Never having been one to use eBay as a go-to mobile spot for fashion buys, I do have to say that I liked seeing eBay’s ads at the Powell Street Bart station in downtown San Francisco over the weekend.
These ads are part of a campaign eBay is running called On Your Mind, with the slogan “When it’s on your mind, it’s on eBay.” The full campaign is a mix of TV, outdoor display, and social media ads. The outdoor ads started running on October 17 in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, an LA. Ads that are at street level incorporate QR codes.
One report predicts that eBay’s mobile sales will be more than $4 billion by the end of 2011. I wonder how much of this sales volume will be from fashion enthusiasts trying to score deals on clothing, shoes, and accessories.
Yet most recently, HP collaborated with Marchesa, a brand known for their beautifully crafted gowns in to-die-for textiles during the fashion label’s appearance at New York Fashion Week Spring 2012.
Source: Photo from last week's VIP HP event
The other night I was invited to attend an exclusive HP event where I got to learn the details about HP’s collaboration with Marchesa and how the two brands partnered to bring high tech to Marchesa’s runway show after party. Like I did last week at the VIP event, attendees of Marchesa’s party had a chance to see the result of the collaboration called “tech art”. Like online multimedia shows, one design looks very Gothic with black Swarovski crystals dotted across the top of a black lid, and one more fit for a princess with its sparkly silver on silver design.
Party goers also we also the first to experience HP’s new Photon Engine solution. Viewers donned special glasses and then looked upon a wall that used an HP Z800 Workstation and multiple projectors to see 3D images of designs from the Marchesa runway show they just watched life.
Source: HP
The perks? The ability to see Marchesa’s designs up close, and for a longer amount of time. As anyone who’s attended a fashion show can attest to, models strutting on the runway move so fast it can be hard to see small details of each design they wear. And after a show, clothing can usually been seen via printed lookbook or on a live model. This 3D technology lets editors and enthusiasts have a second chance look at the designs they just saw go down the runway live.
Ultimately, the Photon Engine solution can be used to view 2D video, content from the web, photos, and print documents all on one surface. While only available in the US, this solution might be useful for industries outside of fashion as well, like the medical, sports, and entertainment industries. Even an architectural firm or urban planning committee could very well utilize this technology.
I have more Vogue magazines than I know what to do with. The top shelf of my closet at my parent’s Connecticut home is sagging under 4+ years of my collection and my room at my San Francisco apartment has a stack that is ready to fall over.
My love of Vogue started back in college when I first got interested in fashion- after a trip to see a Versace exhibit in London and a very small modeling stint back in Connecticut.
After my mom realized how excited I was about this industry she started letting me read her Vogue magazines… little aware that I was about to steal them to begin my collection.
Biography about Anna Wintour published in 2005
Anyway, not long after my collection started, so did my interest in Vogue’s driving force- the sunglasses wearing, Prada wearing “devil”, Editrix Anna Wintour. I become so passionate that one of my college friends dubbed me “Voguie”, and it’s a nickname that’s stuck to this day.
I love that her reign over Vogue has spanned two generations of women in my family who have enjoyed the magazine. So a very happy birthday to my first inspiration in the fashion industry.
Over the past few years, DKNY PR Girl has stood out among the sea of personalities trying to get eyes on their fashion brand’s tweets. In fact, her tweets about working PR in the New York City fashion scene became so popular that DKNY won the award for Best Twitter at the Fashion 2.0 Awards last February (the brand also snagged three other awards of the eight total given that night, for Best Mobile App, Best Blog and Top Innovator).
In keeping with the brand’s theme of innovative this past September DKNY partnered with POSE (a mobile app recently featured at my meetup group’s Apps & Apps party) to construct a very innovative Fashion’s Night Out campaign. Basically, the street style photographers took pictures of guests of the DKNY Fashion’s Night Out event and posted them on the POSE app with the hashtag #DKNYFNO. Each photo automatically went to DKNY accounts on select social media platforms (like Facebook), and those who couldn’t make the event could pretty much live it as though they were there.
And to make the brand even more interactive still, DKNY PR Girl has a section on the DKNY website titled PR Girl’s Picks, usually the type of honor that goes to a real live celebrity (or nowadays, a celebrity fashion blogger).
With all that said, why did DKNY PR Girl reveal her true identity? DKNY digital marketing (namely, DKNY PR Girl) is highly revered, very much enjoyed, and still totally gabbed about. Furthermore, just over a year ago she was telling StyleCaster that, “aliases on Twitter are very common and anonymity makes it fun”.
