I believe this scenario also occured in the Grammy's! I mean Lady Gaga's outfit [ the alien mother's hat ] certainly blocked the view of the person(s) sitting at her back right? [ See picture below ]

[ Lady Gaga at the front row during the Grammys, lesser known celebrities at her back... | Do you think those at the back felt the same as Ms. Reed? Maybe not so much, since there's a stage, silly!!! ]

More from Ms. Mesure:

Senior fashion insiders believe blogs have turned into little more than mouthpieces for fashion brands, which are increasingly using bloggers to regurgitate their press releases. Dolly Jones, editor of Vogue.com, said: "PRs plant stories with certain bloggers who are influential. Those have a ripple effect. It's a really powerful selling tool."

Robert Johnson, associate editor at the men's magazine GQ, said: "Bloggers are so attractive to the big design houses because they are so wide-eyed and obsessed, but they don't have the critical faculties to know what's good and what's not. As soon as they've been invited to the shows, they can no longer criticise because then they won't be invited back." [ read complete article ]

Ms. Mesure's employer, The Independent, is the same newspaper rumored to be in the process of being 'acquired' by a former Russian KGB agent, Alexander Lebedev.  That's according to another newspaper, The Guardian. Mr. Lebedev is now a multi-millionaire and in a personal crusade to buy properties all over Europe.

Oh, do I have a problem with that? I mean, I don't have a problem with John Galliano posing beside Tavi! But Ms. Mesure together with a former Russian spy? О, мой Бог! Что, черт возьми! [ translation: Oh my God! What the hell! ]

Anyway, why is the article causing such a stir? Actually, there are a number of factors why:

1. The piece written by Ms. Mesure is biased. It failed to present both sides - the fashion editors' views were put on the spotlight, while the other side (the bloggers) was not given the 'space' to present theirs, even though the author was reported to have requested fashion bloggers about it.

Says BoF:

In fact, this is exactly what I said when I was contacted for quotes on the Independent piece — quotes which were ultimately not used. As it turns out, several other bloggers were also asked to comment, including Susie Bubble and Helene of The Luxe Chronicles, but none of their quotes were used either. In fact, not one blogger was directly quoted to provide comment on the other side of the story. The result is an article that comes across as very black and white, on an issue that actually has many shades of grey. We are only at the very beginning of the digital revolution that is sweeping across the fashion industry. And so, to only show one side of the story does readers, and the industry as a whole, a disservice. [ read more ]

The author explained that, unlike bloggers, she has to satisfy the newspaper's standards of not writing too lengthy an article. Says Ms. Mesure:

... the story ended up being much shorter than initially envisaged so I couldn’t use all the comments. Writing in a paper is not like writing online as I am constrained by the word limit set by my editor. I would have liked to use all the comments I received as they were very interesting. Hopefully I may yet get the chance.

However, we have no assurance at all about the sincerity of her words. What if she intentionally made the article biased and in favor of the fashion editors? She's, after all, employed by a newspaper and is one of them. Editorial independence!!! Integrity!!!

2. The article made a sweeping generalization about the intellectual capacity and fashion taste and credibility of all fashion bloggers. And how much influence fashion houses have of them to make sure they write only positive reviews. How? Read below:

But fast forward one season, and fashion bloggers are facing a backlash for falling under the spell of the big design houses they set out to debunk.

Says Jennine Tamm of The Coveted:

In the beginning, I had no idea about the difference between good campaign and when I was being taken advantage of. And through experience, it’s easier see more and more where companies do try to manipulate bloggers into generating positive content. I don’t think that fashion editors could do a better job distinguishing if they were on this side of the fence and managing their own advertising sales. In fact many times they don’t do a better job distinguishing as they are notorious for accepting gifts and selling copy just as much as bloggers.

But just because they do it, does that mean I should?

At first it sounded ok, you know, ‘industry standard’ ‘that’s what everybody does.’ I felt bad, conflicted, somewhat intimidated, and sometimes scared if I didn’t take an opportunity, or if I said something bad then it would ruin my chances to have a successful blog, that part about the GQ quote is true, and I’m not the only one. I saw The Coveted going down this road, reviews, giveaways, sponsored content, invitations, and though I was making more some money, I wasn’t enjoying it as much as the days when I just posted my own clothes and random thinkings. Sure, it made me look like I had reached some level of ’success’ but in reality, it wasn’t at all, so I’ve become so much more selective about what I say yes to. [ read more ]

3. The article promotes and advocates double standard.

Says BoF:

... or editors from the mainstream media to hold bloggers to a different standard than that to which they hold themselves, is hypocritical. As one fashion insider told me, more than ever, major fashion editors are putting advertisers front and centre in their fashion editorial, giving smaller independent brands a miss.

I remember when movie reviewers and critics employed by prestigious newspapers used to scoff (roll their eyes, even) when compared to their online brothers and cousins. One of them even insisted that she's not a blogger, but a journalist.

A few months after, many of these reviewers and critics were laid off and many are now part of the online movie blogging community. Although the same Madame insisted she's still a journalist, and that she should be addressed as a publisher and not a blogger...

The same can be said of the kind of attitude being demonstrated by a good number of these fashion editors and writers. For a fashion editor employed by a prestigious magazine or a top national newspaper, to be in comparison to a fashion blogger, an upstart is... blasphemy!

Of course, fashion writers and editors need not worry about being laid off right? They are indispensable unlike film critics and reviewers. The hell they are!

In parallel, Ms. Manohla Dargis (the co-chief film critic at the New York Times and one of my most admired critics) does not attend fashion shows and has nothing to worry about whether she'll be seated at the front row or not. However, as a truly respectable and authoritative film critic, Hollywood's big studios' see to it that their films are not totally lambasted and torn to pieces by Ms. Dargis. Oh, Ms. Dargis is not one to raise an eyebrow if compared to an online film critic of less stature. Of course, she lets her work speak for her.

Can the same be said of Ms. Paula Reed or Anna Wintour or that other Editor-in-Chief from Vogue Italia?

Dahhhling, please don't take fashion too seriously! Of course we don't!

The Last Word: I think its best to end this post by quoting the one who made so many waves, even lifeguards can't swim!

And, probably the most important reminder: I know myself a little bit more than anyone else. Y'know, just a tad. While I always try to be honest, I still keep myself separate from this character wearing sunglasses indoors. This isn't to say I am totally self-assured, but I know what I don't like, and I know to take everything with a grain of salt. Let's be realistic here -- I don't look at rail-thin women sucking on cigarettes outside shows with admiration. It seems that with all this "Backlash!" many people have lost sight of what MY blog is actually about: fun, dammit! I thought my let's-go-all-out-and-enjoy-ourselves outfits were of any indication here, but apparently a giant pink hairbow just means I don't want editors behind me to see because bloggers hate editors and vice versa, apparently, apparently, apparently.

I'm going to New York on Saturday. I will be wearing some more hats. If you happen to be sitting behind me and you'd like to be able to see, just ask. [ read more ]