Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Justin,

I'm so glad to hear of your interest in fashion! It's a fast-paced, exciting industry that's constantly changing and fun to keep up with. To become a fashion expert, you need to look at trends from two different perspectives: as a consumer and as an industry insider. You need both views to get a full sense of what's coming and going. You can find the following publications at most bookstores, libraries, and newsstands.

Trade publications:

• Women's Wear Daily (WWD) Fairchild Publications The "Bible" of the fashion industry that offers top retail news and covers U.S. women's, children's, and European markets.
• Daily News Record (DNR)—Fairchild Publications A major source for the men's fashion industry. California Apparel News—California Fashion Publications A must to keep up with retail news and coverage of the West Coast market.
• Bobbin Magazine The standard for coverage of the textile industry.

Consumer publications:

• W
• Vogue
• Harper's Bazaar
• Elle
• Cosmopolitan
• Mademoiselle
• Paper
• Gentleman's Quarterly (GQ)
• Esquire

Most of these trade and consumer fashion publications also live online. To find them, simply search under the publication's name. Also check out these fashion sites that are only published on the Internet:

• Hint Fashion Magazine-Compelling fashion news and intelligent fashion commentary: http://www.hintmag.com
• Look Online-The insider's guide to the who, what, where, and why of the New York fashion industry: http://www.lookonline.com/
• Lumiere-A fashion and style magazine whose key staff and contributors are among the world's most respected fashion professionals: http://www.lumiere.com/
• Fashion Wire Daily-Daily newswire covering fashion and celebrity style: http://www.fashionwiredaily.com
• Also be sure to check out FIDM's Kool Connections, a huge list of links to industry web sites.

Lots of luck on your path to becoming a fashion expert. In the future, I might be asking you for advice!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl