Joanna Hillman

It's been a long time coming, but it looks like it's officially happened: Fashion editors have fully made the transition into modeling. After years of being stalked by street style photographers and having their perfectly put together ensembles plastered all over the Internet, the faces that were once behind-the-scenes at our favorite glossies have emerged as the industry's most recognizable (and sought after) personalities. The public flocks to fashion industry insiders like Kate Lanphear, Taylor Tomasi-Hill, Joanna Hillman, and Anna Dello Russo for direction when it comes to trends, styling advice, and ultimately, what to buy. From an advertising standpoint, it makes sense to feature editors—who can merchandise pieces and market clothing better than they can? Chances are, the more clout a magazine has during Fashion Month and beyond, the more of these "celebrity editors" are on their mastheads. And giving readers a glimpse at the personal style of these celeb editors is not only a way to get a peek into their enviable, glamorous lives, it's great press for print publications. The lofty ideal of the fashion editor is just as aspirational (and possibly just as unrealistic) as that of a model, but there's the added hints of expertise, self-expression, attention to detail, and appreciation of good design that have helped to make street style photography immensely popular. There's a reason why women like Anna Wintour and Carine Roitfeld have such a large pull in what ends up on the runways and in stores each season, and it was only a matter of time before the industry cut out the middle man and brought their sensibilities to the forefront. We've explored the evolution of this editors-as-models trend, which shows no sign of slowing down. Are you a fan of this new development?

It's hard to believe there was ever a time that Anna Dello Russo didn't walk around with cherries on top of her head, or that Taylor Tomasi-Hill wasn't impeccably layered behind cat-eye shades. In the past few years, street style blogs like the Sartorialist, Jak & Jil, and Street Peeper have propelled a group of flawlessly and outrageously dressed editors and it-girls to rock star status, their outfits documented by throngs of style paparazzi each time they leave the office. We unearthed snapshots of seven prominent street style icons when they were just names on a masthead. We (and our self-esteem) were surprised and relieved to find that the style of these ladies was once not so different from the rest of ours. Street Style Stars: They Used to Be Just Like Us!