For fashion bloggers, the real show isn't on the catwalk

The catwalk parades at Paris Fashion Week and similar events might steal the global media limelight, but street style on the sidelines is the real star for a group of increasingly influential fashionista bloggers.

These amateur snappers and writers hang on the periphery of the big shows in Paris, Milan, London and New York, and some are making lucrative livelihoods showcasing innovative looks worn by non-celebrities and non-models who attend.

The emphasis is on the affordable and the individual. And it has struck a chord with the part of the buying public that can't or won't splurge on pricey designer duds but still wants to be fashionable.