Once upon a time, fashion lovers had to wait until mid-month, when their favourite style magazines hit the newstands, before they got to ogle over new designer trends.

But thanks to social media, blogs and the internet that’s now a thing of the past.

These days you need only type a few words into your search engine to find daily fashion tips and advice from around the world — thanks to bloggers like Brazil’s Lala and Maria Rudge to South Africa’s Diana Moss.

Bermudian fashionistas have also decided to get in on the action, regularly showcasing how they can take overseas trends and give them a unique island twist. The Royal Gazette caught up with three local bloggers to find out about their sites and how they hope to inspire Bermudians to step out the box when it comes to their style.

Tamara Bradshaw started her fashion blog ‘On Pink Shores’ three years ago as part of a class assignment at Full Sail University.

Although she’d been interested in fashion from as far back as middle school, she quickly found the project sparked something deep within her.

Now Miss Bradshaw gets to regularly express her ‘passion for fashion’, as well as document how her style has changed from being a college student to entering the ‘real world’. It’s not always easy to see that style evolution and she said: “I look back and wonder ‘What was I thinking sometimes?’”.

She also blogs about travel and admitted her dream is to one day explore new places and share about their culture and style.

Miss Bradshaw, 23, said the one thing she tries to do with her blog is stay true to herself.

“Something I would hope people take away from my posts, is to be themselves and don’t be afraid to stand out or do something you are really interested in,” she said.

“I have days where my fashion isn’t the ‘typical’ Bermuda style, but that doesn’t stop me from wearing it or posting about it.”

She also likes to bring awareness to new brands that she stumbles upon, especially if they happen to be Bermuda based.

“I love promoting our own designers and businesses, we have so much amazing talent,” she said.

She described Bermuda as having “one big whirlpool of fashion” and said locals tend to take inspiration from everywhere and then give it their own little twist.

But she has noticed Bermudians aren’t as interested as designer brands as some other parts of the world.

“Everyone loves a little Louis Vuitton, but generally, I think most Bermudians care more about style more than fashion — even on those days when they just throw something together,” she said. “I find that those tend to be my favourite outfits compared to outfits I plan. Lazy day or dressed up day, Bermudians love to look good. Who doesn’t? It makes you feel great about yourself.”

She encourages people to explore their own personal style, rather then pulling from exactly what they see on celebrities or in magazines.

“It’s always nice to be in with the trends, but put your own twist on it and experiment a bit,” she said. “Personally I don’t really follow trends, and when I do pick up a trend I’m usually late with it, but it doesn’t bother me one bit, because that is when it truly reflects me.

“So my advice, step out of the box and be daring, but always stay true to who you are.”

www.tmaraxo.com

Fashion blogger Sammy Blakemore has been interested in fashion since she was a little girl.

She used to spend hours in her room taking all the clothes out of her closet and creating new outfits — in fact she still does that today.

So it’s no surprise that when she got a university assignment to create a fashion blog last December, she ended up loving it.

Nine months on, Miss Blakemore is still enjoying the process of writing — and finds it ‘really cool’ to hear other people enjoy reading it just as much she likes working on it.

Her biggest goal is to inspire people to be themselves and wear whatever clothes they want.

She said: “I read a quote somewhere the other day that said ‘Life is too short to wear boring clothes’. And I thought it was perfect!

“Life is way too short to worry whether or not someone else will like your outfit, if you feel confident in it, go for it!”

She said the typical Bermudian’s style is very relaxed, comfortable and effortless. But that doesn’t mean they don’t care about what they’re wearing.

“I think that Bermudians care a lot about fashion,” she said. “Every event is used as an excuse to buy a new outfit and everyone wants to look their best.

“I have to say that Bermudians are not shy about mixing their colours and patterns, especially during the summer. But I’d love to see more locals following more of the overseas trends. It’s so much fun to put your own twist on outfits that you’ve seen on blogs and in magazines and make them your own!”

Miss Blakemore is actually in her final year studying journalism and media studies in the UK. Her dream is to become a fashion journalist, but she admitted being a full time blogger didn’t sound too bad either.

www.samanthablakemore.net

Aspiring journalist and fashion lover, Zaire Morris, didn’t feel there were enough opportunities in Bermuda to develop and practice her writing skills — so she took matters into her own hands.

The 18-year-old started designing her first fashion blog in February of this year and then published it on April 1.

Miss Morris said she hoped people would learn from her blog and realise that “sometimes you have to create a path for yourself in order to make it or be discovered”.

“I would also like it to encourage people to express their style and creativity,” she said.

She described the typical Bermudian’s style as vibrant. “I have found that a lot of Bermudian’s are good with colour blocking, and adding a touch of patterns to their day-to-day outfits,” she said.

“I think they care a lot about fashion because, being that the Island is so small, people are always finding ways to stand out in a crowd.”

If she could see any change in the way locals dress it would be having more modesty, especially with teenagers.

She said: “Sometimes we forget that the way we dress is the way society views us. It is always important to always make a good first impression because you never know when you’re going to meet a potential employer.”

Miss Morris said she hopes more people will follow her blog seeing that it details her journey. But she also wants it to be a two-way dialogue, where viewers can share their new ideas and trends — be it in fashion, art, poetry or music.

“In the future, I’d like to intern for various fashion magazines, so that I can gain more experience in the journalism field,” she said. “I would also like to work with local designers and develop new trends and outfits in Bermuda. My ultimate goal is to become a lifestyle or fashion journalist.”

www.sincerelyzie.weebly.com