LIM College

In the topsy-turvy world of Fashion, with its ever-shifting spotlight and wavering definitions of cool, it comes as no surprise that the model/actress/socialite has devolved into a tired cliché, thus rendering her, dare we say, boring.

And boring doesn’t exactly work for fashion people.

She’ll still sit front row, of course, but a new crop of fresh, young, (and extremely stylish) faces will be right across the runway, shielding their eyes from the flashing bulbs.

These new pretty young things are the latest generation of fashion editors, and they’re getting plenty of face-time on some of the industry’s favorite blogs, such as JakandJil.com and NYmag.com’s “The Cut.”

Among stylish editors are Taylor Tomasi-Hill, Kate Lanphear, Dani Stahl, and Mary-Kate Steinmiller, who get more Google hits than their front-row counterparts. The reasons why are immediately obvious.

Aside from personifying the concept of chic with their eclectic styles, each of these women are successful due to years of hard work and perseverance within the industry.  A look at their collective resumes would illicit respect from even the dowdiest fashion naysayer.

One can surely attribute this shift in attention from celebrities to the people who edit publications about them to the newly fashionable concept of D.I.Y.

Even bloggers such as Tavi Gevinson and Tommy Ton have achieved A-list fashion status as a result of their own web creations. It seems that, for the first time, fashion people are taking an interest in the folks who work behind the scenes. Rachel Zoe, anyone?

Now may be the time to cut out the middle man (model/actress/socialite) and see the stylists themselves wearing their own expertly crafted ensembles for the cameras.  Who could forget Japanese Vogue’s Anna Dello Russo at Vogue Paris ’s 90^th anniversary masked ball? That dress! That headpiece!

It seems well-deserved that people who actually work hard are starting to get attention and praise for their efforts. They are, after all, the real trendsetters and tastemakers in the industry. What’s even better is that we can all take inspiration from these fashion power-players. Today’s intern could be tomorrow’s guest of honor.

-- Alexander Channell

Further Reading:

http://jakandjil.com/blog/?s=mary-kate+steinmiller

http://jakandjil.com/blog/?s=anna+dello+russo

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/09/fashion_week_editors.html#