I have to say, though I have a lot of respect for Aliza Licht, I really enjoyed not knowing who this pr girl was. As someone with a background in books (I’m talking getting in trouble daily for reading at the breakfast, lunch, and dinner table here), I really enjoy letting my imagination run wild. Finding out the real person behind DKNY PR Girl was like seeing Anne Hathaway play Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada, fun, enticing, but not half as thrilling as reading about (or in the DKNY case, interacting with) a character I could picture any which way I wanted in my mind.
Everything today seems to be so, so very transparent so it’s a shame that this secret got out. Now I’m left to hope (and I don’t doubt) that Aliza Licht will keep us guessing about what creative marketing scheme is next for the DKNY brand.
Last Thursday, 6 of my close friends and I hosted another Digitally Chic meetup. This time we featured fashion and lifestyle apps from around the Bay Area whose creativity was shown through small group demos and one on one discussion.
Being silly with some of the DC co-founders after the event
Just one year after we met for drinks and realized we all had a love for fashion and tech in common, we’re 230+ members strong in our Facbeook group, but also have a public Facebook page (where all of the event photos are located) and Twitter account you can follow for more updates: @DigitallyChic.
And, we were very honored to have our Apps & Apps event featured in the San Francisco Chronicle!
What’s next? Our first birthday party! That’s right, we’re currently organizing our one year celebration, so stay tuned for details coming soon!
All of the DC co-founders celebrating Sharon's college graduation!
Both fashion and electronics are each such a part of the music industry, but things get quirky when the three converge on stage. Here are some of my favorite ways designers have managed to help music stars really light up the stage:
Daft Punk, 2007
For their Alive 2007 tour, Daft Punk toured the world in clothing designed by Enlighted Designs (run by President and Chief Fashion Engineer Janet Cooke Hansen). The outfits “glowed in the dark” by way of EL wire that was strategically placed to define the look for each member of the group. And on each jacket, the Daft Punk logo was illuminated with the help of roughly 300 LEDs.
OK Go, 2007OK Go, 2007
Wearable Tech Artist Moritz Waldemeyer created LED embellished jackets for the US band OK Go to use during a tour. The jackets debuted on November 22, 2007 and according to Waldemeyer, “LED lights embedded in their jackets run through a sequence that makes up the letters O,K,G,O – like a Vegas slot-machine scrolling through its symbols to spell the band’s name”. (Waldemeyer is also famous in the fashion world for collaborating with Fashion Designer Hussein Chalayan on a very sparkly Swarovski and LED infused collection.)
M.I.A., 2009
Enlighted designs created colorful clothing for M.I.A.’s lead singer and back up dancers to rock on stage at Coachella 2009.
Katy Perry, 2010Katy Perry, 2010
Katy Perry rocked a silk chiffon gown created by CuteCircuit that was unlike any other couture gown at the MET Costume Institute Gala that night- this one light up in rainbow colors from the work of more than 3,000 LEDs.
Rihanna, 2010
Exactly one week after Katy Perry dazzled the paparazzi in New York City, Rihanna gave a performance at London’s O2 Arena in a black dress decorated with hundreds of tiny glowing red lights. The creative brains behind this gown? Fashion Designer Alexandre Vauthier and Wearable Tech Artist Moritz Waldemeyer.
As fashion bloggers, we look for great fashion at affordable prices. Unfortunately, most times high fashion comes at a substantial price tag. Some of us get emphatically crafty to achieve the cultivated couture look we seek. By making adroit changes to items (sometimes slightly pass their prime) they become stylishly spectacular! For instance, my favorite links this week all happen to be DIY projects! These bloggers made tutorials for their colorblock hair accessories, faux Phillip Lim slacks and my favorite, DIY sparkle glitter boots!
THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: OCTOBER 20TH
PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine
Mood rings are so 1999, but have you seen the new way to express how you’re feeling using jewelry?
I’ve been seeing images of emoticon rings pop up all over the web lately (ok, Twitter, Pinterest, and other such sites) and it turns out the collection, by Chao and Eero, is called Signs.
According to the designers’ site, the inspiration was from how much we now use email and mobile phone messages, and though words are different across languages, certain symbols have become universally accepted.
The other night I was spending some time browsing ASOS (one of my favorite online shopping destinations for the past three years) and noticed a few changes to the site, which led me to do some research on the brand. A lot of changes have taken place lately!
Under the Marketplace section of the site, users can now shop independent boutiques and labels. So far, brands from the UK, US, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, and Sweden are participating. And, each boutique has a blog so visitors can see what’s new and learn about a brand’s view on fashion and lifestyle.
