The Sartorialist

Whether good style can be taught is up for debate, but one thing's for sure: an eyeful of inspiring street style (loosely defined as "what real people are wearing on the street") is up for grabs at The Sartorialist, a fashion photo blog created by ex-luxury fashion marketer cum photographer Scott Schuman in 2005. The Sartorialist has pioneered fashion photography in blog form. Updated daily with photos of random strangers from around the world, the site has also become a breeding ground for "real people" fashion critics, who passionately debate everything from sleeve lengths to sneakers to studs. Which is what makes The Sartorialist a true fashion influencer: there's an immediacy and authenticity to Schuman's street snaps that traditional big-budget editorial shoots are lacking. Even the fashion industry's biggest players-editors, marketers, CEO's and retail buyers-have taken to gauging the future of fashion via Schuman's artful, inspiring pictures. Like any fashion world darling, The Sartorialist has spawned many admiring imitators, but still isn't a total original. Bill Cunningham, veteran fashion photographer for the New York Times, has famously captured New York street style in print for years, long before the Internet began to democratize the hallowed world of fashion.