fl@me or fr@me: susie lau & steve salter

do you remember the last line of your favourite love story? this was mine...

'now in love, the prince asked snow white to marry him, and the dwarfs reluctantly had to say good bye to snow white. from that day on, snow white lived happily in a great castle. but from time to time, she was drawn back to visit the little cottage down in the forest.'

everyone loves a love story and a fairytale ending. after being a month-old blogger, things can truly get mundane when it's always about looking for the next fashion show or trend. with the massive amount of material available, it does get overwhelming at times but you sometimes do find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

hence in my research for some of the world's best fashion blogs, i came across susanna lau (affectionately referred to as susie lau) and steve salter. who are they?

Susie and Steve

both bloggers (not just any bloggers but uk's best!) and happily attached to each other. it's always warm and fuzzy to know of people in love but more importantly, should we read their blogs?

get your weapons ready, we are going on a hunt (or maybe not)!

form: 

both blogs offer a very clean and structured layout. colour choices are down-to-earth and easy on the eyes. you will not feel that your eyes are being assaulted on both blogs. somehow from viewing both blogs, there is a calmness and rusticity that one senses. if i had to put a more graphic contrast of both blogs to some other blogs that i have seen, both style bubble and style salvage are like the rural landscape against the fashion city's hustle and bustle. this sensibility through form flows comfortably into their content.

in addition, their language is kept simple. no big words, no hard to understand concepts. simple expression to convey their thoughts.

content: 

i have no complaints here. here's a list of what i really enjoy whilst reading (and researching) their blogs.

i) susie lau's balance of views. like the recent drama revolving saint laurent, i liked how she focused on talking about the collection and demonstrated a highly balanced view with how the non-industry players reacted to the collection by doing a quick twitter search. this is a girl who takes pride in her work to a point where it's almost investigative journalism. i've linked the article here.

ii) steve salter's use of quotations. whether it is a literary quote or something that a designer said, i think it gives a personal touch and uniqueness to the article. cross reference also demonstrates thought and depth in material. in using a quote as the foundation to an article, it aids the reader in seeing the material through the eyes of the writer to prevent any loss in translation. 

screen capture from hype beast

iii) his love for her (and i'm sure she does too!) i tried looking on susie's blog for traces of steve but it was much easier on steve's blog. the little hints of affection just conjures up images of boy meets girl, girl and boy fall in love, much like my first love. =) you cannot fault love.

conclusion:

i would get ready my wedding gift for both of them. as people, they are unassuming and as bloggers, they are perfect compliments. i look forward to the day when they combine their talents and blog as a couple. now that would be interesting!

so flame or frame? (if you cannot figure it out by now) FRAME! i would run out and buy a gold frame, encrusted with rubies, emerald and all sorts of precious stones for them. in closing, i leave you with a quote from lao tzu:

'being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.'

this is a power duo in fashion blogging that has strength AND courage. 

fash'on... BAM!

ps: below is a quick look at steve's and mine facebook page (his is definitely better taken!)... we boys love our shoes!

Style Salvage on Facebook

The Online Edition on Facebook