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Who is Bip Ling?
Evening Standard 11 Apr 2011It all began with the words: "My name is Bipasha Ling, I am known as Bip."
At that moment one young Londoner took to the blogosphere to document all that she thinks cool - and suddenly the world got interested.
Because while ex-art student and former PR Bip Ling, 21, just thought she was writing her "online journal - a record of what I get up to", anyone paying attention noticed a hyper-excitable girl (who is also a DJ and sells art through her blog) with an offbeat fashion sense, artistic blogging style and a penchant for My Little Pony that, when thrown together, makes her just about the trendiest thing to ever come out of Wimbledon.
And they were paying attention. When Bip "bipped" on her blog about her friend, Australian actress and model Cobi Marsh, and declared her love for a magazine story about Lily Donaldson or posted a "Bathroom Look of the Day" of her own outfit, it wasn't just her 1,400 Twitter followers, her 14-year-old sister's Facebook friends or the general public who were watching but the someones of the art and fashion worlds.
People started wanting to take pictures of her for their own fashion blogs "I think maybe they just liked the bow in my hair … My mother always used to say, 'Every day is a style day, darling'. Which made me think, 'Why not put a nice dress on?'" she says.
Big brands, knowing that people pay attention to what Bip says she loves, began sending her gifts.
By the time February's London Fashion Week came around, Bip was being invited to sit in the front row.
Now, Storm Models has signed her up and she is about to be launched as the face of two major fashion campaigns. "There are lots of bloggers around but Bip's blog is a quirky reflection of her professional and personal life, her tastes, her views and her vision - so it's exciting to follow," says Paula Karaiskos at Storm. "Bip has lots of admirable qualities that have struck a chord with people."
But her flair for style is no coincidence. Bip's mother is fashion illustrator Tanya Ling, who has worked for Vogue and designers such as Christian Lacroix. Her father, William Ling, owns the Fashion Illustration Gallery.
"I've been brought up in the creative world," she says, "so if I'm going to post something I change it to the way I see it." Pictures on her blog are illustrated with little cartoon characters that she says "show how I feel about that look", so that she can cut back on words.
While Bip might say that "I have no idea that people would be interested [in me] or how many [online] hits I get," the fact is that Bip Ling has just become the "it" thing.
Reader views (18)
Just saw this chick on the moejackson.com site...
She looks like what would happen if Rachel Bilson, Selena Gomez, Madison Petis and Lucy Hale got into that Brundle Telepod from 'The Fly'--pretty cute, with damn fine legs.
- Adam, Calgary, Canada, 22/07/2011 10:44
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Similar to bencwilliams.com seen his posters and stickers all over london
- Tanya, London, 20/06/2011 23:52
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Oh come now Bob, don't mistake my protesting at the Standard's dodgy content for biterness. I'm a real positive guy! But there is a plain and simple problem here. The Standard got sold, the editor went and we were promised a revamped newspaper for London.Remember the 'Sorry' campaign? But what we've got is an editor who is even worse at pandering to his rich mates in the magazine industry, printing acres of PR for (in this instance) peopple who don't actually do ANYTHING (Blogger? Come on!) but are connected in some way to the privelidged coterie of media 'movers and shakers' most of whom work, worked or want to work for Vogue's publishers Conde Nast. It was a joke under Veronica Wadley (Ex-Conde Nast). Now under Grieg (Ex- Conde Nast) it's a whole stand up routine!
You can barely find a story or skilled piece of sournalism in the standard relevant to London life without wading through the same old faces and same old themes, namely the Editorial staffs friends and the stuff they want to sell you. It's getting beyond parody now. And yes, I know I don't have to read it but many londoners do, it's just sad it isn't about or interestes in them.
But if they design a bag or look a bit fit and know the cleaner at Tatler they're in !!
- Rob, London, 15/04/2011 14:56
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Mean stupid and nasty and make judgements about someone and their family off the back of a newspaper article.
