How To Wear... Competition Winners!
[ 2 June 2008 ]
On Friday afternoon, I received an email from Polyvore about the How To Wear… Competition.
“Hi Gala,
Congrats on being the host of Polyvore’s biggest contest ever! There were 3763 entries, which is more than any other contest we’ve ever held…”
WOW! How incredible is that?!
It was so interesting to see the pieces people based their outfits around. A lot of you used the same shoes or t-shirt or umbrella & seemed to build it from there: it was fascinating to see what was popular!
It was also really clear from looking through all the entries that a lot of you worked extremely hard on your creations. I am so touched by the effort you put in. Thank you.
To say that going through all the entries was a big job is the understatement of the century, so I apologise that it has taken me so long to announce our triumphant sartorial mavens!
Without further ado, my 12 favourite sets are…
How To Wear… Gladiator Sandals by veronyka
Congratulations to all our fabulous winners!
If you see one of your sets up here, flick me an email with your name, postal address & favourite colour! Let’s see what I can come up with…
You’re such a magnificent bunch! Again, thank you so much for all the love, passion & energy you poured into this competition. It is truly humbling. MWAH!
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala 
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excellent choices I love all of them.. I can imagine how hard it would have been!!
3763 entries?! Holy shit!! Go us.
I gotta say, i really love witnit’s set – simple, artistic and I loooove brogues.
Great choices! I had so much fun with my entries…Do you think you may hold another contest in the future?
My word gala! these are all so fantastic! how did you ever wade through all those entries?
congratulations to all the winners. Some were so refreshingly creative
oh wow, some of these are really amazing. i’m so impressed!!
except that i honestly wanted to buy some of the items and when i clicked through the links and found out everything i wanted was like, NOT a product for sale, i got amazingly frustrated. hahahaha.
congrats you guys! they’re really good!
Oooo!!! I loveloveLOVE
“How To Wear… A Waistcoat by *Heather Thomas”
I would definitely rock that outfit HARD. :>
I am in LOVE with that ’1940’s’ outfit – WOW!
Huge congrats to the winners! And congrats to Gala for getting through all the entries! GIRL, you have nothing to apologise for!! all those entries to look through and you did it in under a week ( meanwhile being tempted by the delights of ny) good job i say!
So who thinks it would be FAB to start a group ( or do it within nonpareils) that has a new contest every week? i think it would be so much fun, even if there wernt any prizes. hmmm we would just have to fund someone willing to wade thtough all the entrants and judge them :D
What an insane amount of entries! Some of these are really deserving. The sets by Heather Thomas, natasha11 and daniovertherainbow really stand out for me as first class sets.
A few are the type of sets I’m not terribly keen on, with lots of added frills, that I find detract from the outfits, but then again, not everyone shares my tastes and these types of sets are quite popular so I’m probably in the minority here.
Well done Gala for wading through all those sets- what a mammoth task!
I like the headwear by jo and kaitlee the best!
These are yummy~! We should also have a “how to wear brightly colored clothing” and “how to wear razzle dazz” and “how to wear tasty sweets” and “how to wear frills and lace”! I am getting excited just thinking about it.
And I second Julesia!
squeee!
These are very inspiring.
Ooh! Pleased to see TWO sets with spectator style shoes!
I am dying for a pair (or two. One heeled, the other flat)!
congrats to the winners :D
Some great entries there (although not very colourful!) Congrats to the winners :)
x
these sets look truly amazing!congrats to all the winners—and loads of envy for your polyvore-craftiness!!I especially love the last 2 sets—lovely:)
I have to agree with Anon & Sara… very black, white and grey, not much difference between a lot of them :(
But I LOVE FearTheNumbers’ Gladiator Sandals entry. So deserved!
I very much doubt that you actually looked through all the entries to come up with such average winners.
Hmmm…too much b & w? If it’s good enough for Coco Chanel, then maybe we shouldn’t quibble?!
Am sure Gala went through all the entries – it’s not really fair to allege otherwise, given how she gains nothing from organising these competitions.
Gala, I love the waistcoat entry by Heather Thomas – that salmon pink/taupe is so gorgeous!
