img_2270-1Since our friends south of the border are celebrating Thanksgiving, and consequently my daily blogroll is in a lull (read: I’m in withdrawal), resulting in nothing really going on, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk blogging.

Maybe you’re a blogger reading this. Maybe not (though one click in google will get you in the know). Either way, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard of the recent “greats”, Rumi Neely (Fashion Toast) (pictured), Jane Aldridge (Sea of Shoes) and Tavi (Style Rookie). These blogging belles du jour may share a gap in demographic but they’ve spawned a blogspot generation that’s come to be known as “I’m famous on the internet,” stirring up a tizzy of “followers” trying to get a piece of the action. On the World Wide Web, fashion (is there any other kind) blogging has gone from a journaling hobby to a fame game in the span of a few years.

Requiring nothing more than a digital camera, blogger account, budding (or seasoned if you want to have an upper hand) wardrobe, and a knack for posing shamelessly for a timer or make-shift photographer, easy accessibility has turned what was once perhaps an innocent way of passing the time, into job credentials. Industry insiders were quick to see the potential, paving the path to success for bloggers by extending invites to fashion week (Rumi. Twice. Once in NY. The second time in Paris), seeing bloggers as muses for their collections (Rodarte and Tavi), and even hosting them (in Chanel no less) at the event of events, the Bal de Crillon (Jane in Paris). Not to mention that this past September, fashion week saw a breakthrough first take place when D&G set up the who’s who of the blogosphere with front row seats and blog-ready laptops in tow. Add Twitter to the equation and the sky’s the limit.

Self-indulgent? Yes, but you can forget about working your way up the ladder, or pounding the pavement, when the top editors can find you at the click of a mouse. And as if that wasn’t incentive enough, most of these girls are doing everything from landing modeling contracts to designing capsule collections for brands like Urban Outfitters and RVCA—not too shabby.

With bloggers at the helm, fashion has had the platform to become more democratic than ever before and everyone’s got a penchant for success. But what remains to be seen is how far this online trend will go. Is the industry on the cusp of a new wave of fashion media where bloggers (whether they’re 13 or 30) have positioned themselves at the helm or is flaunting those Proenza Schouler kicks and that thrifted score nothing more than a wink at the irony of fashion and the online abyss it’s currently strong-holding.