Keeping the Omaha Metro fashionable, one click at a time

The excitement of the holidays has come to an end, as students swap their festive winter wear and sparkling New Year’s attire for a thick stack of books and new course curriculum.

Thank goodness most have returned their fantastically-hideous holiday sweaters back to grandma, because a new line-up of 2013 trends are just around the corner.

In fact, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is just weeks away, which will showcase ready-to-wear looks by international designers, benchmarking the top trends for the spring season.

But, there is no need to purchase a pricey plane ticket to the Big Apple to see beautiful models donning wearable artwork in person.

Sure, a front row seat next to the editor of Vogue and a gift bag full of designer garb would be more than a dream, but thanks to the Internet and various social media outlets, clothing addicts and fashion bloggers can create a buzz of their own.

Some of Omaha’s most fashionable websites, including womenswear ecommerce site, Hello Holiday, as well as image consultant company and online shopping forum, Esoteric Velvet, have both taken a full grasp on the blogging scene to help showcase new products, looks, trends, news and everything fashion forward.

Omaha Fashion Week, which offers a platform for regional designers to showcase their collections bi-annually, revamped their website in 2011 and incorporated more blogging to interact and enhance the OFW fan-base.

“Our blog spot is a place where our fans can receive news on our designers, upcoming dates and events, and the inside scoop on whatever we feel like sharing that day,” Community Outreach Intern to the assistant producer of Omaha Fashion Week, Ali Babe said.

And, with Omaha Fashion Week gaining popularity more and more each year and becoming a prime attraction for fashion fans in the Midwest, the benefits of a blog are obvious.

“Today with the help of social media and blogs, you can reach a magnitude of people with a click of a button and make a larger impact,” Babe said.

Trendsetters and fashion junkies everywhere can use blogging to showcase their creativity and expression when it comes to piecing together their personal looks.

Popular fashion bloggers like Atlantic Pacific and The Satorialist have set a high standard for successful style blogs, which makes it clear that fashion blogging has created a tier of its own among the style savvy.

Plus, style blogs are great tool to help draw inspiration, update your closet and implement the must-have pieces of the season into your current wardrobe.

Anyone can create their own fashion forum, but shining through in a blogging world of the uber chic, can pose a challenge.

Fashion blogging isn’t always easy. Just ask recent UNO graduate and local style blogger Ellyse Coombes. Her blog, Running Late, offers carefully put together looks that are on-trend.

The talented fashion guru, who interned with designer label BCBGMAXAZRIA and helped backstage at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week last fall, has a closet to die for, a keen eye for fashion and a love for anything that shines.

Coombes started her blog endeavor by doing research. She followed popular style blogs for a few months and then decided to post her own looks onto her newly developed blog, Running Late, a year ago.

Drawing her main inspiration from Atlantic Pacific, Coombes said she probably would have never started her own, had she not discovered the talented style blogger.

“She is so adorable, and she inspired me so much!” Coombes said.

When it comes to taking blog photos, Coombes advised to get a decent camera.

“A good camera can make all of the difference because it can catch all the little details of an outfit that might be missed,” Coombes added.

Developing a sense of individual style independent from others is also important.

“Experiment with trends and make it your own,” Coombes said. “Don’t try to copy other people’s blogs or styles; just do what you love!”

Now, beneath the layered looks and glitz of accessories, fashion blogging isn’t a walk in the park, or runway, for that matter. Coombes said the most difficult aspect of blogging is finding time to take photos and a suitable location.

Another difficult part of blogging is gathering and maintaining followers, as everyone has a different style.

“It takes a while to build up a good base. I found that posting my blog on Chictopia has been very beneficial, and also pinning photos on Pinterest,” she added.

With these talented and local trendsetters, it’s safe to say Omaha is making its mark in the blogging world.

Watch out New York, these cornfields are turning into catwalks.