The Sartorialist: Closer

In the grand scheme of the world’s existence, blogging is still an incredibly new concept. After all, the widely available World Wide Web as we know it only became accessible in the late ’90s, but even then less than half of the United States’ population was using the Internet. It wasn’t until the early 2000 when we first saw people talking online about what they were wearing — and what others were wearing — in any serious way.

These days, though, bloggers are a dime a dozen. Some may argue that’s both good and bad. Good because it gives everyday people an outlet to express themselves and their interests; bad because it’s harder to sift through the mass of bloggers to find quality material.

The Stylish City is going briefly going back in time — before insta-post sites like Tumblr or Instagram — to highlight some of NYC’s most Influential fashion bloggers. This mini series features writers who were ahead, perhaps even pioneers, of the fashion blogging boom. Some of the below have reached levels of fame they seem worthy of. Others we can’t help but ask, “Why are these bloggers so successful?” Either way, they all have something in common: they’ve influenced the fashion world.

For today’s installation, we’re featuring The Sartorialist. Stay tuned for features on Manolo’s Shoe Blog, Bryanboy, Man Repeller and Advanced Style.

The Sartorialist

NY native Scott Schuman became an Internet sensation with his world-famous street fashion blog, “The Sartorialist“, launched eight years ago in the September of 2005.

Schuman had previously worked in fashion sales, but left the job to take care of his daughter. The dad originally set out to meet and take pictures of people he met on the streets of NYC as a hobby, but the blog picked up a lot of steam and catapulted him into a full-time career of style photography. In fact, shortly after the blog’s inception, it began receiving a whopping 3 million hits per month.

Thanks to Shuman, people don’t just look to carefully crafted magazine glossies for their fashion inspiration fix; they look to everyday people who wear clothes in extraordinary ways.

The man credited with pioneering fashion photography in blog form has since inspired myriad street style blogs and visitors continue flocking to his website for both fashion inspiration and pure entertainment.

Where is The Sartorialist today?:

Schuman’s still taking to the streets today, but he’s become quite the world traveler. The Sartorialist now features pictures from all over the world’s hottest fashion capitals. He’s also published a book titled “The Sartorialist: Closer“, which features prominent style authorities and everyday people whose outfits deserve a closer look.

Since he was catapulted to fame, he’s collaborated with myriad fashion campaigns, not limited to DKNY Jeans, Burberry and The Gap. He also does work for Saks Fifth Avenue, Conde Nast and French Vogue.

It should be noted that Garance Dore, Shuman’s girlfriend, is also a pioneer in the burgeoning field of fashion blogging. Like Schuman, Dore photographs street style and the two serve as a sort of power blogger couple.

Why is this blogger successful?

Clearly, Shuman knows how to wield a camera. His camera know-how, paired with his eye for fashion and ability to get strangers to pose for him, makes The Sartorialist an automatic hit. The fact that he’s a pioneer in the world of impromptu “street style” fashion shoots made — and continues to make — his blog a wild success. He’s given a voice, of sorts, to everyday people doing fashion well, and we love that.

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By Wendy Rose Gould