Good Luck Bip Ling.
Mwah Mwah Mwah.
- Claire, Vauxhall, 13/04/2011 20:04
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Rob - get some help. You're bitterness is ugly and may be the cause of your unemployment and remember to declare your Gumtree earnings next time you sign on. 
- Bermondsey Bob, London, 13/04/2011 19:49
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Yeah, so you have a blog and you're a DJ and you sell your stuff. Well I post twaddle on Facebook and bung the tut I don't want on Gumtree and play other peoples songs off my laptop in local bars too. Face it love, no amount of puff from ES and references to Vogue (Shut up about Vogue ES, please!)will change the fact you're the same as me:
Unemployed.
- Rob, London, 12/04/2011 22:47
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The "it" thing is nepotism, it's simply fabulous darling! Mwah x
- Quelle Surprise, London, 12/04/2011 22:38
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The "it" thing is nepotism, it's simply fabulous darling! Mwah x
- Quelle Surprise, London, 12/04/2011 21:56
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I have heard that her Father is a Chinese billionaire and her Mother is Indian Royalty.
No wonder she is a brilliant blogger!
OMG I'm so jealous!
- jealousjayjames, london, 12/04/2011 00:10
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I have heard that her Father is a Chinese billionaire and her Mother is Indian Royalty.
No wonder she's a brilliant blogger!
OMG i'm jealous!
- jealousjayjames, london, 12/04/2011 00:05
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got a mate who knows her, think it's a half english half indian combo. nice girl i hear, but to be honest, it's true that with mum and dad in the business, the contacts are just there for the taking. been in vogue..wonder why? oh mum is a big shot with vogue people. got enough money to hire a pr agency? sorted. give it up ES, in this day and age you should report on people whove actually worked their way up.
- j-g, london, 11/04/2011 20:13
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I know Bip from art school (though I only did the foundation year) and she's lovely and gets too much of a bad rap... probs due to jealousy. I wish I could get as many people to be interested in my blog etc. but what's the point in getting resentful?
I haven't met her mum but I believe she is from India, I'm not sure where her dad's from though, I assumed English, but he may be part Chinese, who knows.
- Carmina, London/Norwich, 11/04/2011 18:04
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I happened to meet the lovely Bip last week at London's Westfield where she was DJ-ing. I enjoy reading her blog... yes she might have parents in the business... but it doesn't mean she doesn't have talent of her own and she's living every girls dream!
Check out my blog post featuring Bip here: http://ldnshopaholic.com/2011/04/07/
- Saima, London, 11/04/2011 17:30
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Why are people so mean?
Check out her blog - it's brilliant ..... and in my opinion happens to be the best one out there!!!!!
Margarita - I think she's showing her ring off - she was photographed at the launch of a new jewelry store in Shoreditch..duurrrrr
....Richard - you too could start a blog and stop bitching .... if you've got it in you and we could learn about your fantastic life in Plymouth!!!!!!
mg - I'm assuming she was unknown to you until you posted and she is a STAR - I've met her and Andy - I think she might be half Chinese - with a name like Ling she must be....
- Pui Jung, London, 11/04/2011 15:51
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She's gorgeous - but not sure that she looks Chinese!!!
Where are her parents from????
- Andy Gustafson, London, 11/04/2011 15:19
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Richard, Plymouth. I agree, not quite the amazing, unknown star - with her connections of course these people were going to take notice! Come on ES do you really think we are that stupid?
- mg, London, 11/04/2011 14:29
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Because of a wide generational gap I would be pleased if somebody could explain the divided fingers sign that appears to be linked to current music, as I've also seen it in every picture I've seen of one of the N DubZ people.
Is it deeply significent or a meaningless affectation?
- margarita, London, 11/04/2011 13:20
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So Mummy and Daddy just happened to be big shots in the fashion business! Amazing!!
- richard, Plymouth, 11/04/2011 12:21
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