If you look at Gala’s daily outfits, you’ll notice she wears a lot of b&w and grey – so maybe it’s just her personal taste influencing the judgement! & why not? What else is she going to judge on?! I have to say though, they are all kind of alike. And I agree with Cassandra – kind of average in some cases, nowhere near as cool as the previous Polyvore winners. Weird… maybe all 4000 entries were like that?
maybe she really did look through them all? considering she hasn’t posted for days and when she does post all it is is some rave about how awesome her pampered life is in NY, she surely must have the time. Gala, I think you’ve clearly picked entries based on your own personal style and the way the majority of these sets are put together is mediocre at best. Your blog used to be my absolute favourite but now I read less and less and it makes me really sad to see it turn into this :(
Surely we’re the ones who’ve turned you into this rich globe trotting fashion mogul too? After all if you had no readership no one would be willing to pay you for your advertisements and endorsements….
I miss the old Gala and the old iCiNG where it felt like a real community not just constant endorsements and you flaunting your lifestyle…please don’t hate me for this I guess I’m just being honest!
PS – I agree with Samantha about the frills detracting from the yummy CLOTHES!!
Ramona… hmm. That comment makes me sad, I guess.
p.s. why do you take the polyvore watermarks off of the bottom right corners?
Congrats to every body else who won!
LOVE all of the creations and thankyou for all of your lush comments on polyvore!
look forward to more comps like this where everyone can express themselves.
much love dani.over.the.rainbow
xx
Wow guys, I don’t know what to say.
No doubt about it, I definitely did go through all the entries! My inbox is testament to that. I sent out at least five emails saying “I’m STILL judging the contest!” It took me all day. It kicked my ass to do it!
& yes, I have a very definite aesthetic — I noticed that when I reviewed the winning entries & thought, ‘Wow, there is such a theme here!’ That’s the thing with judging something: your personal taste comes through. Having said that, I did make an effort to make them as diverse as possible (& there are a few sets with stuff I definitely wouldn’t wear, so).
ramona — I’m really sorry you feel that way. Being in New York is exciting to me, so yes, it is sucking up a lot of my brain! Having said that, this website is still my first priority (it always is) & I feel that I’m maintaining the quality of the posts & not turning this into a “personal blog” or anything like that. I also don’t want to “flaunt my lifestyle” — I know that the reason people come here is for them, not for me; I’m not that deluded! But of course my personal life appears in my work… that’s just how it is. If you don’t want to read anymore, I understand, & that’s a shame, but as I grow & change, iCiNG will too. Coming on that journey with me isn’t compulsory :>
Phew, you’re not going to stop writing about New York! Living vicariously through you continues… Hee. I’m in total envy of someone who can make something that looks cohesive and well thought out on Polyvore like all these entries, I must say.
Hey all – just to let you know I’m not nutty in my previous comment! The people whose comments I was responding to seem to have strangely and rather disturbingly disappeared…
Gala, I’m glad you’ve responded to the criticism in such a level headed way, but a bit disappointed that some of the not-really-all-that-critical comments have been taken down. That’s not really fair on people who were really just expressing an opinion!!
Keep up the NY blogging, though, I say! x
Claire — Someone posted twice using two different names (Anon/Sara) :> They said the same thing though, so none of the thrilling commentary was lost ;D
I couldn’t agree more with Ramona, though I think your lifestyle, however much you share it, is your business and not to be criticized. It is more so the low-quality content of recent posts, the formulaic tone and the lack of personality that caused me to stop reading your blog a little while back. I was excited to see if your Polyvore picks might redeem this disconnect and showcase some interesting personalities, but you instead favored near-blandness. I have seen many of the entries for the contest that were far more creative than all of these combined, so whether you did or did not semi-carefully consider all entries, your judging was as good as a random draw as it appeared to be lacking a rubric or objective criteria. Of course it is only a for-fun internet contest, and this was entirely your prerogative, but I think you missed out on more unusual perspectives by judging only from your comfort zone.
These were all amazing! Congratulations to the winners, these are awesome!
I agree a bit with Ramona, however I want to keep reading your blog because it interests me. I must say sometimes when reading your blog it makes me feel a bit sad, because I can’t live the lifestyle I would ideally want to live because of cash flow, age and other problems. I think you have maintained the quality of writing, just maybe not the sort of things you were previously writing about, if that makes any sense? I’m not in any way knocking you, I just would like to say.
I am interested in hearing about your life in New York, however it can/may make the readers that can’t live the lifestyle they desire, or don’t live where they would ideally like to live, or even want to meet you but are pretty sure you’re never going to come within a reachable distance of them a little bit put off.
P.S: how come you haven’t been writing the Cupcake recently? Or have the emails just not been getting to me?
I do think that Ramona and the others do have a point. I miss the articles on raw food, life advice, regular style tips and all that.
