Who Are Today's Fashion Authorities?
On the decline of fashion media
The days of gatekeeping fashion information are over! Today, thanks to Substack-powered journalism and the accessibility of social content, a wave of independent fashion journalists, podcasters, writers and editors are challenging legacy media with in-depth, thought-provoking, forward-thinking work that fosters two-way conversations and highly engaged communities. The effect is already disrupting the current fashion media model.
Join me as I discuss what's missing from mainstream fashion media, what gets lost when advertisers control the narrative, and the future of the industry. I will be in conversation with the illustrious Marjon Carlos (podcast host, journalist and brand consultant), Alyssa Vingan (writer, editor and former EIC of Fashionista and NYLON) and Devine Blacksher (senior fashion editor at ESSENCE).
If you are able to attend, please RSVP here.
The Decline of Fashion Media
When I think about who today’s fashion media authorities are, the editors at Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar or Women’s Wear Daily no longer come to mind. This would be different decades ago when these publications published hard-hitting writing and journalism that didn’t pander to the power brokers’ whims. John Fairchild, the man credited with making WWD a success, was famous for his biting criticism of the industry. He used to assign letter grades to designer collections and did not mince words when they didn’t meet his standards. “On the whole, I think the fashion press’s power—and WWD’s in particular—is greatly overrated,” he wrote in his 1989 memoir, “Chic Savages.”
Fairchild would not recognize the WWD of today. As a 2014 New York Times article points out, his ruthless scrutiny of socialites during the ‘60s and ‘70s has been replaced with images of celebrities wearing designer brands, and the fashion reviews are more descriptive than critical. Luca Solca, the industry’s favorite luxury analyst, was quoted saying that WWD’s fashion show reviews “while balanced, are not the most critical out there.”
Case in point: the review of Ralph Lauren’s Spring/Summer 2025 show, arguably the most prominent show on the New York Fashion Week calendar. In the words of WWD’s West Coast Executive Director Booth Moore:
The nearly eight hours of total travel time from Manhattan to Bridgehampton and back, the day before the official start of New York Fashion Week, left a lot of the fashion crowd frustrated. And if Lauren plans to move into this phase of brand building permanently, he will need to also compete with the comfort, hospitality and amenities that European luxury brands offer guests during their multi-day destination shows in far-flung locales.
Why is this information relevant? Perhaps to meet Google’s SEO word count? The last sentence also gives me a pause. Imagine having the privilege to be shuttled to Ralph Lauren’s private beach property to cover his über-exclusive show and complaining about the “still very luxurious by most standards” accommodations? Kind of tone deaf, isn’t it? The rest of the article reads like a press release featuring the expected words “preppy” “sportswear” and “iconic.” Fairchild would’ve been mortified by the dullness.
Although the fashion publications of yore still preyed on women’s insecurities, the writing showcased a degree of realness and self-reflection that encouraged readers to think for themselves. They had a point of view and earned their authority by defending it. To think Vogue published an essay by Susan Sontag in 1978, underscoring the superficiality of fashion photography (the very style of photography that made Vogue famous):
Fashion referred to how people behaved, as well as how they looked. Now, fashion is hardly at all about what people do but almost exclusively about how they appear—and where they are seen. It has become something that is almost entirely visual—that is, photographic. As fashion becomes pure appearance, it finds its perfect summing-up in photographs. What people understand of fashion is now mostly set by photographic images. More and more, fashion is fashion photography.
When was the last time you read something as thought-provoking on Vogue? You’re more likely to come across this substance at a general interest newspaper or a niche underfunded fashion publication or print magazine nowadays.
Furthermore, the lack of diverse voices continues to plague mainstream fashion media, limiting the scope of coverage and filtering multicultural stories through a white lens. It’s why editors often make a spectacle out of non-white designers’ identities rather than their actual talent. We are constantly reminded that a POC creative is great first and foremost because they’ve managed to break through the noise as members of a racialized group, and not just because of their sharp tailoring or expertise in cuts.
In its inaugural white paper “On Women’s Media”, newly launched publication HURS found that readers are actually craving that “multitude of voices, opinions, and narratives that are a reflection of what’s happening in the real world.” In fact, 56% of the people they spoke to want to understand a topic from multiple points of view from a diverse group.
All these issues, plus the elitist approach many publications still employ when sharing serviceable shopping content, have contributed to the decline of fashion media. While the industry still seeks the glossies’ validation (which is more about power structures than merit), their cultural relevance certainly has waned.
The New Guard of Fashion Authorities
Although I keep up with the aforementioned magazines for general information, my favorite sources of fashion and fashion-adjacent content are independent writers, podcasters and journalists who can contextualize the subject with their thorough research and encyclopedic knowledge of fashion history and business. This is where my speakers come in. Their work is refreshingly honest, discerning, considered and approachable. Take Marjon Carlos’ “Enough With the Mob Wife Aesthetic” piece on Substack, or Alyssa Vingan’s podcast episode with Amanda Mull on the trend story industrial complex, or any of the articles Devine has commissioned for ESSENCE (I wrote a few myself, including this, this and this).
I hope you’ll be able to come hear them speak about their work in person. As a reminder, RSVP here if you can attend the panel.
PS: There are so many more people whose work I follow and admire. My friends Avery Trufelman and Viv Chen also come to mind.
Let me know if you’d like me to make a full list of who I consider fashion authorities today and I’ll get to it at some point.
Recommended Reads:
Until next time,
Shelcy
"When was the last time you read something as thought-provoking on Vogue?" — sometimes I go to the Vogue website and always wish I could find something truly deep and substantive. It's hard to feel like it's the same publication for which Joan Didion wrote "On Self-Respect."
honored to be mentioned, wish i could be there for the event!