In this video, we’ll share with you the 20 best WordPress fashion blog themes for
2017 & 2018.
We reviewed 100’s of WordPress themes, based on speed, design, ease of use, mobile responsiveness
and functionality, to help you pick the best fashion blog WordPress theme for your site.
A few that made the list include CheerUp, Heart & Style, Olsen, and Armonioso, just
to name a few.
We’ll highlight the aspects of the theme that scored well, as well as any areas of
concern.
For your reference, we’ve created a blog post to accompany this video that you can
follow along with on the OHKLYN blog, at OHKLYN o-h-k-l-y-n.com/blog (there will be a link
to the article in the description below).
All the links to the themes covered in this video can be found in the description box
below, and on the OHKLYN blog post.
For step-by-step instructions on setting up your blog, check out our ‘How to Set Up
a WordPress Blog’ video.
It features one of the top rated blog themes from this video and will be linked in the
description below.
We’ll also add a link to discount hosting and a free domain with our affiliate partner
bluehost, as well as some other helpful resources.
So, let’s get to it and take a look at the best fashion blog WordPress themes for 2017
& 2018.
In the the top spot we have CheerUp scoring 9 out of 10
It’s easy to see why CheerUp is at the top of our list.
It has a wide range of layouts that cover almost any type of page you would want in
a fashion blog.
This theme features great navigation, the design is tasteful, with well-chosen typefaces
and use of white space.
This theme also makes great use of CSS with engaging hover states on images, and other
elements.
CheerUp’s page load score is impressive, considering the amount of media, widgets,
and features included in this theme.
CheerUp scored perfectly in most categories of the Google page speed test, but could improve
by combining external JavaScript and CSS.
In general, script requests are kept to a minimum, and the theme scored a respectable
77 on mobile, and 63 on desktop.
Despite the amount of content on each page and the number of features and widgets included
in this theme, CheerUp doesn’t feel complicated or hard to use.
Everything is just where you would expect it to be.
On top of that, the theme makes use of an excellent mega menu, complete with images
and a tiered structure.
Almost all images have hover states, which extends to social media icons and links.
All images within posts are zoomable, which is a nice feature.
The design for this theme is elegant, and simplistic, with some interesting quirks to
keep viewer’s engaged.
Headings and text overlays on images are used tastefully and provide an engaging user experience.
There are a number of pre-defined layouts to suit most taste, and get you up and running
quickly.
This includes a nice combination of stylistic typography for titles and sans-serif fonts
for the main text.
The only negative however, is that the default font size may be a little small for some,
however this can easily be amended in the theme customizer.
It’s rare to see such a perfect transition to mobile.
All the images have the same hover states, which are triggered when you touch the image,
while swiping, or when they are in the middle of the screen.
Whitespace is not overused and the padding between elements is perfect.
CheerUp is eCommerce enabled, and includes everything you would expect in an online store.
To top it of, CheerUp has just about any widget you can think of.
It also has MailChimp integration allowing you to easily build your community and reach
out to your subscribers.
The icing on top, is that this theme has one of the largest ranges when it comes to different
layout options, making it a great fit for any kind of Fashion blog.
Second place goes to The Voux with a score of 9 out of 10
This theme is packed full of features, and comes with a number of unique layouts, elegant
animations, and good use of color and stylish typography.
And, it looks even better on mobile!
The Voux scored reasonably in our page speed category and does a great job concerning browser
caching, avoiding bad requests, and reducing request sizes.
Like with any of themes on this list, you will need to keep your image file sizes down,
to ensure an optimal user experience.
Navigation is smart and intuitive, featuring a mega menu that rivals any other theme.
You would think a mega menu with multiple levels and images would be hard to use, but
not with this theme!
The Voux features a nice image slider, however it loses a point for the infinite scrolling
feature in articles, which can be slightly confusing.
But then again, you don’t have to use it.
This theme incorporates color to the best of its ability.
Helpful summary boxes with bright colors slide up over images that link to articles.
Links have equally bright colors for hover states to ensure the user is aware that it
is a link.
Stylish fonts are also used, however, the text could be a little larger, which is an
easy fix via the theme customizer.
