Readers can choose between tasteful approaches and highly eccentric styles in the Web 2.0 take on couture. [DPA]

Glossy fashion magazines are getting competition from Internet fashion blogs that are not only cheaper but also faster.

Before new trends from the catwalks and the streets arrive on the pages of the fashion magazines, they already are posted on the Internet. From secret tips on the hippest accessories to introductions of new artists and designers and styling tips for the perfect look, nearly everything can be found in fashion blogs.

As fashion is an international phenomenon, many blogs are written in English. But the online community Myspace also offers sites in other languages.

Myspace also goes on the hunt for new trends on the streets of Mexico City with blogger Yvan Rodic, who's well-known as a Face Hunter in the world of fashion blogs. Rodic travels worldwide photographing people and reporting at his site www.facehunter.blogspot.com. Eccentric street looks from London, Stockholm, Moscow and Copenhagen are ranked at his street style blog. Currently, models featured there wear royal blue drainpipe jeans together with loose bomber jackets or combine patterned leggings with loud T-shirts.

If that's too shrill, check out the address thesartorialist.blogspot.com. Founder Scott Schuman has made a name for himself. Magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and Esquire regularly report on the looks that he captures on the street. The trends, recorded on camera, look more grown up and classic than those presented on Face Hunter.

Those who like something just as informative, but less playful, should have a look at the blog modepilot.de. This is a place to get informed about categories such as accessories, fashion and art, fashion and film, jewellery exhibits, fashion photography and the extraordinary looks of the women in the television series and movie Sex and the City.

Equally as high a standard is being set in fashion coverage by American Diane Pernet. The style icon writes the blog www.ashadedviewonfashion.com, which is about fashion as a cultural phenomenon. She conducts interviews with up-and-coming fashion designers and takes a peak behind the scenes at fashion events and fashion-film festivals.

Those who find that too serious can turn to the English-language website scoop.starstyle.com where fashion and gossip is celebrated. Whether the topic is the Cannes Film Festival, LA fashion week or Oscar night, the website is dedicated to reporting who wore what when - and how much the celebrity paid for the clothes.

Internet users who want to get involved can turn to a brand new form of fashion blog: a network that invites users to present their own look to a worldwide audience. The concept has been applied at the website ilikemystyle.net since 2007. Users can post pictures of themselves, write a description of what they are wearing and let others evaluate their outfit. If it's any good, they'll receive some positive feedback such as, "I love it," or "Awesome."

(China Daily/DPA August 28, 2009)