Everybody, Come See How Cool I Look!

The scene: Urgent telephone call at 1 a.m. on a Sunday

Her: Hey! What do you think of my new Facebook picture?

You: [Seriously? You pause for what would be an appropriate amount of time to    convince your friend that you have actually logged on to Facebook.] It’s cute!

Her: Really? You don’t think it looks like I’m trying too hard?

You: [Stretching the truth.] Definitely not.

Her: So do you think it’s cuter than the one I had up last time?

You: Definitely.

Her: “Actually, I mean the time before that?”

You pull out the album you have saved on your desktop that documents all of your friend’s past (25+) Facebook pictures, each meticulously labeled with its date of inception and a rating that you have assigned based on a complex evaluative model you created…Wait, no you don’t, because you are not insane.

I have cut off the rest of this conversation to spare you (you’re welcome), because you likely know that it’s not nearly close to being finished. Also, let’s be honest, your friend isn’t listening to you anyway, and if she were, she wouldn’t believe what you were saying. The entire charade will end with her choosing the awkwardly angled shot that inevitably includes a random body part in the background belonging to your friend Bob who has a talent for appearing in photographs when he wasn’t even present. The crowning touch is that this misguidedly selected image will subsequently be converted into sepia (what does that even mean?) tone. Thank you, iPhoto, for making otherwise boring and unattractive people look painfully sophisticated, artsy and airbrushed.

What seems most absurd about all this is that all your friend’s Facebook “friends” presumably know her (or have met her at least once before…no? Well, hopefully?) in person. It seems unlikely that they would log onto Facebook one day, see her Facebook picture and suddenly adopt an entirely new concept of what she looks like: “You know, I thought Kaitlin was short, but in this picture she looks really tall - wow, she must be tall!” I don’t think humans are dumb enough to accept digital renderings in lieu of reality, are we?

First it was just the profile picture, then the albums came along and a burgeoning new forum was born through which people could prove, once and for all, just how cool they are. Albums sprung up left and right, documenting insanely fun weekends that conveniently lent themselves to “impromptu” photoshoots to be posted not a moment too soon for all Facebook “friends” to see: “Look at Charlie drinking a Cosmo in the Hamptons, while laughing at a joke and wearing Gucci loafers. Man, he is cool. I’m glad we’re Facebook friends/my friend Mary is Facebook friends with him so that I can look at his photos.  I feel better about myself just knowing that I am friends (sort of) with someone this cool.”

Gosh, I hope it doesn’t really work like this, or we are all really big tools. But for your viewing pleasure, please read more on the topic via Daily Intel’s hilarious exploration of the Facebook status as the newest modality that Mr. Zuckerberg and his app-happy minions have conceived for us to assert our social status.

-Kristin

Handbags Hit the Town in the Latest Twitter Hunt

Who is Rachel Nasvik? Thanks to an ingenious Twitter campaign, many women across Manhattan are now able to identify this name that was obscure not more than a week ago. Young handbag designer Rachel Nasvik recently embraced what seems to be the latest “cool thing to do” on Twitter, launching her very own New York City-wide, Twitter-based scavenger hunt…for handbags. Rachel has been hiding her signature totes throughout the Big Apple, employing Twitter as a medium through which she posts clues, tipping her followers as to her handbags’ latest whereabouts.

While Rachel’s handbags currently enjoy lofty perches upon the shelves of such upscale shopping meccas as Saks Fifth Avenue, boasting price tags valued at several hundreds of dollars, fortunate females across Manhattan are happily scoring Rachel’s playful designs free of charge.

Giving out handbags for free? How does Rachel benefit from this? Firstly, she is brilliantly building her brand’s reputation as a label that is fresh, fun and interested in giving back to its buyers. Secondly, brand notoriety has been born out of the buzz being stirred by the physical hunt taking place, as well as by the number of potential buyers now following Rachel’s campaign (if only because they would very much appreciate a free handbag, thanks).

