Charming influencer and founder of The Parisian Man blog, Rudy Lauer unveiled for us the world of men's fashion blogs.
How did the blog story begin?
When I was twelve, my parents held a kiosk in the south of France, and I enjoyed looking through the fashion magazines. I was fascinated by the combination of colours and textures! The hobby turned into an addiction, an addiction turned into a career.
For fifteen years I have been working as a commercial director in pret-à-porter. I have learnt how to select clothes and work with silhouettes. At some point, I started to take photos of interesting looks with my phone and post them on Instagram. And then, I realised that the picture with the associated well-written text would turn into a mini fashion guide. So the blog was born: the transition seemed really natural.
What was the world of fashion blogs like when you started out seven years ago?
At that time, the world of male blogs was empty, there were no more than two or three good ones. I saw that there was a demand for fashion bloggers, people in Instagram were getting interested in where I found clothes for my pictures.
And how is this world changing today?
Nowadays, men's fashion blogs doubled, the new generation is pretty efficient, ideally organised and well-coordinated. Today's bloggers are better diversifying, they cover different themes from street-style to hi-tech.
"I was fascinated by the combination of colours and textures.
The hobby turned into an addiction, an addiction turned into a career".
What are the main differences between male and female blogging?
The very first difference is in the content itself. Female bloggers often write personal, almost intimate posts: about makeup, romantic trips, underwear. Male bloggers, on the contrary, do not cover the subject of underwear at all. In men's blogs beauty products tips remain quite niche. Travelling is our common point, but hi-tech, cars and music are still the prerogative of men's blogs. Secondly, the relations between male bloggers remain very friendly and respectful, without subjective criticism, while competitive spirit prevails between female bloggers. Also, female bloggers normally write longer posts than male ones, they have a better frequency of posts as well.
Can this be explained by the rivalry?
Good question ... I do not even know. I would say that a woman's blog is initially similar to a diary, where she shares her secrets of beauty and writes about something more personal. A male blogger writes about things he likes from the "outer" world: there is a great car, these are great headphones.
You explore different styles on your blog. And which is your favourite one?
At the moment I am keen on Scandinavian style, the minimalism and the symmetry. I started to be drawn to simplicity with captivating details. Beneath the colours, I prefer grey, black, deep blue, pastel pink.
What trends do you think will blow up the men's fashion this season?
Pale pink colour! This puddly pink has already been appearing for two seasons in men's collections of luxury brands, and it clearly starts to seep into the mass market. I recently did a collaboration with Asos wearing an interesting pink velour bomber!
Oversize clothes and the light nostalgia for the eighties will also be on trend, with large logos, like Tommy Jeans, Balenciaga or Louis Vuitton that made a collaboration with Supreme around this tendency.
What are the important details in the male looks to pay more attention to?
A very common mistake: men choose clothes of a wrong size. Some think that they will feel more comfortable in jeans two sizes larger than their own, others are embarrassed to accentuate their shapes. And, of course, it is crucial to experiment with accessories: scarves, colour accents, cool socks or wallet!
What is a typical blogger day like?
Today I spend the morning at the hotel. I review them through photos and articles, share my impressions on the rooms and the service. Often that is where I organise photo shoots or interviews. I look through new collections and new tendencies, I arrange meetings and business dinners. And, of course, a lot of Instagram: I upload a photo, usually in the morning, and I try to answer as many comments as I can.
However, I never work in the evening, this is my principle. Influencer work is very energy-consuming: the whole life revolves around blogging, and it's hard not to get lost in virtual reality.
The blogger does not have time to live in the real world: you need to take pictures of it! That is why I find it much important to find time to see friends and live the present moment.
All images © Alina Sepp / Written by Katya Ulitina