“What he’s doing is very different from what we’ve done at Style.com and what we’re doing at Vogue Runway,” said Ms. Phelps. “Those short, short titles, Style.com’s white font against the royal blue. They work better than the pictures. You can read it in a flash of a second, half a second, and you’re just scrolling.”
“He’s the keeper of the flame,” said Mr. Blanks, “in his slightly piercing coverage of the whole fandango, I think he’s pointing out that absurdity. It’s also kind of the ultimate testament to the power of a fashion dream, that transformative thing that happens to people when they get into the fashion industry. It’s this funny side of Lana Turner.” In the soft drink shop is out of this world, where they can become overnight stars.”
Touching, with a loophole
Mr. Gvishiani Style Not Com does not use to post products or photos of himself at events, which is what most of his peers do. Sometimes he posts runway videos or a clip from an event he’s attending. He wears his own clothes, usually in Birkenstocks and a blue baseball cap from Style Not Com.
“When the brands pay for my travel and hotel and get invited to the show, I really feel good,” said Mr. Gaviciani. In June, when Saint Laurent staged its Spring 2024 men’s runway show in Berlin, Style Not Com posted “Saint Laurent in Berlin” against a black square instead of the signature blue, and shared the time and place of the event in the caption. Mr. Gaviciani said the brand did not pay him for the position.
However, the honor of being invited to a fashion show doesn’t pay rent, and things quickly become transactional. Many posts are negotiated – the specific topic, be it a show, campaign or event, if a video is included. Then the rate is determined.
Last year, Mr. Gvishiani introduced a book called Style Not Com designed as a year-long review, where each page is a bleed-through blue square chronicling some fashionista. Books sell pages like ads, but posts and pages remain undisclosed ads thanks to a loophole.