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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 fashion magazines, they are already 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 — www.myspace.com/laufsteg for German-speakers, for example.

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, a trend spotter, 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.

Or check out thesartorialist.blogspot.com. Founder Scott Schuman has made a name for himself internationally with the site. Magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and Esquire regularly report on the looks that he captures on the street and reports on in his blog. The trends, recorded on camera, look more grown up and classic than those presented on Face Hunter. Readers learn through commentaries and interviews conducted in English where the featured people bought their clothes and what style rules they follow.

The blog stilinberlin.blogspot.com wants to prove that Germany is not inferior compared to other countries in fashion terms. Users can click through individual sections of the city and ask where people are more progressive. There are also blogs that are particular to the German cities of Hamburg and Munich.

The Hamburg site is at hh-streetstyle.blogspot.com, while the Munich site is www.styleclicker.net. Anyone looking for trends in Reykjavik, Buenos Aires or Toronto, need only click through the links available at the city sites.

Not all Web sites present only colorful pictures. At the blog styleranking.de readers can find out about the trends in the United States, including a current one in which women pull their wedding dress through dirt for a photo shoot. The contents are aimed at a young audience and are intelligibly written and entertaining.

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, jewelry exhibits, fashion photography and the extraordinary looks of the women in the television series and movie Sex and the City.

Fashion as a gateway to art is how the site F&Art (fartguide.blogspot.com) sets itself apart. Blogger Mahret Kupka introduces avant-garde designers such as Kris Van Assche and Haider Ackermann — partially in English and partially in German — discussing things such as photography exhibits.

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 Web site scoop.starstyle.com, where fashion and gossip is celebrated. Whether the topic is the Cannes Film Festival, LA fashion week or Oscar night, the Web site is dedicated to reporting who wore what and when — and sometimes how much the celebrity paid for the clothes.

Internet users who want to get involved in the trend 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 Web site ilikemystyle.net since December 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.”

Women with a weakness for shoes should take a look at www.shoewawa.com, where they can look not only for high heels or peep toes, but also amuse themselves by checking out the ugly-shoe-of-the-week feature in which the author lampoons badly styled shoes. Users also can ask the blogger for styling tips and pose questions about particular types of shoes.

Deutsche-Presse Agentur