A common problem with themes that are ‘feature-rich’ is that they can often feel a little cluttered,
which is one of the few criticism we have about The Voux.
This theme responds perfectly on mobile and solves the only real complaint we had of the
desktop design, which was that it felt a little too cluttered.
White space and padding is used effectively to give the content some breathing room.
Everything else still works as expected and, to no surprise, it passed the Google Mobile-Friendly
test.
And let’s not forget that the mobile page speed scored 13 points higher than the desktop
version!
The Voux is certainly geared to fashion lovers, with the layouts designed specifically for
this niche.
It features eCommerce support and what we love about the store is that you can immediately
browse items straight from the mega menu, before even navigating to the store.
This helps present recommended or featured products straight to viewers.
The social media widgets are also positioned nicely where a user will most likely click
on it and still not interfere with the overall design.
Rounding out the top three is Tempest with a rating of 9 out of 10
Tempest is one of the most visually appealing sites on this list.
Image hover states are used to their maximum potential to provide the user with handy social
media shortcuts.
There are plenty of opportunities to intersperse shop items through your content pages and
drive referrals or sales.
Featuring a variety of well thought out layouts and the best image gallery on this list, this
theme is a real contender.
Tempest has the slowest page load speed out of the top 3.
A major contributing factor to this is the number and size of images used on the demo
site.
Images make up 60% of requests and 82% of data!
So, it’s important to keep this in mind when you add your own images, otherwise you
will end up with a low score of 50 for mobile and 34 for desktop.
Besides Minimizing Redirects, every other factor received an A rating, which is great
as it shows that the developers have done this aspect of their job well.
Unfortunately, the themes navigation options aren’t as extensive as others, however,
the menu overlaid on a cover image is classy and has elegant animations.
Images linking to content also have a hover state that allows you to share the post immediately.
This theme does have the best image gallery out of the top 3.
It also doesn’t feel bogged down in all its features and widgets.
A big part of the reason why Tempest deserves a 9/10 for design is because of its originality.
The use of blurbs that slightly overlap article images is such a nice touch.
This is another theme that makes great use of image hover states to convey extra information
or add functionality.
The use of pitch black text on white also allows for easy reading with the only negative
feedback being that the text may be a little too small.
This is an easy fix though.
With eCommerce support, the shopping experience for this theme is excellent.
The cart is always displayed in the top right-hand corner, so the user can always keep track
of it while browsing content on the main site.
There are also widgets with featured products so users can be enticed to buy while reading
articles.
On the landing page there is also a subscription box in the bottom left-hand corner.
Although it doesn’t have a huge range of layouts, each one feels well thought out and
serves a purpose.
This theme looks great on all devices, with images retaining their hover states, and the
ability to be shared easily.
The cart is still displayed, but moved right underneath the search bar to enhance the mobile
viewing experience.
The shop also functions very similarly to the desktop version and provides a seamless
user experience.
The next fashion blog WordPress theme is Applique with 9 out of 10
Applique just missed out on a podium finish.
However, it’s definitely worth checking out as it has a wide range of site designs
and layouts with multiple color schemes to suit almost anyone.
Scoring well across all categories this theme a large number of features, is well designed,
and easy to use.
This theme passed Google's mobile friendly test and provides a solid user experience
on all devices.
Our only feedback is that it would be nice if gallery posts had zoomable images, also,
the shade of skin color on the makeup site is a little too light and the ‘Continue
reading’ link tends to disappear.
The text size may also be a little too small, however these critics can all be amended via
the theme customizer.
Up next we have Olsen with 8 out 10
Olsen is an incredible theme and made it to the top 3 list of our best WordPress blog
themes article.
What keeps it out of a top 3 spot in this occasion (other than a need for variety),
is its slower page load speed score.
It has a good range of features, including e-commerce and is compatible with the Divi
Page Builder plugin for easy built custom layouts.
It is one of our favourite blog themes and makes good use of image sliders and hover
states.
It comes with a number of layout options, and demo content to get you up and running
quickly.
We have created a full tutorial with this theme which is featured in our How to Set
Up a WordPress Blog article.
