<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Read the full article and then meet more of our favorite fashion bloggers.\n\nTrophy Club, Texas, 30 miles outside of Dallas, isn't exactly the style capital of the country. \"My friends aren't into fashion at all,\" laments sixteen-year-old local Jane Aldridge, who prefers moody Ann Demeulemeester ensembles to Abercrombie &amp;amp; Fitch. \"They're embarrassed to go out with me!\" And with a school-uniform policy in effect Monday through Friday, this runway aficionada often finds herself quite literally all dressed up with no place to go. What's a Balmain-worshipping girl in the middle of the suburbs to do? Start a blog, of course.\n\nSince last summer Jane's site, Sea of Shoes\u2014part style diary, part shopping wish list, part virtual inspiration board, and always with an emphasis on to-die-for footwear (\"There's something really compelling about shoes,\" she explains. \"I collect them and keep them on shiny shelves, like miniature works of art\")\u2014has bloomed into a cult Internet hit, drawing up to 25,000 visitors a day and connecting Jane and her dream closet with a more clothes-conscious crowd. But despite all the high-fashion houses she regularly name-checks on the site, Jane says, \"I get lots of e-mails from girls telling me they really like how I work in my thrift-store finds.\"\n\nThe recent explosion in the presence and popularity of personal-style blogs\u2014often featuring high-low mis and anonymous labels\u2014means that with each page view, girls are registering it's not what you wear that counts, but how you wear it. And those who wear it best are emerging as fashion's new stars. \"The fact that bloggers are real girls with normal clothing budgets is probably more inspiring than looking at pictures of celebrities with seemingly endless resources,\" surmises Rumi Neely, 24, of Fashion Toast, a style site that has served as a model for many young girls getting in to the game. Scores of fans have also been attracted to blogs displaying DIY ingenuity, from sixteen-year-old Camille R.'s superchic sewing projects at Childhood Flames to Arabelle Sicardi's resourceful takes on runway trends at Fashion Pirates. Arabelle, sixteen, most recently brought high-concept style to the halls of her New Jersey school by re-creating a Comme des Gar\u00E7ons skirt from a bunched-up tablecloth. \"My look can be kind of wild,\" she admits. \"Sometimes I'll try things out just because I'm curious what the reaction will be.\" Cautions Rumi, \"You've got to have a thick skin if you want to start a blog.\" Like so many areas of the Web, the conversation can turn nasty quickly, and it takes a certain attitude to rise above it all. \"I would never change out of something just because it got a bad response,\" Arabelle says. \"You need to realize that people who leave mean messages ... they're just anonymous people on the Internet who would probably never have the courage to put pictures of themselves up there.\"\n\nLuckily for the camera-shy, starting a fashion blog doesn't necessarily mean making yourself the main attraction. When it comes to her site, Bunny Bisous and in-depth reviews of her favorite runway looks. \"I feel like there aren't a lot of younger voices out there covering the shows in person,\" she says. \"The spirit and camaraderie don't come across from just looking at a snapshot on a runway site, and I want to share that energy with my readers.\"\n\nGaining access to events and connecting with industry idols, from models to designers, is definitely a perk for some bloggers. But what if you found out your fashion hero was actually one of your biggest fans? Style blogs have grown into such an important force that even major names are logging on. When Phillipines-based BryanBoy aired a homemade video tribute to Marc Jacobs on his cheeky self-titled blog, the designer himself reached out to let Bryan know that he was an avid reader. A few days after the Marc Jacobs Fall 2008 show, Jacobs e-mailed Bryan again, to tell him he was naming one of the bags from the collection\u2014an ostrich satchel\u2014the \"BB\" in his honor. \"When I found out, I couldn't sleep for days,\" Bryan says. \"Marc sent me the original prototype from the show via courier from New York, in a box bigger than a fridge, and I literally had tears running down my face when I opened it.\" While not many bloggers have such fairy-tale fan encounters, many are reaching new levels of celebrity. \"I've been approached while I'm having lunch or shopping by people who follow my blog, and I always feel bashful,\" says Karla Deras, nineteen, who posts her outfits on her blog, Karla's Closet. \"I just can't believe anyone recognizes me!\" Fortunately, most bloggers report that\u2014even as their profiles have risen\u2014their privacy, so far, has not been an issue. And where parents are concerned, most are more worried about schoolwork than safety. \"At first my mom wanted me to focus on my grades instead of my blog. But now that she understands how important it is to me, she's okay with it,\" Arabelle says.\n\nFor anyone thinking of adding her own style site to the increasingly crowded Webscape, veteran bloggers recommend that, as with your look, it's important to do your own thing. \"You need to find your voice, to set yourself apart,\" Julia says. And even though the atmosphere can be tough, they say the fashion-blogging community itself couldn't be more supportive. \"I'm good friends with Tavi, from the blog Style Rookie, and sometimes I'll ask her opinion on something like new graphics I've created,\" Arabelle says. But she's quick to add, \"Tavi's one of the only people I take advice from. My blog is my baby!\"\n\nMeet more of our favorite fashion bloggers &amp;gt;&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/story/teen-fashion-bloggers>