the fashion writer's survival guide
...why i sometimes can't stand reading fashion substacks. 8 nuggets of wisdom from jesica, emily and yours truly!
Hi guys! Today we’re going on a little desk tour across the country to talk about what it’s like to write about fashion on substack. Featuring Jesica Elise of A Sunday Journal, Emily North of angel cake, and myself.
I asked Jesica and Emily a bunch of nosy questions about how they come up with things to write about, a peek into their draft folders and what they really wanna write about one day. They shared their experiences with so much care and generosity. Then I took it high-level, looking for shared themes and common gripes, distilling the conversation into 8 nuggets of wisdom. A sort of fashion writer’s survival guide, if you will.
First off! Get to know us better with this desk + drafts tour:
Now, the survival guide.
1) write for yourself and no one else.
Me: It’s the only way to sustain a writing practice long-term and not end up hating it or burning out. As someone who started writing about fashion 3 years ago, the “slow and steady” mindset is critical to my mental health. I’ve joked that some of my pieces have been flops because it can feel demoralizing when you put energy into something and it just does not resonate with people (which is okay). Once I start anxiously wondering “what do people want to read about…” it’s extremely self-sabotaging. You’ll write what you think people want to read and then feel resentment towards readers the whole time because you’re writing out of external pressure and projections. It’s not fair to you or your readers.
And tbh, I don’t think people know what they want to read about. As a reader myself I could not tell you. I just want passion and emotional honesty. I would rather read a spirited, obsessive essay about the history of air conditioning than a “fashion” post that’s dry as a toenail clipping. You know??
Emily: I really do think I write for myself. I wrote Angel Cake for almost a year with barely any subscribers and loved every second of it. Writing is one of the only ways I can truly get into a flow state and work through thoughts I would otherwise push away through some kind of distraction. I love substack!!!!!!
I think the piece I am proudest of is one of my least popular essays funnily enough, it’s a love letter to the king of prussia mall which was where I grew up. The piece explores the formative relationship with my grandmother and all my pivotal coming of age moments that happened at the mall. It is definitely niche, but it is really special to me and I think my grandmother would be very proud of it <3
Jesica posted this quote on her IG:
2) frustrated? annoyed? write about it.
Jesica: The Fashion Industry™ thrives on status insecurity and our very human desire to feel secure in our social position. As a matter of fact, the very notion of fashion exists to separate and define, tacitly reinforcing every form of discrimination we experience. However, I never want to lead with bitterness and frustration because fashion and style is fun (or at least should be); therefore, my goal is always to raise awareness from a place that keeps things positive. Now, whether I succeed or not is another story!
Fashion theory provides language for a lot of what we feel but do not necessarily have the language for in terms of our relationship to clothing, style, and presentation. When I discovered it years ago, I felt like Neo in the Matrix! We all participate in this system of communication, but never learn how to understand or function within it. Of course there are books on dress codes, which only reinforce the notion that the system exists; however, those codes only answer the question of what. Fashion theory addresses the thornier problem of why.
Me: Lol so many of my pieces originally come from my raging bitch mode triple water sign emotions. I don’t show my anger through writing very much, but maybe I should try doing that more…
Jesica really hit the nail on the head re: writing from a place of wanting to break down oppressive systems that seep into our everyday interactions with fashion. I am seeing more voices within fashion Substack that weave in these themes and concepts…examining why we are drawn to certain status signifiers, how white supremacy and capitalism benefit from our feelings of insecurity, etc. I love that people are talking about it, because industry publications won’t. If you’re frustrated about something chances are thousands of other people are in your exact boat, and it feels healing to have that emotion seen through writing.
Some of Emily’s most popular essays come from a collective sense of frustration with dating. Turning it over to her—
Emily: I think dating in general is a hot topic right now…the overarching vibe from anyone single is that things are horrible. I personally love being single so I find it fascinating to write about but I think a lot of people are craving a shift in the way we date which is why that content is so alluring.
3) nurture the half-baked ideas (especially the ones you joke about).
Jesica: I have joked for the past year that I should write a romance novel heavily based on the world of Rick Owens. His models are otherworldly, spellbinding. It just makes sense.
Emily: On a serious note I want to write about the double edged sword of hyper-independence, I am a very independent person which I always really valued but there are obviously some serious trade-offs with that which I am realizing more and more as I get older. On a lighter note I really want to write about the evolution of the airport outfit, I LOVE dissecting airport paparazzi outfits especially from the 90s. I do think we are at a societal decline solely based on the way we dress at the airport…stay tuned for that.
4) not everything is about white people.
Me: Fashion media is very white. Magazine editors are still by and large, white women. So when BIPOC writers or fashion creators express themselves in these spaces, our expression is often misread/misconstrued because of this default lens of whiteness. Like, I hope that people don’t think I am actually trying to be a Diane Keaton Nancy Meyers lady I wear menocore style clothing. I’m Asian, so parts of my cultural identity will always inform my writing and style, even if I’m not writing about things that are “explicitly” Asian (ex: qipao dress, dragon motifs).
Jesica: We have been taught to see whiteness as the default. Any expression – particularly that which may be deemed aspirational – must be attributed to white people. That’s how white supremacy works. However, people of the global majority have many cultural influences and often employ these references reflexively. It is a hard thing to grasp without having decentered whiteness in one’s thinking. Often people do not recognize how heavily they lean on stereotypes to inform their understanding of someone’s presentation, seeing their biases as “public memory” and not racism.
Not everything is about white people. Actually, most things aren’t about white people and that’s okay.
Me: I asked Jesica about the piece she is proudest of writing, since she has penned the best fashion theory essays in our modern times.
