I’m Starting a Fashion Blog—and I’m Learning Fashion From Scratch

By Spencer Whitelow

Okay, y'all...

I have decided to get into fashion.

Yes.

Fashion.

The clothes.

The designers.

The runway shows.

The celebrities.

The Fashion Weeks.

The outfits that make you say, “Oh, that's FABULOUS!”

And the outfits that make you stop, stare at your phone and say:

“Now what in the hell is going on here?”

😂

But here's the thing.

I'm not starting this blog because I'm an expert.

I'm starting it because I'm learning.

And I figured, why not learn out loud?

Welcome to My Fashion Experiment

I've been interested in fashion for a long time, but I've never considered myself somebody who knows everything about the fashion industry.

You know those people who can look at a jacket and immediately tell you the designer, the collection, the season, the inspiration behind it and probably what the designer had for breakfast?

Yeah...

That's not me.

😂

If somebody shows me an outfit and asks, "Who's the designer?"

I might be sitting there Googling it.

And you know what?

That's okay.

Because I'm beginning to realize that you don't have to be a fashion expert to be interested in fashion.

You just have to be curious.

And baby, I have questions.

LOTS of questions.

So What Made Me Start This Blog?

I've spent years writing about entertainment, reality television, celebrities and pop culture.

I've watched people become famous.

I've watched trends come and go.

I've watched celebrities completely reinvent themselves.

And one thing that has always been connected to entertainment is fashion.

Think about it.

A celebrity walks onto a red carpet.

Everybody starts talking about the outfit.

A singer releases a new video.

Suddenly everybody wants the clothes they're wearing.

A reality star shows up to an event in something dramatic.

And five minutes later, the internet is arguing about it.

Fashion isn't just clothing.

Fashion is part of the story.

That's what makes it interesting to me.

But Let's Talk About Fashion Week

Now this is where my curiosity REALLY kicks in.

New York Fashion Week.

I've watched it from the outside.

I've seen the photographs.

I've seen the celebrities.

I've seen the designers.

I've seen people walking into events looking like they're going somewhere extremely important.

And I've wondered:

How does somebody actually get in there?

Because let's be honest.

When you're looking from the outside, Fashion Week can look like an exclusive party where nobody gave you the address.

😂

Who's getting invited?

Who's buying tickets?

Which events are open to the public?

What do you wear?

Where do you stay?

How do you find the shows?

How do you meet people?

And most importantly...

Can somebody who isn't already famous actually participate?

Those are questions I want to explore.

I'm Starting From Scratch

That's why I keep saying this is a beginner's fashion blog.

I'm not going to pretend I'm coming into this knowing everything.

I'm starting from scratch.

I'm going to learn about designers.

I'm going to learn fashion terminology.

I'm going to study collections.

I'm going to learn about styling.

I'm going to research fashion events.

I'm going to look at celebrity outfits.

I'm going to figure out what makes an outfit work.

And sometimes I'm probably going to look at something and say:

“I don't understand it, but I'm going to learn.”

That's the whole point.

And Yes, We're Talking About Men's Fashion

One area I'm especially interested in is men's fashion.

Because sometimes men's fashion conversations can be a little...

boring.

There, I said it.

😂

Men's fashion can sometimes feel like:

Suit.

Shirt.

Tie.

Shoe.

Done.

No!

Let's have some fun.

Men can experiment with colors.

Patterns.

Accessories.

Sneakers.

Boots.

Jackets.

Hats.

Jewelry.

Different silhouettes.

Different styles.

And you don't have to spend thousands of dollars doing it.

I'm interested in learning how regular men can develop their own style without turning their bank account into a crime scene.

Because Let's Talk About Money

Fashion is beautiful.

But some of those prices?

CHILE.

😂

I'll see a jacket online for $2,500 and immediately start looking around the room like somebody is playing a joke on me.

I'm interested in affordable fashion because I know I'm not the only person who wants to look good without spending rent money on one outfit.

Can you build a good wardrobe on a budget?

Can you mix affordable clothing with designer pieces?

Can you find stylish clothes at regular stores?

Can you look fashionable without wearing a giant designer logo across your chest?

We're going to find out.

I'm Also Going to Talk About Celebrity Fashion

If you've followed my entertainment writing, you already know this was coming.

I'm going to talk about celebrity fashion.

Actors.

Singers.

Reality stars.

Influencers.

People on red carpets.

People walking into restaurants.

People showing up at Fashion Week.

We're going to look at the outfits and talk about them.

And yes, sometimes I'm going to love the look.

Sometimes I'm going to question the look.

And occasionally...

I'm going to need a moment.

😂

But I'll keep the conversation about the fashion.

Because there's a difference between criticizing an outfit and attacking the person wearing it.

We're here to have fun.

