21 top fashion bloggers and designers on Tumblr

Fashion bloggers, designers and brands are all flocking to Tumblr. Moves earlier this year by the micro-blogging site to showcase the affinity between the photo-rich site and the world of fashion seem to have paid off.

After Tumblr brought 20 of its top bloggers to New York fashion week this season, the site has risen to popularity with high-profile fashionistas with Stefano Gabbana the latest designer to join.

A couple of years ago I posted about how fashion was trending on Twitter. Two years later in continues to be the most popular post on this site. But by mid 2011it’s apparent that Tumblr is the new meeting-place for fashion and new media.

Back in 2004 I joined Italian online fashion boutique, Yoox, as a press officer. In the mid noughties, reeling from the effects of the dot-com crash, not everyone got how new media could be used in the fashion industry.

Now online fashion stores like Asos and Net-a-porter are trailblazers, Conde Nast’s Style.com is as influential, if not more so than iconic brands such as Vogue and bloggers are seated on the front-row of shows alongside fashion editors and movie stars.

Here’s a round-up (in no particular order) of some of the more interesting Tumblr blogs I read. I’m looking to add to the list so do message me your suggestions:

1. McQ

The official Tumblr of McQ, the contemporary line by Alexander McQueen offers insights and updates on the brand. Best of all it doesn’t just-regurgitate content. Earlier this year McQ’s spring/summer 2011 campaign was unveiled through a series of entries on the brand’s Tumblr site. Clever!

2. Backyard Bill

This bearded photographer features stylish folks in their own clothes. It’s great antidote to the all the street-fashion sites that all seem so goddamn urban. Apparently the likes of GQ, Nylon, Vogue and Elle think so too.

3. Stefano Gabanna

Not content with ruling Twitter the prettier half of D&G has turned to Tumblr and oh lordy what a treat his site provides. Showcasing a mixture of pictures, videos, tweets and audio tracks, Gabanna has entered into what Swipe magazine is calling “a new frontier: personalized chains of content distribution”.

4. Styled On

Dubbed “Facebook for the fashion set,” by the New York Times, Styled On is in its own words a platform of social discovery for style-minded individuals and brands alike. The Tumblr blog promotes and features magazine content while also acting as an online collage of fashion news and miscellanea.

5. Nicola Formichetti

Gorgeous fashion editor and Lady GaGa stylist Formichetti shares photos of work and play from his travels around the globe plus snippets of inspiration.

6. Giambattista Valli

Rome-born designer shares his inspirations, behind the scenes photos. You get a sense of the designer off duty as well through his travel photos and shots uploaded from his mobile

7. Elle

Street-chic, must-have items and the latest trends from the US edition of the magazine.

8. Oscar De La Renta

Undoubtedly one of the best fashion blogs that Tumblr has to offer. From inside the atelier to backstage at the show to sneak peeks at De La Renta’s book collection, the super stunning PR girl who writes this blog gives ODL obsessives everything they could ever want. Warning – this chick’s wardrobe will cause serious envy.

9. Regular Ol Ty

Ty is the owner of downtown Chicago store Leaders 1534. Featuring streetwear, great shoes and cool video clips. I wish my boyfriend dressed like this!

10. Neonico

Fresh out of Brazil, Neonico is written by some of the most gorgeous bloggers ever. Obviously this isn’t a reason to follow this Tumblr blog, but it helps. Other reasons include delicious photos and well-sourced video clips.

11. V magazine

Fashion institution V magazine is an insane and unpredictable mix of people, places, and things that V celebrates in its pages. The beautifully designed blog promotes the magazine’s content.

12. The Business of Fashion

The daddy of Tumblr fashion blogs. This site gives you the inside scoop on the latest moves and trends within the industry. Imran Amed’s site features must-read interviews with industry insiders and is very strong on technology. Subscribe to its daily email newsletter.

13. Alexa Chung id

A perfect example of the web serving niche interests. The blog ID’s outfits worn by style icon in the making, Alexa Chung.

14. Nova Style

On this super cool and always au courant site, Jillian Hobbs gathers the best of fashion, inspirations and beauty from around the web.

15. Another Fashion Book

As Tumblr makes it so easy to regurgitate content, many of the fashion sites can be very derivative. I’m not that there’s anything wrong with this per se but the end effect can often be samey sites that fail to bring anything new to the table.

Not Another Fashion Book. Run by Antwain, a fashion student from Baltimore, the site features a mixture of fashion, celebrity and super-chic black folk.

16. Nickel Cobalt

A veritable smorgasbord of stylish pictorial treats.

17. Les Femmes

Beautiful portraits. Perhaps more about women and less about fashion but definitely worth following.

18. CFDA

That the Council of Fashion Designers of America has chosen Tumblr for its blog perhaps epitomises the extent to which the micro-blogging platform has been embraced by fashionistas. Great for news, behind the scenes photos and video interviews.

19. Milk Studios

Milk, one of the world’s premiere photography studios, stands at the crossroads of fashion, photography, art and media. The Milk Made blog  features written editorial and blog posts, exclusive photo commissions, cell phone content, and an interactive events calendar.

20. Fashion Gone Rogue

One of Tumblr’s big boys. This much-visited site  collates some of the hottest fashion photography from around the globe.

21. Create the Group

Named one of the ‘Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Fashion’ by Fast Company, Create the Groups’ blog isn’t strictly fashion. But given that the agency has its finger on the pulse of everything that matters it is definitely a site that matters.