Bloggers: From Digital Dreamers to the Front Row

Man Repeller has a brand-spanking new, hardback book on sale. BryanBoy recently teamed up with venerated furrier Adrienne Landau on a line of knit rabbit scarves and mink camera straps in a startling array of colors. The Sartorialist is, well, everywhere.

Those who have risen to fame on the once-uncharted territories of blogs are now laughing all the way to the bank, thanks to millions of fashion-starved fans worldwide who can't get enough of these voices. It would be an oversimplification to say that blogging has been the great democratizer, the equalizer in fashion — but it is not unfair to remark on the changing landscape of the front row at many shows. Bloggers brush shoulders with the likes of editors and the occasional buyer.

Here's what they have to say on the chic shift in attitudes (or lack thereof):

Sydney Sadick of StyleSolutionsNYC:

"When I started going to Fashion Week about five years ago, the front row consisted of strictly celebrities and print editorial leaders. Today, a major portion is filled with top fashion bloggers, which really shows the acceptance of these fashion gurus in the industry. There's also a lot more of a fashion scene going on outside of the tents — street style getting just as much attention as the shows themselves."

Susie Bubble of Style Bubble:

"It's become bigger, more well-publicized — more in the public consciousness. Especially in New York, not as much in Paris or Milan, but definitely London or New York it's more in the public consciousness. They make a bigger deal out of it."

Jacey Duprie of Damsel in Dior:

"I just started blogging full-time two years ago, but even in the past two years it's gone from bloggers treating it as a hobby to more of a profession. We have more of a place in the industry, and you can actually make money blogging. It's changed tremendously and it's still taken shape, and we're still trying to find our place in the industry so we shall see what will happen in the future. It's definitely still evolving.

Fashion Week used to be just editors and celebrities and friends of the designer, and now it's very saturated with street style. Not just bloggers, but photographers as well. When you're walking into Lincoln Center, it is a mob of street style photographers, bloggers, and/or aspiring bloggers. They might not be going to shows — it's fine if they're not. I think it's kind of cool that people are putting themselves out there, at least they're trying. A lot of people discredit the girls who walk across to get their picture taken, but at least they're out there trying.

I feel a little bit more welcomed by the designers than I do the editors... there are days I get hate from editors face-to-face. I'd rather they do it to my face. I feel like designers are catching on the blogging industry a lot quicker than the editors are. The editors are coming around. I understand why they would be pissed off at us, a little bit angry, bitter. They were first. They came here first. And blogging didn't exist 10 years ago even. If I knew that this is what I wanted to do, I would want to be an editor. Absolutely. I would love to be an editor. I feel like that's what I do, I edit my own blog."