OK Gala, sorry I didn’t realise they were the same person!
Kaity – I’m not getting Cupcake either! But I think it’s because it’s taking a break… I think Gala explains in the comment thread of another post. She is vacationing after all! :D
Honestly, I think it’s impossible for one person to keep so many people happy – I have been reading this site since July and stayed with it throughout. Not everything interests me (no raw food please!) but that’s ok – it’s like reading a magazine you love, but don’t always find every article relevant to your life. To me the whole point of iCiNG is to celebrate difference – and although I can understand people feeling somewhat alienated geographically and financially, I don’t think it’s fair to expect one blog to reflect the choices of such a huge group of people. Maybe if there’s something anyone really wants to see online, emailing Gala is best? She always replies when I write, and I just don’t feel like it’s fair to suggest that she is elitist or bland, especially when being inclusive really matters to her.
I love iCiNG but I’m really glad some other nonpareils have been feelings the same way I have lately. I’ve been really disappointed with the blog ever since you went to New York, Gala. What I used to love so much about iCiNG was precisely that it was different from all the other cliched, boring New York fashion blogs that seem to pervade the internet. You’re such a unique, exotic and inspirational woman. But what’s inspirational about you is the fact that you (and your lifestyle) are so very refreshingly original! I mean, you’re from Melbourne – how cool is that?! I’m sad to see you become…Americanized :(
the “how to wear…headwear” set by jo… isn’t even a set. i really don’t see why it would be up here at all? =\
Hey I’m from Melbourne too! I saw so many more deserving entries than a couple of the ones chosen as winners. I’m stunned that a, at best short sleeved summer jacket/top, is considered a blazer. A blazer is a blazer, not a jacket. To consider that black piece a blazer totally demeans a classic item of clothing! It would be like calling a headband a snood! Both Meg and Jo are outstanding contributors to Polyvore with rich sets. However on this occasion I believe Jo’s set was just a magazine photograph adorned with decor items. Therefore no elbow grease was needed to compile the outfit and subsequent great effect. I’m one of the people who worked hard on my sets but before you send me a bowl of sour grapes, I believe there were many more deserving entries which presented unique, original and DESIRABLE ways of wearing the particular topic (purple/headwear etc etc). But taste is subjective and I don’t want to detract from at least 8 awesome entries that you did choose.
I’m amazed how much some of you seem to think Gala owes you! You don’t pay to view the site, you didn’t pay to enter the competition. To me it’s like walking into someone’s house and saying “I hate what you’ve done to the place!”
Wow, a simple entry about a polyvore contest led to criticism of a much deeper issue. I’m new to ICing so I don’t think I can really comment about the changes. I was slightly disapointed about some of the winners, but then again, I did enter the contest so that’s probably why ;D. Still I love the 1940s set as well as the one with elephant. Gorgeous, i wish I could afford/wear those clothes! I am amazed at your ability to go through so many sets!
xoxo
I agree with Joanne.
HUGE congrats to everyone who won, especially out of such a large pool!!!
I agree with Joanne too. Cripes, Gala’s on holiiiiday, give her a break! :)
Awww, no one’s trying to give Gala a rough time. We all adore Gala! One of the best things about her is that she always welcomes and responds to constructive criticism and feedback about her blog :D
ps. I completely love FearTheNumbers’ set! Divine.
Well, Gala all I want to say is congrats to you for going through all the entries (I don’t think I could have done it all. Amazing!)It takes a lot of will power to go through about 4000 entries…Oh, and congrats to the winners!
P.S. Gala there might be criticism from a lot of people but there are a lot of people here who still love and appreciate you and your work. So thanks!
I didn’t want to say anything because I thought my irritation might be a sign of sore-loser-ness, but since other people brought it up I’ll throw my opinion out there.
I don’t think ‘How to wear…Headwear’ by JO should be up there. I enjoy it aesthetically as a picture/collage, and to be certain I loved that set of Gemma photos when I saw them, but nowhere in that Polyvore set do I see evidence of an outfit. I don’t think the answer to ‘how do you wear headwear?’ should be ‘how someone else’s thing from vogue or harper’s showed you to!’ in a competition like this.
That’s the only one I have a gripe about. The others might not fit my personal style, but then again I wasn’t the judge! I adore the first one, though – granny boots and a yellow top hat? Um, yes please.
oh of course no one is trying to give Gala a hard time! and I’m not sure why this particular entry sparked this, but well done Gala for going through all of this.