The next WordPress theme for fashion blogs is MyBlog scoring 8 out of 10
What we liked about this theme is that it focused heavily on ‘Lifestyle’ design.
This is arguably the best feature of this theme, and the most conducive layout option
for a fashion blog.
What we love most about this theme is that it has great page load speed, is easy-to-use,
and provides a solid user experience across all devices.
It’s a well designed theme, however we realize that not everyone will find the design overly
inspiring.
eCommerce supported, with functional and easy to use navigation, this theme features most
of the things you’ll need to create a successful blog, however, the lack of Fashion specific
layouts may present a challenge.
The next fashion blog WordPress theme is Sleek with a score of 8 out of 10
Often times, horizontal displays don’t look great on desktop.
Sleek however is an exception as it comes across, well, sleek!
It definitely still looks better on a tablet, however, it still looks great on desktop.
There’s only a few layout options available but what’s included is unique and can provide
an alternative layout style to the typical fashion blog.
With unique post type format styles, both fullscreen and minimal layouts, and tasteful
use of design elements, this theme is sure to be a great fit for a number of fashion
bloggers.
The only negative about this theme however, is that it doesn’t support e-commerce.
The next WordPress theme for fashion blogs is Heart & Style with 8 out of 10
This is another theme that capitalizes on its simplicity by presenting an easy-to-use
navigation and fast page loading speed.
We’re huge fans of this theme’s design – specifically it’s nice use of typefaces,
whitespace, and post styling.
It features three specific base designs to choose from, that can be customized to suit
your specific style and branding.
It does lack some of the features you would want in a fashion theme, namely eCommerce
support, however, it does have a number of the widgets you would want.
The theme is mobile responsive, however, the way it handles menus could be improved.
Up next we have Extra scoring 8 out of 10
This theme really takes its name to heart!
Extra is just bursting with features, layouts, modules, and widgets.
Even though not all of them are fashion-specific, there’s more than enough to adapt to any
occasion.
What’s impressive about this theme is that it’s relatively easy to use.
The featured posts slider works well, as do the image hover states on both desktop and
mobile.
Extra also features an easy to use mega menu, that includes some nice hover state animations.
The only downside is that it’s that is more tailored to a fashion magazine type blog,
rather than a straight up fashion blog.
The next fashion blog WordPress theme is InFashion with 7 out of 10
InFashion is designed specifically for a fashion blog and does a reasonably good job with it’s
clean and minimalistic design.
The post image slider is a nice feature that is quite unique.
It’s easy to use, the navigation is straightforward, and the theme transfers reasonably well to
mobile.
Our only concern is that it’s not overly engaging, and the simplicity of the design
may be interpreted as a little dull, particularly in regards to its animations and sliders.
Although, with most of what you’ll need in a fashion blog theme, this could be a unique
option.
We then have Armonioso rated 7 out of 10
The only thing that brings this theme down in terms of points is its lower page speed
– Everything else about this theme however is great!
The design is a little different but it’s very attractive.
The image sliders have three different navigations: drag, arrows, or selection.
Most images have hover states and animations and it also has a wide range of features,
including a nicely styled shop.
With so much going on, it can feel a little overwhelming at times, however with a great
range of layout styles, custom widgets, and one-click demo content, this theme might just
be the right theme for you.
The mobile experience is great, making this theme an all round winner.
In the next spot we have Magazine Pro with 7 out 10
Let’s start with the positives.
The shop is very useful and has almost everything you could want.
Similarly, the mega menu, although standard, is easy-to-use and uses animation well.
This theme responds well on all devices, providing a consistent user experience.
Our only concern is that it’s a fairly basic design, and may require some imagination and
creativity to get the look you want.
It does also score a little lower on the Google page speed test than some of its competitors.
That being said, it’s a classic minimal design that will allow your content to shine
through.
The next fashion blog theme is Elegant scoring 7 out of 10
This theme scored really well in our page speed tests, in fact it was one of the fastest
on this list.
However, in the game of trade-offs, it lost some points for design and ease of use, in
large part due to it’s ‘unique’, and not in a good way, navigation, and choice
of layouts.
