Getting into online fashion news and street style photography is not as overwhelming as one might think. Whether you’re just trying to stay ahead of monthly magazines or are considering starting your own site, here are five blogs for any level that will help kick off your newest hobby: 

Essentials for a Beginner

These are the blogs you should be familiar with if you’re just getting acquainted with the fashion blogosphere. These sites will help you learn the vocabulary of the industry in addition to pointing out what is hot right now. Study these blogs as a crash course in Fashion Cyberspace 101. 

1. The Sartorialist – This is the original street style blog photographed by the founding father of the  art itself, Scott Schuman. 

2. Style.com – The authorial presence of online fashion media; the CNN of fashion news. Style.com is the one and only place for photos, videos, recaps and interviews after fashion week.  

3. Jak & Jill Blog – Canadian photographer Tommy Ton showcases his foot and accessory fetish outside of couture shows. The site is currently under construction, but Ton’s photos can be viewed on Style.com and GQ.com (where he replaced Schuman in the fall of 2009). 

4. Lookbook.nu – The best place for outfit inspiration and to see what’s going on with budding style bloggers all over the world. Lookbook is a sort of fashion Facebook. 

5. Fashiontoast – A highly popular and idiosyncratic blog that showcases the personal style of Japanese-American Rumi Neely. As a result of her blog’s success, she now works as a stylist internationally while also maintaining Fashiontoast. 

Refreshers for the Savvy Intermediate 

Once you’re well versed in the basics, it’s time to take some tips from the trendsetters. You’ve seen all the major FW11 shows and you’ve already begun spotting the “it” shoe on several different blogosphere celebrities. 

1. The Man Repeller – The concept behind self-proclaimed “man repelling” Leandra Medine’s blog is that it’s difficult to be in high fashion and attract a man. She chooses fashion every time.

2. Stylebubble –  London-based Susanna Lau’s blog has a uniquely cutesy vibe. Her photography is some of the best in the biz and her outrageous personal style has won her notoriety fair and square. 

3. WhoWhatWear – A downtown version of Style.com which, unlike its elitist sister, includes DIY ideas, non-couture clad celebrities, and advice. 

4. CollegeFashionista – A sartorial that allows users to check out what college-aged guys and girls are wearing around North America and the world. 

5. The Style Rookie – Tavi Gavinson was barely a teenager when she began blogging about her love of Yohji Yamamoto and early ‘90s pop culture. Her wit and sarcasm, both way beyond her years, along with compelling fashion sense, have garnered a cult following. 

Touch-ups for the Pro 

By now, you have your own budding style blog and are at least familiar with all of the blogs above. At this point, you get all of Leandra Medine’s jokes and can differentiate between a Wang and a McQueen without any hint. 

1. Style by Kling – A euro-version of fashiontoast that is less artsy Californian and more corporate-chic. Whether or not she was a socialite to begin with, her wardrobe certainly aspires to that realm of fashion. 

2. Garance Dore – The girlfriend of Scott Schuman is a talented fashion illustrator in her own right. Dore’s blog gives a refreshing take on fashion and style from an endangered medium. 

3. Refinery29 – After Style.com and WhoWhatWear, Refinery29 is the third pillar in the holy trinity of fashion news.

4. Advanced Style – This unique selection of photographs by youngster Ari Seth Cohen showcases the style and elegance of eccentric and flamboyant elderly women. 

5. Nowness – Not just a fashion-based site, Nowness collects culturally influential photos and videos. It’s fresh, with a clean style personalized to each user’s own tastes. 

Honourable mentions go to the Cherry Blossom Girl, the Beauty Department, Sea of Shoes, Cupcakes and Cashmere, and the Blonde Salad.