Outfits & Looks
Under the Outfits & Looks part of the site, users can assemble outfits (very Polyvore inspired) and can upload pictures of themselves (very LookBook.nu style) to be judged. Very smart of ASOS to incorporate ideas from two major fashion websites to make its own site more social. But, it would be nice to only see images that clearly include at least one piece from the ASOS site for inspiration. Maybe this could be an idea for a contest?
Blog focusing on music
The other new section is Blogs, which is comprised of five blogs. Each one has a different subject, including one about styles seen during Fashion Week and one with a music related theme (guess someone else reads The Vogue Vibes?). Personally I don’t see the point of 5 separate blogs on the main section of the website, unless the brand is trying to ultimately be both a social shopping destination and editorial go-to place. After all, fashion magazines and eCommerce are merging these days.
iOS App
In addition to making the eCommerce site more social, ASOS has also been busy delving into the mobile space by recently launching a shopping app (available on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad).
During a recent press release, E-Commerce Director James Hart said, “Following year-on-year growth of over 800% in mobile revenue, I’m delighted to release our iPad and iPhone shopping apps.”
Key features of the app include full integration between it, the website, and the mobile site, a “Save for Later” option (something I wish the website offered for a longer period of time), and GPS, for helping with locations where customers can drop off returns.
Global Strategy: with a Focus on Men
ASOS is also working on a marketing campaign to reach for a larger global customer base.
Specifically, the brand hopes to target more male shoppers through a new campaign for which brand has released a few videos that introduce the Urban Tour. ASOS hopes to entice more men to shop on its website by incorporating dance and other forms of pop culture, which is where most men get their fashion inspiration from (not runways). Soon, viewers will be able to click of dancers from some of the campaign videos and purchase.
Here is the teaser video:
Oh, and a few more things- ASOS has a section of the site dedicated to the brand’s favorite Twitter users, its Facebook page is constantly updated (with contests!), and has found a way to incorporate Instagram. All in all, I’m impressed with all of the digital changes ASOS is making these days. Other fashion brands can learn a LOT by seeing ASOS’ fashion marketing lately.
Anyone else knock-your-stilettos-off impressed?
International Intrigue
Edited by Taylor Davies
This weeks selections for Links a la Mode take us all around the globe and back again. From vintage shopping in Paris and Istanbul to picking the best from fashion weeks abroad, our community is buzzing with news and thoughts from overseas.
Of course we couldn’t leave out some more local stories entirely, so we’ve sprinkled in a selection of fall inspirations from som American bloggers; from menswear to DIY projects to some ethical debates in advertising and journalism.
THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: OCTOBER 6TH
The Red Dot: Paris Fashion Week Street Style Part 1
PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE
If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine
Sparkly things have been taking over my life lately and I am not complaining.
Sequin
About a month ago I spotted a sequin clutch on LookBook.nu that I was just dying to own. After tracking down the bag to Zara, I was finally able to score the last one in the store on Wednesday night. My next step is to figure out an outfit to go with this bag.
Source: ThisNext.com
Sparkle
The other fun purchase I made recently was a small pot of silver glitter that my girl friends and I wore on a recent day trip. I don’t think you can ever outgrow a little silver glitter eye makeup on occasion.
Source: shopping.com
Shine
And finally, my big news! About a week ago, I was offered a position as a fashion & beauty guru for Yahoo! Shine. Come Monday I will receive my first assignment, so stay tuned for my first piece soon!
I’d say, considering everything that’s gone on in my life lately, including a work trip to New Orleans last week and a seemingly long week this week (nobody likes the sniffles), I’m ready to enjoy the glint of the weekend, looming just a few hours away!
This blog is written by Maria Morales, a Senior Advertising Marketing Manager at Kaboodle, and all around well dressed, nice girl. I love how she pairs such bold colors and shapes together in her looks. My two favorite looks: Liquid Champagne and Funny Face.
It’s Because I Think Too Much
Kaboodle’s Community Manager has a fashion blog as well. She says she’s had a shopping addiction since 2007, so its nice to see her time going into amazing looks like Sheer Silk and Leather Shorts. Her blog also covers nail art and what’s in her cosmetic bag. And if you’re lucky enough to meet this girl in person, you will be in for a real laugh, because she’s a riot!
The Fashionista Lab
Adelle McEleeven first launched this blog while spending a year in Tokyo, before relaunching it in 2008 upon arrival to San Francisco. Great locations to inspire a unique fashion perspective, right?! Her blog covers fashion news and her personal style.
Fashionably Ashley
Ashley Gustafson, a fellow co-founder of Digitally Chic, writes a lifestyle blog, jam packed with fashionable life updates like her trip to WWDMagic. And both in person and online, Ashley’s casual style has just the right amount of punch from well chosen accessories, usually in the form of great bag or hat.
pretty-innovative.com 