Don’t get upset with everything that was said, it’s constructive criticism. Enjoy New York and document your life about it by all means, I like reading about it, but keep up with articles about general life, not just New York life :). Don’t think we’re getting at you Gala, we looove you! It’s better to know how everyone feels though, isn’t it?
the others are lovely, but i’m more or less disgusted by the fact that JO’s is nothing but a picture from a magazine with some random items tossed around. really?
I really loved FearTheNumbers’ entry and witnit’s. I thought that sunnydays (aka Meg)‘s was nice but not terribly imaginative. Most of these are really cool.
JO’s baffles me a little. It looks cool, and obviously took a lot of work (if you look at all the items included in it) but it isn’t really what this competition is about, is it? The outfit is just a pic from a magazine. The only stuff added was background. How does that count as personal style or originality?
I believe that you went through all of them, but personally wouldn’t have minded if you had taken a little more time to do so, done it over a period of a week or two. I think that only then can you really claim to have found the best of the bunch.
honestly people, i have been reading iCing for about a year now, and i have to have my say. i hope you’re thinking about what you’re saying, because most of you are just sounding really unfair. it is tough work to maintain a website like iCing and have to please everyone. a lot of you have your own personal blogs, like i do, and you know yourself how much work goes into writing just one post. i know it usually takes me a couple of hours at least, to edit everything and make sure it sounds right and grammar is correct and to edit photos etc. but imagine having to do that and please a reader-base of a few thousand people?? you can’t make everyone happy.
i didn’t enter this competition, but if you did, you entered it knowing that it will be judged based solely on gala’s discretion, and if you entered it knowing that, you shouldn’t be questioning her decisions.
i also don’t understand how you can even be questioning her lifestyle. no matter what, you don’t know her. i have met up with gala a few times since she came to new york, but i don’t claim to be best friends or anything. and even if we were super friends, it is none of my business to judge how she lives her life, just like no one is judging how you live yours.
i got really upset just reading all your remarks, even though this isn’t even my own website. and i can’t write further here because i just have so much to say. in any case, i hope we all really consider how hurtful some words can be. you wouldn’t want someone to say things like that to you, so don’t say it to someone else. like what joanne said, it’s like going to someone’s house and saying, “wow this is so ugly.” that’s just terrible. it’s someone’s house. that person has worked hard to be able to live in it; that person has made it into a home. have some respect.
Rock on Gilda and Joanne – well said. Am totally with you. Style is nothing without refinement and courtesy. Not to mention, a sense of perspective :)
I’m surprised that this has turned into a debate about the quality of Gala’s website. All from a harmless style competition.
I have to agree with gilda and Joanne. If you don’t like the site anymore, stop visiting it.
And give Gala a break. She’s adjusting to life in a new city whilst simultaneously managing a fantastic blog. Props to her.
And thank you to everyone who said they like my set.
c:
Much appreciated.
What a lot of work to look at so many entries! I entered the contest too and it was a lot of fun and polyvore can be so addicting!! I think it would be fun to start up a group and have weekly contests but after reading some comments that might just lead to hurt feelings which isn’t fun for anyone. Anyways I’ve been reading your blog for a while Gala and I quite enjoy it because you are an awesome young women with fabulous taste and I don’t think that has changed. Sometimes for me it’s hard to not be a green eyed monster of jealousy because you get to meet amazing people (Pat Field!!) and do things I only dream of but that’s just the thing—it makes me want to work harder and making my dreams/goals come true. I think you are an inspiration for any person who wants to follow their dreams because that’s exactly how you live your life! Thanks.
I’ve been keeping an eye on this blog for a very long time, Gala has so much vitality and positvity that I think it’s a bit unfair to criticise how she blogs, it’s her life, it’s happening- why be jealous? Isn’t it nice to know stuff like new york can happen?
Although I must say I am pretty dissapointed by a couple of the winning sets… I thought that there would be a winner from each trend? That would’ve been better. But never mind! It’s really nice that there even was a competion- I had fun!
I’m so glad that you took the time to check everyone’s, I tried to for some of the trends but I couldn’t manage it!
my favourites out of the winners are the english rose gladiator one (i’ve got that in favourites) and daniovertherainbows 1940’s one, verrry glamorrous darrrling.
This is one of my favourite gladiator ones: www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=87…
This is my favourite one I made for the competion:
www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=17…
Ugh I want those clothes!