Fashion Doesn't Have to Be Intimidating

I think one of the biggest reasons people don't get into fashion is because it can seem intimidating.

You hear words you've never heard before.

You see designers you've never heard of.

You look at runway pictures and wonder why somebody is wearing something that looks like it belongs in a science-fiction movie.

And then you think:

“Maybe fashion just isn't for me.”

I don't believe that.

Fashion can be for everybody.

You don't have to understand everything.

You don't have to own expensive clothes.

You don't have to be skinny.

You don't have to be young.

You don't have to be famous.

And you definitely don't have to look like a runway model.

You can simply enjoy clothes.

You can enjoy putting outfits together.

You can enjoy discovering designers.

You can enjoy seeing what people are wearing.

That's enough.

I'm Learning the Language of Fashion

One of the first things I'm going to do is learn the language.

Because fashion has its own vocabulary.

Terms like:

Haute couture.

Ready-to-wear.

Silhouette.

Editorial.

Lookbook.

Front row.

Fashion house.

Showroom.

And about 500 other words that I'm probably going to have to Google.

😂

But I'm going to break these terms down in plain English.

No unnecessary fashion-industry dictionary.

No making beginners feel stupid.

If I learn something new, I'm going to explain it the way I'd want somebody to explain it to me.

My Goal Is to Eventually Experience It

This isn't just going to be research from behind a computer.

I want to experience fashion events.

I'm particularly interested in getting to New York Fashion Week.

But before I get there, there's a lot to learn.

I'm going to research events.

I'm going to learn about tickets.

I'm going to look into invitations.

I'm going to discover networking opportunities.

I'm going to figure out what people actually wear.

And I'm going to learn how beginners can get involved.

I'm not expecting the fashion industry to roll out a red carpet tomorrow.

I'm going to work my way toward it.

And that's what makes this journey interesting.

Spencer Learns Fashion

I've decided that one of the recurring themes of this blog is going to be:

SPENCER LEARNS FASHION

Think of it as my fashion classroom.

Except there are no exams.

😂

I'll take a topic and learn about it.

One week it might be a designer.

The next week it could be men's suits.

Then celebrity fashion.

Then Fashion Week.

Then affordable clothing.

Then maybe I'll discover some fashion trend and wonder why everybody suddenly decided they needed it.

I'll share what I learn.

And hopefully, you'll learn something too.

I Want You to Learn With Me

That's really the heart of this blog.

I'm not trying to talk down to beginners.

I'm one of you.

I'm asking questions.

I'm figuring things out.

I'm discovering things.

And I'm going to make mistakes.

But that's how you learn.

If you're somebody who has always wanted to understand fashion better, I want this blog to be a place where you can come and learn without feeling intimidated.

You might even teach me something.

And if you do?

Please leave a comment.

Because I don't know everything.

And I'm perfectly comfortable saying that.

From Chicago to New York

There's something exciting about starting this journey from Chicago.

Chicago has its own fashion scene, its own designers, its own events and its own style.

And eventually, I want to take what I'm learning here and bring it to New York.

I want to see what happens when a beginner fashion blogger starts showing up.

Not pretending to be somebody else.

Not pretending to have all the connections.

Just showing up curious, prepared and ready to learn.

Who knows where that could lead?

This Blog Is Going to Evolve

I expect this blog to change as I change.

Right now, I'm learning.

Six months from now, I hope I know considerably more.

A year from now?

Who knows?

Maybe I'll have attended fashion events.

Maybe I'll have met designers.

Maybe I'll have interviewed somebody.

Maybe I'll have developed a completely different personal style.

Maybe I'll finally understand why some of these runway outfits cost more than a car.

😂

But I'm excited to find out.

So Here We Go...

This is officially the beginning.

I'm starting a fashion blog.

I'm learning fashion from scratch.

I'm going to talk about men's fashion.

I'm going to talk about celebrities.

I'm going to talk about designers.

I'm going to talk about Fashion Week.

I'm going to talk about affordable style.

I'm going to talk about the fashion industry.

And I'm going to document the journey.

I don't know exactly where this road is going.

But that's part of the excitement.

Because sometimes you don't need to have the entire plan.

Sometimes you just need to take the first step.

And this is mine.

So welcome to the fashion blog.

Welcome to Spencer Learns Fashion.

And if you're learning too?

Pull up a chair.

We're about to have some fun.

Because honey...

Fashion is about to become another thing Spencer has an opinion about.

😂

What Do You Think?

Are you interested in fashion but don't know where to start?

Have you ever wanted to attend New York Fashion Week?

Do you have a favorite designer?

What's one fashion question you've always wanted answered?

Leave a comment and tell me.

And make sure you come back for the next post.

Because this fashion journey is just getting started.

Let's see where it takes us.