Possibly the most interesting twist to Rachel’s campaign is its almost unprecedented embrace of the designer handbag piracy that plagues the streets of Manhattan, tarnishing respected names and threatening to diminish the desirability of signature styles that are copied in almost nauseating excessiveness. Rachel Nasvik’s marketing team has cleverly adopted a tactic guided by the mantra “if you cant beat ‘em, use ‘em to your own advantage” by “hiding” her authentic handbags at the stands of the very vendors who are peddling knock-offs.

In a video produced by MSNBC, the reasons for this tactful marketing ploy are explored, revealing that after reading author Matt Mason’s book, The Pirate’s Dilemma, Rachel’s marketing coordinator was inspired to find ways to use piracy as a point of brand leverage by which to prop up Rachel’s designs. The premise is that as Rachel’s campaign catches on among followers and onlookers (as it already has), pirates will be prompted to create their own copies of Rachel’s bags, who will consequently find themselves rubbing shoulders with such industry knock-off giants as Fake-Chanel, Fake-Prada and of course Fake-Louis Vuitton.

But is mimicry really the best form of flattery? Does being copied make you cool? Though I would never turn down a free handbag, I’m nobody’s fool!

-Kristin

Attention Online Shoppers: Polyvore Will Change Your Life (For Better or Worse)

What is Polyvore (besides brilliant)? Before last week, I didn’t know the answer to this question…and I still cannot say decisively whether I was better or worse off for it.

First and foremost, Polyvore is a user-generated e-fashion magazine. Every participant who logs onto the site is invited to tap into his or her inner stylist, fashioning what would be the editorial spreads and advertisements comprising a print magazine. Selecting from an array of backgrounds and images, users are then free to browse the web for the ideal combination of clothing, accessories, even makeup or graphic images that will unite in a self-expressive ensemble.

Polyvore perfectly addresses our natural human craving to interact with media in a participatory, hands-on way. In this digital world of multimedia, subscribers yearn for more than the simple experience of flipping through pages – we seek to engage our senses through as many modalities as possible, uniting sound, image and mental engagement in a multidimensional experience.

I am reminded of the popularity of the Facebook wall, which is becoming an increasingly popular modus of information sharing. The Facebook wall and newsfeed are not far cries from a rudimentary, user-generated newspaper—users gain enjoyment from receiving news updates via links friends have posted, in lieu of reading information published by seemingly anonymous names. When relayed by personal acquaintances, stories become embedded in context, imbued with personal significance and make one more likely to engage in their content. With the right selection of friends: a comedy-lover, fashionista, foodie, sports nut and political guru, you have yourself a pretty comprehensive daily news report.

This sharing quality brings us to Polyvore’s next high point, which is its ability to tap into the sense of community provided by social media. Once a user has created his or her fashion composition, the page may be published for display and is subsequently available for critique and/or praise from fellow users who can freely rate others’ designs. How better to grow as a stylist than to receive immediate feedback from one’s peers? When we want to grow, we are given an impetus to create time and time again and to subsequently “come back for more.” The mere fact that the creative process is limitless ensures that users will always have a reason to revisit and engage in Polyvore’s site.

From a shopper’s perspective, Polyvore provides a revolutionary way of shopping online. Once a design set has been composed, the Polyvore site automatically itemizes each fashion piece in a sidebar on each user’s screen, accompanied by its price and a link to the website from which it was selected. Viewers are hence able to immediately visit the item’s original home, where they are now more likely to make a purchase. Polyvore earns a 25% commission every time a user clicks to link to an online shopping website.

Polyvore is a testament to the fact that people love to interact with their brands and love to make things personal, particularly when it comes to the self-expressive nature of fashion. The more we relate to something and feel that we played a role in its fruition, the more we are likely to buy it. How many times have I said the words: “This is SO me!” and left a store with a significantly thinner wallet? Fashion is personal - and Polyvore has realized that and capitalized upon it through social media.