This theme can feel a little awkward at times.That being said, it has a well integrated shop
and a very handy “Magazine” layout that is more suited to a fashion blog than the
default.
The same is true for the shop landing page.
Elegant responds well on mobile, and also gets rid of some of those awkward elements
of its design, and provides a solid user experience with intuitive navigation.
We then have Divi with a score of 7 out of 10
Divi is a powerful multipurpose theme and could be a great option for your Fashion blog.
Particularly, when leveraging one of the many child themes available that are tailored to
this theme, like the one used on The Daily Ply blog at thedailyply p-l-y.com.
We also currently use Divi on the OHKLYN blog.
The out of the box layouts aren’t ideal for a fashion blog, however, one of the best
things about Divi is it’s intuitive page builder, enabling you to easily style the
pages on your blog.
Divi is one of the most popular themes around, and has a huge community of followers and
contributors, meaning you get access to support, forums, layouts and designs, and free tutorials.
In the next spot we have Infinite with 7 out of 10
If you want to start an online fashion blog and plan on selling your merchandise, or an
affiliates merchandise, then Infinite could be the blog for you.
It's a solid theme that ships with most of the features you'll need: A good megamenu,
store integration, plenty of widgets, multimedia capable, and an easy demo content importer.
This theme features a fairly minimal design, and unfortunately doesn’t come with as many
layout options as some of its competitors.
However, what it does come with is is done well.
This theme scored well across all categories and provides a consistent user experience
on all devices.
The next fashion blog theme is Fashion Chic rated 7 out of 10
Fashion chic is another fashion-lifestyle theme.
Its design is more feminine with great use of soft pinks and classy fonts, whitespace,
and social sharing integration on posts.
This theme scored reasonably well in our Google page speed tests, which is largely the result
of its use of minimalist design principles.
Unfortunately, this theme lacks the design and layout options required to earn a higher
score, however, the mobile experience is solid and passes the Google mobile friendly test,
making this theme worth considering.
The next fashion blog WordPress theme is Grateful with a score of 7 out of 10
This theme features a unique horizontal design, that is minimalistic and features infinite
scrolling that works surprisingly well.
The design is comprised of stylish serif fonts and simple layouts, with subtle hover states,
styling that is incredibly well suited to its genre.
Grateful doesn’t support eCommerce, and doesn’t have a lot of extra functionalities
to offer, however, its design works great on mobile, and passes Google’s mobile friendly
test, with simple and intuitive navigation.
The next fashion blog WordPress theme is Glossy Look Fashion Blog, with a score of 7 out of
10
This theme is another theme that we thought could’ve scored higher on this list.
Although the theme has a nice modern chic feel that just screams ‘fashion magazine’,
it’s slower page load speed lets it down, along with its limited functionality.
It’s playful design will suit a visually driven fashion blog.
It makes good use of image sliders, hover states, and combines modern sans-serif fonts
with ample whitespace to create a clean and minimalistic look.
The theme has a number of header styles to choose from, responds well on mobile, and
allows you to add a online store.
We then have Vogue with 7 out of 10
Vogue is a modern fashion blog theme that combines both serif and san-serif typefaces
to create an engaging user experience.
Designed with the publisher in mind, this theme features unique comment blocks and great
positioning of elements.
Our only concern is that it’s quite limited in terms of layout options, features and widgets.
For example, there’s no eCommerce support, and the page load speed could also be improved.
Other than that though, it’s a well built theme and fits in well in the fashion blog
niche.
In the last available spot is Epilog scoring 7 out of 10
Epilog is a modern and engaging blogging WordPress theme that features a great post image slider,
with clean design, and a reasonable number of layout options - perfect for your fashion
blog.
The design incorporates a nice combination of serif and san-serif fonts that are paired
well for greater legibility.
It also uses hover states well, and includes social media widgets to help share your content
easily.
This theme scored reasonably well on the page load speed test, however the lack of eCommerce
support may be a concern for some.
The theme’s navigation is simple and intuitive, and the theme looks great on all devices,
making Epilog a real contender.
And that wraps up our review of the 20 best WordPress themes for fashion blogs.
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for you to explore, in case you didn’t find the right theme for you on this list
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