Giving scores to fashion's powerhouses

According to Forbes magazine, there are certain designers with the absolute power to raise hemlines high or low by using Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and YouTube.

With New York Fashion Week in full swing, the industry's key players are again jockeying to have the most influence in "fashionland".

But there is a different measure afoot. According to Forbes magazine, there are certain designers with the absolute power to raise hemlines terrifyingly high or perilously low by using Twitter and Facebook, Tumblr and YouTube.

To that end, with the help of analysts at Klout.com, Forbes has compiled a definitive ranking of the extent designers are able to set social networking sites alight when they create, recommend or share content.

Somewhat surprisingly, the American reality TV programme Project Runway topped the table with a score of 79 points out of a possible 100. The show, which tracks the lives of contestants vying to become the next great fashion designer, is now in its ninth season and the brand, along with its host Heidi Klum, is said by Forbes to have a "huge presence" in the tents at New York Fashion Week this year.

Hot on the supermodel's heels is designer Diane von Furstenberg with a Klout score of 74, due in part to her impressive 276,010 followers on Twitter. And in third place, with a respectable 73 points, is Michael Kors in a tie with DKNY. Wedding dress designer Vera Wang was not far behind with 68 points.