Raymond Chu, a 20-year-old NYU student, doesn’t follow fashion trends. He preferred military jackets and three-piece suits a la Indiana Jones and Fred Astaire in high school, and was always considered overdressed. Now, instead of mockery he receives praise from friends and strangers alike. Repeatedly featured on street-style photography blog The Sartorialist, and chosen as a 2008 finalist for Esquire’s Best Dressed Real Man, Chu feels flattered by the recognition, posting these photographs online for his 1,000 Facebook friends to view.

From Facebook to Twitter to blogging, Generation Y live their lives online—and nowhere more so than in fashion. In this public celebration, camera-loving Gen Yers post outfits, clothing and inspiration on the Internet, using this platform as a way for the fashion-minded to share ideas. With the unlimited possibility of the web, Generation Y has made fashion more influential, more accessible, and certainly more global.

“Fashion is no longer a one-way street to consumers, but now a two-way street,” says Susan Cernek, senior fashion editor for Glamour.com, the online counterpart to the magazine.

The Internet has drastically shortened connection time, and communication is now instantaneous around the globe. If traditional print magazines rejected online components, they would be far behind the times. Still, with the never-ending flow of online outlets, many readers look elsewhere to find their daily dose of fashion.

Blogging fits the prescription. Like thousands of others, 19-year-old fashion addict Francheska Liberman rarely buys print magazines anymore. The Marbella, Spain native finds all editorials and upcoming trends on the Internet, but prefers to read personal blogs for inspiration. Her own blog, “Fashion Canvas,” in which she posts her favorite photographs, ranks in the top 100 of about 25,000, according to Bloglovin’, a service that provides RSS feeds for blogs.

Liberman embodies the power of the Internet, and the fashion blogging community it’s formed. Hailing from a small town where no one shared her interests, she started a blog to connect with others. “We bloggers created our own little world where we can relate to one another without using speech as a form of communication, and [using] fashion instead,” she says.

While traditional fashion figures have always carried an air of exclusivity, the fashion world led by Generation Y bloggers promotes exposure, social intercourse and accessibility. “The rise of the anonymous blogger—the more accessible, relatable style icon, is a mark of the change in fashion now,” says Cernek.

Accessible fashion also links directly to street style, with the recognition that having style doesn’t mean following trends or spending money. Scott Schuman, the face behind pioneering blog The Sartorialist, brought street style to the masses. “It’s encouraging personal styles, encouraging people to want to feel more individualized than other people,” says Justin Stefano, co-founder of Refinery29.com, a fashion forum with a street-style section.

Generation Y’s awareness of fashion extends far beyond their immediate surroundings, thanks in part to these photographers that travel the world, but also to the limitless Internet.

Lookbook.nu demonstrates this iconic Generation Y awareness. An online community that began two years ago, the network is literally a global lookbook with 50,000 members from 48 countries—all Generation Yers. Users post “looks,”—creative photographs of their style and outfits, which other members can “hype” or “love,” like giving a virtual thumbs up or bookmarking it as a favorite.

“I think fashion comes from young minds, because kids are willing to try new things,” says Yuri Lee, the 25-year-old founder.

And young minds, who have long been practicing self-expression online, are eager to embrace originality in fashion. “Global street-style connects high and low, and it’s relatable,” says Ella Magun, a Columbia University sophomore inspired by style she saw in Paris. On her browser she bookmarks StyleLikeU.com, her favorite style website.

Founded by Elisa Goodkind, a 52-year-old ex-stylist and her 20-year-old daughter Lily, StyleLikeU serves as an online forum for inspiring people as seen through Goodkind’s lens. Subjects are filmed in their own closets, showcasing their favorite pieces and talking of their style philosophies.

Goodkind, who left the fashion industry to make this website, believes the Internet opens many doors for the future. Now, fashion comes from the people.

“I’m trying to bring back creativity, something inspiring, something that isn’t controlled by advertisers,” says Goodkind, who finds herself attracted to people with eclectic style and fascinating stories. “This site is more of a movement, and it allows me to show that style is different than fashion.”