Walking into someone’s home and saying ‘we don’t like what you’ve done’ is not an appropriate or relevant analogy. Its more like 100’s or 1000’s of people have constructed and moulded purpose built homes to welcome Gala into, just to have her settle into a prepackaged kit-home with unauthentic fittings. Gala, you don’t owe us, but we did deserve a more discerning judge appointed by Polyvore. As I said, taste is subjective and I don’t want to detract from most of the wonderful sets selected. Gala, I thought you were going to select a favourite from every category. I can’t find your selection for Purple and Flares or was it just the first best 12 in whatever category? In that case, I think the contest header page was misleading.
I think that the criticism thing is getting out of hand here. I agree with gilda, having a personal blog is really hard, now imagine how hard it is to keep a blog like iCiNG?
I think that Gala is a very positive person that deserves anything that life has for her and although I don’t like the idea of her being “americanized” I think that issue is Gala’s and only Gala’s to decide.
She’s adjusting to life in a New City and I’m sure that iCiNG will be back on full power as soon as she gets completely settled and running.
I love you Gala!
Kisses.
After all this, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gala doesn’t hold any more competitions – jeez!
though we would like to think all online networking is deep and meaningful on some level, professional bloggers who are making their living from the adspace they are allowed to host because of the traffic they get from readers have to maintain that lucrative readership in order to maintain the blog’s advertising standards. naturally, this is why many blogs are refusing advertising these days. freedom of the press by all means! and hell, freedom of the press even for blogs who use advertisers, but in the case of a blogger setting up a contest, that contest probably gained said blogger-Gala—an increased readership amongst the Polyvore users who were notified of her existence by the contest description. It cuts both ways. Though no one owes anyone a thing here, it is absurd to say that this situation is roughly akin to being invited to someone’s home for dinner and mocking the wallpaper!
Quite on the contrary, many of Gala’s readers and many Polyvore users …dare i say, most…come from democratic countries (i know, heavy handed, but bear with me) where we have learned that anyone who makes a decision or judgement in some form of authority may be questioned for the greater good and to foster debate, improvement and openness. Surely, jealous, underhanded barbs at Gala are just that: envy, but anyone who takes it upon herself to act as the judge of others in even something so minor as a contest ought to be able to handle judgement back.
Positivity and passivity are two entirely different things, and let us not encourage passive acceptance even in trivial situations. But then again, it is probably unfair of me to criticize your well-meaningness, lol. Silly all around this tension (*yoda voice*). Just let it be known that imperfection is beautiful, and that’s what makes style, life and yes, even this blog—despite my having lost interest in it—special.
Sorry to have babbled, but I felt bad for having sounded too harsh above in criticizing Gala’s recent blogging style. I wanted to clarify that this was just as of recently, and of course under the fabulous circumstances of NYC, it makes sense. But I had to give my very opinionated two cents because the world isn’t all love and cupcakes.
Wow, some of these comments! I bet they wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end. As for constructive criticism – well it has to actually be constructive!!! I enjoy reading your site Gala, and although our tastes do not always coincide, I enjoy seeing things from a different perspective. Also have to add, thank you so much for introducing me to EFT – a friend has just lent me the CD’s so will be looking into those soon. Keep up your hard work Gala – there’s a reason you are successful at what you do – I look forward to reading your articles for a long time yet. xoxo
I don’t think it was the competition as such that spurred this, I think a few people have been feeling this.
Like everyone else who said things I’m very sorry if it sounded harsh, I certainly didn’t mean it to.
I have been reading iCiNG for some time now, and felt like speaking up on this can of worms that has opened up too…
I will admit I’ve felt there has been something off with iCiNG lately. Perhaps because I live in a dizzyingly different locale to NYC I have been feeling like there is less here that’s relevant to me lately, whereas previously the content was more universal.
And that’s ok. I think I understand. Gala is one person, not a team of people. If she goes on holidays or gets sick or whatever there is nobody to cover for her. I’ve read so many blogs that sadly went on indefinite hiatus when the writer had a baby or started grad school or whatever. It’s a one-woman show and I think Gala’s been great for posting at all lately with all the goings-on in her life.
But I do see also where the criticism is coming from. There is a different expectation I think between a blogger who blogs for fun and a blogger who blogs to pay rent. The pro blog is more and more subjected to the same standards as any other media. The readership expects regular, strong content just like any other publication, since the professional blogger has made it their job to blog and is paid through advert income etc for it.
I think commenting to let Gala know what you’d like, what you love, what you miss about iCiNG is grand. Gala has always seemed quite open to constructive criticism. I really hate seeing mean-spirited comments on iCiNG, whether directed at Gala OR (don’t hate me) at her critics. Bitterness begetting bitterness is just so unhelpful. Everyone is entitled to her opinion, but can’t we all have a little grace and frame them nicely?