Read more about Polyvore in the recent New York Times article or visit Polyvore.com and start designing! Above is my first creation.

-Kristin

It’s no secret that the fashion industry has been struggling significantly during difficult economic times. Just yesterday, a post on NY Mag’s The Cut warned of the grave danger in which the Christian Lacroix house has found itself after having filed for bankruptcy this past May.  My mind turned to a vision of the fantastic beaded Lacroix T-shirt that was paired with Guess? blue jeans on the first Vogue cover to ever feature jeans – a profound shift in Vogue’s message about what constitutes fashion. I shed a silent tear.

While upsetting, the constraints placed on today’s designers by the economic climate create an interesting opportunity for exciting change in the fashion industry.  Five years ago, no one would have imagined that Karl Lagerfeld would be designing a line for H&M – and yet it has happened, and the line received huge success. In many senses, access to quality fashion has become much more democratized – something which should have perhaps happened long ago, but there was no impetus to do so until it meant sink or swim for brands.

So what is next on the agenda for fashion designers?  Will Karl Lagerfeld be tweeting?  Well, perhaps not yet, but an article in the June 24 issue of WWD took an interesting look at the way that fashion designers are beginning to interact with the twittersphere.  Designers including Betsey Johnson, Donna Karan and Charlotte Ronson are recognizing the utility of free social media as a powerful marketing tool. In the iconic world of fashion, where labels and identity are often (and sometimes too) intertwined, Twitter affords fashion-lovers the opportunity to connect with their beloved brands on an even more personal level.

And speaking of personal, what I personally would love to see is designers not necessarily tweeting about deals and discounts, which I feel might “cheapen” (for lack of a better word) the image of such historically established houses as Chanel, Dior or Lanvin, but to instead see Alber Elbaz tweeting about his design inspirations, favorite pieces from his new collection, thoughts on the messages he wishes to convey through his work. I am reminded of the American Express ad featuring Diane Von Furstenberg, which I always found embarrassingly inspiring for a television commercial. Clothing is personal – it is a form of artistic expression that can become even more meaningful if we know from what vision it came to materialize. How much more fun would it be to wear a fabulous Marc Jacobs coat when Marc himself has twittered the story behind it?  This is a whole new way of interacting with fashion and I am anxious to see how designers will play with it.

-Kristin

The Little Black Dress Goes Digital

Once again, the little black dress proves impenetrable against the tests of time –- the same tests that continuously leave less fortunate parties such as acid-wash jeans, polyester button-downs, saddle shoes (sorry, Elise) and probably fedoras wondering just where they went so wrong (where do we start?). The black dress is immortal.  And what then, we might ask, is the secret to its success?

In light of the article posted yesterday to Jezebel entitled “Uniform Project”: Stunt Fashion, Or Fashionable Service?” I would venture to say adaptability.  The little black dress is jumping on the social media train as it is broadcast to the world by Sheena Matheiken, who will be wearing the same black dress day after day for an entire year, in turn teaching us all a lesson about how creativity and sustainability can work hand in hand.

What better way to join the hands of fashionistas and treehuggers alike –- both being parties whose interest will be naturally sparked by Sheena’s endeavor –- than by working within the “safe space” of social media.  Via a daily blog, “The Uniform Project,” Sheena will describe the endless ways that she is able to reinvent one simple look by stretching her creativity through strategic accessorizing and playing with the vast world of color. Is such an endeavor enough of a grab to keep me visiting Sheena’s site day after day?  I must say I am both intrigued and inspired.  Sheena is taking on a challenge, and there is nothing that captivates audiences more than a challenge.

She has entered herself in her own Top Chef-like competition, only she is up against her own ingenuity and resourcefulness, running a selfless experiment in the possibilities that lie within simplicity. Will creativity prevail?  With the help of the little black dress, I am hopeful – but I will be reading daily to find out!

-Kristin