In Person: Alexander McQueen’s fall show, left, was a spine-tingler for the few hundred who saw it live. On Screen: Hussein Chalayan’s elegant spring-summer video, right, is there for anyone sitting in front of a computer.    (Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/Getty Images)

The buzz off a great show is fashion’s single greatest selling tool, says Natalie Massenet, founder of the high-end shopping site Net-a-porter, who would seem to have a stake in the Web’s ascendance. “When a show is amazing, and fashion is moving forward, and the experience is inspiring, I always think, God, if we could bottle this.”

Horyn doesn’t disagree. “It’s a great experience to go to a really great show, where there’s a combination of great clothes and staging,” she says, citing Marc Jacobs’s recent use of sets by Stefan Beckman. “It makes a substantial difference in how his clothes are projected. Dior, Yves Saint Laurent—these are breathtaking experiences.”

As for critics and editors, well. Are they really necessary? In the increasingly democratic domain that is fashion now, why shouldn’t readers wiki their way through the shows, clicking and saving and making their own idea of fall? Of course, the Web is a wonderful tool for fashion. Except that, as anyone who’s ever tried to clean out a closet knows, choice is exhausting, and even the most fanatical don’t have the time, the patience, and the necessary mental filters to pluck from a sea of black dresses the four or five that are perfect. That’s why editors and critics are still necessary. “The consumers can make their own decisions, but there’s so much to wade through,” says Massenet. “At a certain point, she’ll say, ‘Guide me.’ We have to acknowledge now that we’re not telling the consumer anything new; she’s seen it. What we have to tell her is, why this one is better than that one.”