Signature9 – Signature9

Farewell 2010: A Look Back At Our Most Popular Stories

YM Ousley — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 22:44:54 +0000

Happy 2011, dear readers! If you’re starting 2011 bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, some of these stories may look familiar. If you indulged in too much champagne or Adult Chocolate Milk and are more bloodshot and limp, well you’ll probably be sleeping in today but we hope some of these look familiar to you tomorrow.

As we go into the new year, we wanted to take a second to look back on our top 50 stories of 2010. Unsurprisingly, our most popular story continues to be our very style-centric ranking of fashion blogs, but lots of you were looking at tech, food and general lifestyle stories as well.

A personal thanks for that. While they may seem unrelated, I started Signature9 because I felt that trends in one area inevitably overlap with those in others. Seeing that readers are as interested in smartphones and food as they are in style, as interested in business trends as they are in pop culture and consumer trends is a validation of that.

Happy Birthday, Signature9!

YM Ousley — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:28:59 +0000

A year ago today, our first post appeared – a list of influential fashion blogger Diane Pernet’s 9 signature lifestyle items. Since then, we’ve seen the Style99, the only objective ranking of fashion and beauty blogs, grow into an industry reference mentioned by the Daily Beast, WGSN and many of the bloggers appearing on the list (thank you!). We delayed the latest published ranking in anticipation of a forthcoming change that will allow more blogs than ever to be included, and the companies that have supported the rankings to get more information more quickly.

And though many people got to know Signature9 for our coverage of fashion and style, I’m happy to say that our tech and lifestyle posts have also been some of our most popular. In the past year, we’ve seen a total of more than 560,000 visits, over 1 million pageviews and if you’re into that kind of thing, over 19 million hits. No, it’s not anything record breaking, but we started with realistic expectations and I’m truly excited that 60,000 of you find our coverage of lifestyle topics interesting enough to continue visiting this site each month.

To celebrate our birthday, we want to have some ice cream. Tweet “Happy 1st” @Signature9 with a link to your favorite post, or post a link to your favorite Signature9 article on our Facebook page, and we’ll send a gift card for a Coldstone Creamery signature ice cream creation to 9 people selected at random.

We’ve got big plans for our 2nd year, and hope that you’ll be part of it.

– YM Ousley, Publisher and Founding Editor

Some of the most popular pieces from our first year

Style99 Fashion Blog Ranking

iPhone4 vs. Droid Incredible vs. Evo 4G: Feature by Feature Comparison

Troy Polamalu Gets a Hair Raising $1 Million to Protect His Locks

Dr. Lyle Evans Brings Mad Men Into the Modern Age

Old Navy Extends Store Hours for 2010 Flip Flop Sale

Lady Gaga’s Alejandro Video Credits and Controversy

AT&T vs.Verizon vs. T-Mobile vs. Sprint: The Smartphone Network Comparison

Style99: 19 Blogs to Watch

Yum! National Donut Day 2010 Means Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts Freebies

Where the Wealthy Shop Online [Infographics]

Imran Amed’s Signature9

YM Ousley — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:00:49 +0000

Editor of the daily fashion industry must-read, The Business of Fashion, Imran Amed is not only the founder of the blog that tracks the latest fashion related business moves and trends, but also editor-in-chief of Luxury Society, an educational and networking community for professionals in the luxury sector.

Imran Amed, photographed by Daniel Cianfarra

While he’s been quoted in WWD and the New York Times for his familiarity with fashion’s social and technology moves, we couldn’t help but wonder about the products, places and things that define Mr. Amed’s signature style. Who better than someone who could be considered one of fashion’s savviest shoppers?

Clothing

ICHO Tokyo image via The Business of Fashion

My tailors of choice are ICHO of Tokyo. They intuitively understand my personal aesthetic and make quality clothes that will never go out of style.

Shoes

Daniele Alessandrini Hitops

Recently, I’ve been into high-tops from Daniele Alessandrini and Creative Recreation. We wrote about the aesthetic versatility of this new breed of sneakers on The Business of Fashion recently. You can wear them just about anywhere, for any occasion.

Watches & Jewelry

For many years, I told time from my BlackBerry. I couldn’t get into all those big, flashy statement watches. But then, a friend who is a watch aficionado found me a vintage 1960s Carrera Heuer watch in mint condition. It pre-dates Tag Heuer, the merged brand that we all know today, and has got a small, discreet dial face. I have to wind it myself everyday.

Grooming

Dermalogica Products

I like Dermalogica, whose products are not laden with marketing fuss and buzzwords. They are just simple and effective.

Accessories

m0851 Leather Bags

I went to university in MontrÃ©al, home to m0851, whose leather products get softer and more beautiful with time. My passport wallet, laptop tote, and overnight bag are all from here.

Home & Design

The walls in my apartment are covered with artwork, mementos and photos from my travels around the world. Each piece has its own story, which makes it more than just ‘art’.

Electro/tech

Canon S90

The Business of Fashion is completely reliant on technology. I would be hopeless without my iBook, Flip video camera, and BlackBerry, for responding to emails and doing interviews like this one, on the go.

I’ve recently started using the S90 camera by Canon, which I absolutely love because it works really well in low light and takes great quick shots from the sidelines of a fashion show. I just tested it out in Paris for the men’s shows and it is great.

Food

Ottolenghi Croissants

When in London, I start my day with pastries and a cappucino from Ottolenghi on Ledbury Road.Â It’s hard to find a good croissant in London, but the ones at Ottolenghi have a perfect crisp outer layer and a soft, flaky inside with just the right amount of butter. Plus, they serve you with a smile.

Travel

Hotel Lancaster's Dietrich Suite

I prioritize service over style â€” but having both is obviously better. In Paris, I stay at Hotel Lancaster, which is on a dodgy (yet conveniently located) street off the Champs ElysÃ©es, but has impeccable service where everybody knows your name.