Jesica: Probably “Fashion Theory According to RHONY: Jessel Is Us” because I know Jessel Taank subscribed just to read it. I love her style and how beautifully she infuses her cultural background into her presentation. I cannot wait to see her in the next season of Real Housewives of New York.
5) consume everything but fashion.
Me: Sometimes I actually can’t stand reading fashion content on Substack lol. It’s because my brain desperately needs a break from always thinking about fashion. Palate cleanser. I think about clothes all the time, and naturally it becomes fatiguing. Also, I feel very creatively stuck when all I consume are other fashion articles and essays. It also triggers this anxiety that “everyone has written everything there is to write about.” I like to jump around the Substack categories and click on random stuff. Confuse the algorithm. I’ll read Faith. I’ll read Humor. I’ll read Environment. This will knock something loose in my brain.
Jesica: I truly have no idea what the fashion category on Substack looks like beyond a few extremely well-written and interesting ones. I wholeheartedly follow Sally Singer’s advice via Lynn Yaeger and consume everything but fashion to understand it as a system and an industry. I am sure there are not enough Black writers, though. There are never enough Black writers.
6) give your writing space to evolve.
Me: I remember when Emily used to do these “what i wore to the office” roundup posts. There were these fun long titles, like fuzzy bunny stilettos, complimentary dum-dum lollipops in my depop order, and a really good pink satin skirt…
Then she started writing all these fabulous essays, and now she also does an advice column. I find her substack evolution so interesting and refreshing.
Emily: When I started angel cake I was under the impression that I could and should only write about fashion. I work in fashion and have made loving it a large part of my personality (for better or for worse), and because of that I assumed that this was the only area I had any right to speak on. I think the first thing I published which was so starkly different to anything in the realm of fashion was the dance floor makeout essay- I really doubted even publishing and probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for my friends telling me I should ~just do it~. I say this to make the point that sometimes we force ourselves into a box in an effort to feel comfortable that we are something (i.e. a fashion person or a music person or a sports person)- but we are a lot of things!!!!!!!!! Accepting this duality has kind of organically veered me away from the prior structure my substack held which was discussing things I couldn’t stop thinking about like the fuzzy bunny stilettos and dum-dum lollipops in my depop order.
The advice column was born out of the fact that I have always wanted to write one, but never thought I would have the platform to (love you substack <3). My friends always tell me I give really good advice, but that I never take that advice myself (something I should probably work on but in the meantime I’m going to keep writing). I’m also a middle child which means I love listening to others. I wanted to build out a paid tier of my substack and dedicate more time to it but didn’t want to take anything away from my free readers… and thus, the advice column was born. It also is a really special way to connect with readers on a deeper level…I really just want to be friends with my readers so this is my secret way of doing that.
7) writing isn’t always fun.
Me: Okay, so I feel like we all have established that writing can be like pulling teeth sometimes. For me typical work session is 10% typing and 90% staring at the screen, flicking around different ebay tabs, getting a snack, bothering my dog or my dog bothering me. And then there’s the post-publish emotional rollercoaster. It’s out in the world now and you are on the receiving end of reactions, positive or negative.
Jesica: I do whinge a bit (privately) when people treat my content as opinion pieces. In those instances I want to take a photo of the stack of books and academic papers I have read to come up with this 60-second or 1,000 word “perspective”.
Emily: I definitely feel overwhelmed sometimes, particularly in the summer. A secret about me is that I usually start writing and publish my Sunday essay that same day.. so if I send it out at 9pm that usually means I’m ~stressed~. I try to go to the beach a lot in the summer which cuts into prime writing time, but I am trying to reframe those moments of resentment and stress…No one is forcing me to write and whenever I do carve out the time and just do it I am quickly reminded why I love it so much.
It’s funny because every single week I think to myself, “WHAT AM I GOING TO WRITE??” and slightly panic. All my friends have heard me groan and say, “I don’t think I’m going to write anything this week I don’t know what to say”. The second I stop thinking about it is when an idea comes to me.
I guess that just goes to show, when I stop ruminating, things come naturally and everything simply works out. I’m trying to be better at viewing my life with more of an observant eye instead of just “going with the flow” and I think the way my essays have leaned more critical is in some way a product of that.
I also am trying to pay more attention to not only what I like but why I am drawn to it, which is where a lot of my writing is centered around lately. In my piece about brat summer I tried to not just gush about how much I love Charli xcx (which I could have done at nauseum), but also explore why this album resonated with me so much.
8) at the end of the day we’re all just floating on a rock.
Me: Being perceived online can be really scary. Sometimes I post a photo or a thought and feel too exposed, too vulnerable. There are personal things I probably will never feel comfortable writing about on here (that’s ok, privacy and boundaries are healthy). But when you write something and it sparks authentic human connection with a reader, it makes it worth it. It is ok that not everyone wants subscribe or read my writing. I’m not for everyone, and don’t want to be.
Emily: I think I’ve learned that I am a lot more confident than I thought… Someone I know recently started a substack and posted it to instagram with the caption, “read if you care I guess”, and I really hate that sentiment… stand behind your work!!!!!! Everyone has a right to say something, and even if it does not resonate with everyone, that is none of your business.
I will say I have a special ability to publish work without considering how I will be perceived, which I acknowledge sounds crazy, but we’re all just existing on floating on a rock!!! I think about that instagram story response from Jemima Kirke where she said “I think you guys might be thinking about yourselves too much” all the time. We ARE thinking about ourselves too much!!! Publish your drafts!!!
Join the convo! Tell us where your creative ideas come from…a peek into your drafts…or which unpublished draft you can’t wait to read :)
xoxo
viv
my heart is bursting. gonna be re-reading this multiple times like a total creep and having ZERO SHAME ABOUT IT
thank you so much for having me!!!!! EVERYONE PUBLISH YOUR DRAFTS