after pulling up her Instagram feed “things that had to go: any pictures that had fewer than 10 likes, grainy shots from when I was still "getting a handle" on the medium, and pictures that didn't make me look cool, funny, or both. (above are examples of a few of the Instagram posts that were deleted. "Think of it like a color story," she said, citing Net-a-Porter's website as a visual template. "The whole thing should look cohesive." "It's not that hard," she assured me. "Just think of it like a blog." 

In this article I found out interesting tips on not what to do when trying to create a successful Instagram, and also interesting tips on how to visualise my page, for example it is important to make sure that there is an ongoing theme on my Instagram page.

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Before starting my own Instagram account I felt it would be useful to research people who are still getting to grips on how to become successful on Instagram. I came across a really interesting article by Kristen Philipkoski who has an Instagram account named “stylenik” with 2,572 followers. 

She writes that “along my blogging journey, I have often pondered how many outfit photos to include in my posts. It was so difficult to choose—not because I thought I looked so fabulous in all of them, but because it’s nearly impossible to be objective about my own image. So I just included every photo that seemed inoffensive. And that was usually too many.” She decided that, because she was a new blogger that she would post up to 3-4 posts of each outfit she wore, other than 25 of the same outfit posts like successful blogger Aimee Song does.

Kristen then goes on to say how “as a reader you want more–and maybe that’s the key: if your photos leave readers wanting more, give them more. If your photos are slight variations of the same image again and again, think about eliminating a few.” This suggests that Kristen is implying to play around with uploading photos and see what your followers want. It is a useful to understand not to upload extremely similar images and to play around with your location and backgrounds, even if it is a same outfit post.

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I Am Galla

( A.G )

Adam Gallagher. 

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I felt it would be useful to look into a male blogger for a different aspect and to find a different source of inspiration. Adam Gallagher “I Am Galla” is a Californian blogger who posts images of his luxury lifestyle whilst at the same time showing his stylish dress sense. It is interesting to notice that Gallagher has built a strong customer segmentation and has done a lot of research into who his 1.9 million followers are as he targets his posts to their interests. Instagram seems to be his main platform of posts which is interesting to see as this has become the main platform for most fashion and lifestyle bloggers. Gallagher has made relationships with brands such as Zara, J. Crew, Mont Blanc and Gucci. It is interesting to see that he appeals to both high end and lower end shoppers. 

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We are Twinset are a London based collaboration of two women in their 30s who recognised the commercial potential of promoting items that they wore on a daily bases. They both look extremely similar as they both have dark hair and tall physiques. Their following grew rapidly in 6 years and are now on a following of 45k. They use high quality images instead of using their phone cameras to show the latest trends. This is a really useful thing to know when creating my own Instagram account. We Are Twinset also use “LIKEtoKNOW.it” The creators Philippa and Sarah make commission from using the “LIKEtoKNOW.it” link and are also paid by brands to wear and promote their items. 

To learn more about what made this a success WeareTwinset were contacted and Philippa Bloom replied.

She was asked:

 “How did you get your blog and Instagram to become successful?”

“It takes time to build up a following on the blog and Instagram (and commitment) but with time hastagging correct trending links finding your look and feel for your brand it builds up quite quickly.”

“Do you think Instagram is the most powerful forum for setting a trend?”

“Definitely, it’s free marketing for yourself!”

 “What do you attribute your success to?”

“We’ve always taken everything in our stride with WeourTwinset and we never take ourselves too seriously and enjoy every moment while it lasts. When we started the blog almost three years ago we never thought we would get to where we are now but with a lot of commitment, patience and respect for one another we’re pretty proud of ourselves…watch this space for 2017!”

Her answers demonstrated that a trend might not always be popular instantly and how hashtags can encourage followers to find the material on Instagram. It showed the power of social media to communicate to a broad range of people globally and instantly. It also implied the accessibility of this form of communication. Such information provided great insight into how WeareTwinset was developed and its ambitions for the future.

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Chiara Ferragni 

the blonde salad

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Sincerely Jules

instagram: sunshine_cafe