All I can say is, if you don’t like it, run your own contest and pick your own winners! For me, Polyvore was a new thing and I had a blast creating sets and viewing others’ sets. It’s interesting to see so much diversity using some of the same items. Gala – you just keep being you. My personal blogs thru the years have allowed me to grow and change and really find myself. I guess the downside of being popular enough that thousands of people read your blog, is that you will draw criticism. As an aside, I was recently on a trip in a small town in Indiana and went to a lovely teashop that had cupcakes as the theme. Miniature cupcakes were a dessert selection and I thought of you the whole time I was there. I could kick myself for not having my camera with me. Cheers ~ you always make me smile.
Agreed, Ammu!
i only like the last one
the others are kinda boring
I think everyone has a right to say they are happy or unhappy with articles and entries. That is what makes us unique, we each have our own voice. But what happened to supporting each other? We can disagree over the Polyvore sets, we can like NYC or not. It’s okay, but we need to be each other’s strength, too.
I love iCing because I feel this amazing community of creative, funky, amazing souls comes together to create a greater good. Whether that’s talking about fashion or food or music, what have you- it’s supposed to be a positive place for us to come to to feed off each other’s energy and lift one another up.
I think Gala and this blog are really inspiring. I came across it by accident, and it’s been really helpful for me and where I want to go, and I hope that’s the case for you all too. I think it’s amazing to see someone follow their dreams and have a really positive result- I think it’s exciting! We can do what we want to! Let’s pull together, we CAN have a life of happiness and cupcakes- let’s try supporting each other, if you have criticism, make it constructive and kind (ie, something you would respond well to). Let’s boogie!
I think some people could do with longer ladders to get over themselves :P
Maybe we could all read Gala’s commenting policy one more time and then move on.
galadarling.com/static/comment…
... now just how did this turn into a super-huge drama again?
i looove the last set!
I like all the winners I can’t even pick a favorite! Good job everyone
“I will admit I’ve felt there has been something off with iCiNG lately. Perhaps because I live in a dizzyingly different locale to NYC I have been feeling like there is less here that’s relevant to me lately, whereas previously the content was more universal.”
I think maybe this sums up the way I’m feeling too.
But we love you, Gala. And the How To Wear High Waists one is simply beautiful!!!
For some reason I was under the impression that there would be an outfit picked from each category. I’m a bit dissapointed that there wasn’t a favorite “how to wear purple” or “how to wear prints”.
All of the outfits are fantastic though, congrats to all of the winners.
I think all the comments along the lines of ‘all the outfits picked are similar’ or ‘everything is black and white’ are completely unfair. I was expecting this competition to reflect Gala’s own personal style. It was after all called ‘Gala Darling: How to wear’
How else is Gala supposed to pick winners? I too would pick things that I personally liked, if I had created a competition. I’ve already stated I didn’t like some of the winners, but was clear that that was my own personal opinion, and not shared by everyone.
I really hope this doesn’t deter you, Gala, from creating more Polyvore competitions because I honestly have tonnes of fun creating outfits for them.
And as for your blog not being as interesting as of late, I completely disagree! I LOVE you New York posts, as I have never been and it’s so interesting to find out what being in New York is actually like.
Whilst I may not have the same taste in fashion as Gala, (shock horror I sometimes don’t like the outfits she posts) I certainly have the same taste in STYLE.
Keep up the good work Gala! I love your blog and I covet your life. x x x
Guys – are these comment boxes not for everyone to have input? People are allowed to say ‘I am disappointed,’ surely – as long as they’re not offensive or personal. It’s really sad that this has turned into a fight when people were just… responding openly. The nonpareils are not supposed to turn on one another! Not over such inconsequential nonsense!! :(
I think it’s great that people are saying how they feel, but why have the negativity that is in some of these comments such as the comment made by Romona?. Why not turn a negative feeling we have into a positve?. For example again with Romonas comment why not say that there are changes about the site and she is disappointed to not see as many regular updates but Gala is living HER dream and has worked so DARN hard to get to it. And yes, without all the readers she may (or may not) be where she is now and how many times does she say this?. How many times is she thanking her readers?.
I’m all for turning a negative (not that I see this as being a negative, I say well done to all the competition readers and silly me forgot to enter!) into a positive and this is just one example.
