Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

Judging from daily reports from the Bryant Park tents it would seem we had experienced a fashion revolution as bloggers are replacing A-listers on the front row. Swide on the other hand is getting a feeling of déjà-vu.

The love affair between bloggers and the fashion industry has experienced a few key moments: shy beginnings as one was scrutinising the other while that other was unsure how to deal with the attention; an unexpected declaration as shy fashion took the bold decision to embrace that forbidden love; outrage as the affair set many a tongue wagging. And then it was as though everyone jumped on the bandwagon and launched into full-blown courtship of the now all-powerful bloggers.

The front row that started it all back in September last year - Bryan Boy steals Anna Wintour's spotlight at Dolce & Gabbana S/S 10 (Credit: Dennis Valle)

Never ones to shy away in the face of social conventions, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were the first to really shout out "Bloggers we love you"; that was when the designer duo famously decided to create a whole new kind of front row, an artful arrangement of bloggers and leading fashion editors. Oh to have been a fly on that wall and witnessed Anna Wintour and Bryanboy exchange notes on the importance of accessorising! The media was prompt to react, confirming rumours of a new digital love affair.

So imagine one's surprise when days ago that same sort of agitation resumed as NYC was witnessing a strange shift in power with bloggers now special guest stars of the Fall 2010 shows. "A new fever" wrote Women's Wear Daily,, while the New York Times highlighted this new phenomenon of bloggers "Muscling in on the front row". As if the world was getting worked up over a debate that has been played out for months.

Top bloggers sharing an inside joke on the D&G front row back in September for the S/S 10 shows.

The facts were established a while ago: in this digital age clicks are the new currency, and partaking in the online power game are both major fashion houses and fashion bloggers. This new form of interaction is only one of the ways available to the industry in their effort to reach out to the outside world. And it seems fair to recognise Dolce & Gabbana really was one of the first companies to address those needs: by developing a strong online identity through their websites and various social media platforms; by being aware of new technologies and ready to embrace them (Domenico and Stefano have made a point of broadcasting their shows to a mass audience, therefore participating in the rewriting of the ancient fashion rules); by thinking ahead and taking risks - which ultimately have paid off as new forms of communication have become part of the current digital language.

What shall become of the likely fashion stars? Amidst the wide-eyed admiration are signs of a backlash (the Tavi backlash being the pinnacle... were fashion editors increasingly feeling threatened by youngsters and their laptops?); how soon shall it end? Was it just a short-lived passion or can things be worked out and lead to a long-term story? Fashion's ability to embrace and adapt to societal evolutions seems to read like a forecast of many more happy days yet to come.

And while New York's world has turned on its head with this blogger wave, Milan is onto the next thing with the Dolce & Gabbana and D&G shows due to be live-streamed on iPhone next week; and what with the time difference... see you in September New York?

 

Aurelie Bellavigna

 

 Image credit: Illustration courtesy of Danny Roberts at Igor + Andre (based on a photograph by Dennis Valle)

TAGS: bloggers front row bryanboy dolce&gabbana d&g tommy ton scott schuman sartorialist garance dore new york new york fashion week tavi