Cool it, people, it’s just a blog. Gala doesn’t run the world and she isn’t responsible for your happiness. If you don’t like what she writes then you’re under no obligation to read it. Go elsewhere, maybe write something about your disappointment on your own blog and find something else to read. Don’t expect her to tailor the direction of her site to your needs.
To the people who are upset over Gala’s choice of recipients for the prizes that she’s selecting and giving out for her competition, well, I only made sets to kill some downtime at work, so I’m not dying for the fame and stardom that my incredible talent for combining pictures of clothes might win me. If it means so much to you, and if Gala agrees, I am happy to turn my prize over to whoever would be the popular choice. Having said that, Gala is probably left with rather a bad taste in her mouth after spending so much time perusing the entries and then being told she did it wrong, and she may not be interested in revisiting the whole thing.
Gala, inlight of the above comments I just wanted to say, remember that people only talk about you if you are interesting, if you challenge them, if you push their buttons and move them to feel (which you obviously have) and… what other people say about you is none of your business he he… other people’s criticism is usually not about you but themself… you inspire just by being yourself.. we’re lucky to have someone such as you that puts so much time, effort and dedication into what they do… keep inspiring and being fab! Those who do have criticism for what you do should quit complaining and make their own site.. give them a few weeks doing that and I’m sure it would shut them up! :) B xo
PS – To the people that wrote negative comments maybe you should review the commenting policy where it says ‘The aim of commenting should be to add value to the lives of the thousands of people who will read it after it’s posted. If you’re not sure whether what you’ve said will achieve that, then it’s probably best that you go & have a cup of tea & come back to it’... your comments aren’t adding value to anyone’s lives… you should all go have a (very long) cup of tea! :)
i’m all for constructive criticism too, but some of the comments were just definitely very hurtful and absolutely unnecessary, both to gala and to the winners of this competition!!! some of you directly said the names of some of the winners whose entries you did not like. what, they didn’t deserve to win just because YOU put in hours into your entry? how would you think they will feel if they read all those things you said about THEIR hard work that THEY put in hours for??? how would you feel if you came on here, realized you won, rejoiced for a minute, then scrolled down to realize that everyone’s dissing you? it’s disgusting behavior that is unnecessary and needs to stop.
and i totally agree with nicoleeeee that gala is living her dream, and this is what iCing has always been about. to reach for your dreams! she’s living proof that this can happen. i’ve always treated iCing as one of my sources of inspiration, because i too am living my dream, and i know i will NEVER apologize for it, because i made it happen. some of you openly admitted that the green-eyed monster got to you. are you going to let a little jealousy make you hurt someone else’s feelings?
some of you want her back in melbourne just because you think her content was better there. that’s doesn’t make sense at all. i don’t understand how she has become americanized. just because she’s had a few pizza slices? i mean, come on.
and just so you know, she texted me very late last night after spending the whole day going through entries, and was also thinking of things for prizes! yes yes, it is her job as a professional blogger. but she can’t please anyone. no one can do that. not even anna wintour. if anna wintour bent her back over to please everyone who dissed her, vogue wouldn’t be vogue. and gala wouldn’t be gala!
ps:(no honey, you’re not THAT high, ie, “vogue-high”, on my pedestal. AHAHAHAHAHA j/k.)
i vote we all take a major chill-pill and eat an enormous chocolate cupcake so we’ll all feel better. phew. actually, i already ate two. and like bianca said, have it with a long cup of tea.
holds head
Gala you are awesome and I love ICING keep up the great work you do. Your entries are always very inspiring.
Even if I disagreed with one of her choices for winner, I think Gala is by far the most impressive blogger I’ve ever come across, and I think her site is marvelous. It’s helped me change my life for the better in more ways that most anything else on the Internet. So I want to thank Gala, and let her know that I appreciate everything she does for us her readers, and for herself, because it’s inspiring to the rest of us, I think. Mmmmmmmkay?
Gala – I started reading icing after seeing you in Cosmo and the thing that makes me come back is the warm, fuzzy, positive glow I get from reading it.
Keep on sending the love.
The first thing that came to mind was, “Good God these are so creatively put together!” Seriously, my jaw just dropped for a good 10 minutes looking at these. CONGRATULATIONS, everyone!
Love feast
Also wanted to mention to the people who think that Gala is rubbing their noses in how fabulous her life is:
most of what she writes here is tips and inspiration on how to make your life better. The fact that she’s earned these opportunities for herself only shows just how qualified she is to write such things.
I admit I haven’t been reading the articles as religiously as I used to, but it’s totally understandable. Moving to a foreign country’s a huge adjustment, I know, even if it IS a city that you love, so naturally other parts of your life will be affected as well. I’m sure things will go back to normal in no time.
I didn’t have any complaints about the entries, but I thought it a little unfair that everyone started on the criticism about the quality of the articles, and not the contest itself.
Though I would love it if there were more articles on EFT and little ways to live a better life – like living a more celebratory life, cheap glee, etc. But of course, Gala, this is your site and you should do what you feel is best. I’m not going to stop reading over a little thing like that!
:)
Polyvore is a great website. Easy to use & it’s great that items are links to the shopping blog where you can buy them.
I love the gold polyvore set.
this will defintively by again a fashion trend next year.
i would like to share link with you .cheeck my french blog writen in english.
Bons baisers de Paris xoxo
“CHLOEVANPARIS.BLOGSPOT.COM”
June icing treats?
Wow…all of those sets are fantastic.
Congratulations to all the winners.
I had such a blast with this contest and I’m delighted to have placed. Obviously, I have no complaints with the judging. ;-) But I may be prejudiced. Congrats to everyone who won and everyone who entered; this was a fabulous contest and I saw some spectacular sets!
well done to all the winners! the one by sunnydays is pretty much my dream outfit :)
i think i need to go do something constructive…i’ve just been refreshing icing every hour to see if the june treats are up yet, haha (oh dear).
lordy. poor gala. (!!)
I am not sure what you mean by “old posts about raw food” and such, because didn’t Gala just do that not but two weeks ago?
Also, Gala tries her best—she has e-mails to get to, too, you know! She answers mail as best she can (I am a testament to that), and maybe sometimes she has a hard time figuring out what kinds of problems are suitable for her site! So I think it’s rather harsh to say her writing style has changed and her blog is now about flaunting her personal life.
I also agree with Joanne. Most people would have just stopped blogging had they moved to a foreign country, so props to Gala for continuing on! I respect her a lot; putting yourself out there, with your honest opinions, has never been an easy task.
And like Gala herself said, people are always always changing—it’s inevitable. If that reflects in her blog, so be it. But please refrain from such harsh words.
Parker – YES! I was wondering where the June iCiNG treats were too! I figured there’d definitely be a new treat given the whole iCiNG treats contest & all. Hopefully they’re just gonna be announced a couple days late. ;D
Congrats to all the winners! I LOVE the set by FearTheNumbers. Gorgeous!
Hmm can you imagine going through 3763 posts?? It’d be like saying the same word over and over until it loses meaning. Eventually it’d be hard to take in EVERYTHING you were seeing.
I think it was a great feat to go through them all. I certainly couldn’t have done it within a day!! I like quite a few of the winners. It would be impossible to like them all considering my tastes are also very different to Gala’s (although not entirely!).
Therefore, I too think the criticism was all a bit overkill.
Also, personally, I like it when the blogs get a bit more personal. It’s like a window into somebody elses life. I find it very interesting!
Amy
xox
Can we all please stop attacking one another – and Gala?! Gilda and witnit – you obviously want to defend Gala and that’s admirable, but there’s no need to take such a nasty, negative tone towards other nonpareils! Similarly, Ramona was probably too harsh towards Gala herself – like I said before, we’re all entitled to comment, that’s what the boxes are for. But no matter who you’re slagging off (the prizewinners, Gala or her critics) the fact remains that you’re still slagging someone off! That’s ultimately negative and hurtful no matter what your intentions. I think that, particularly if you feel yourself resorting to bold type or block capitals (ie, shouting), you should go away and compose yourself before you write anything else here.
I miss the old iCing because of the peace, harmony and community which, thanks to the mud-slingers on both sides, has totally disintegrated with this post. And that’s not Gala’s fault, it’s the nonpareils’ fault. That is really, really sad, guys.
I would think that telling specific people that they are being “nasty and negative” is far more emotive and more of an attack than my posts. I tried to keep matter-of-fact, offer alternative courses of action, pointed out the positive aspects of Gala’s perceived new blog direction, did not mention any names of those who I thought were behaving inappropriately. I even offered a kind of compromise to the people who were unhappy with the contest results. What is “nasty” about that?
Gilda also made no attack on specific people, merely pointed out that certain behaviours are unacceptable and encouraged people to consider others’ feelings.
When someone is attacked without provocation I tend to feel that defending them without resorting to personal attacks is the decent thing to do.
sigh
You just can’t win, can you?