Shmotter.com
By Kara Feigenbaum: “Hi I’m Kara. I’m a senior marketing communications major at Emerson College, with a strong interest in PR and social media. I’m a fashion and style enthusiast, who is always on the prowl for media, fashion, and trend updates. I’m a Bostonian for now, but an NYC girl at heart.”
I have a passion for fashion, and I was delighted to discover Shmotter.com. Shmotter is a new online outfit and wardrobe creator site that allows users to publish their own creations, suggest trends, rate outfits created by others, and even shop for the looks they create online.
What makes it so different from other online interactive outfitter websites like Polyvore, is the plethora of high-end luxury brands available for users to experiment with. The other key difference is the ability for users to upload and generate their own personal wardrobe using clothes they already own.
I first learned about the site through Mashable and decided to give it a test drive. I appreciate the site’s simplicity and user-friendliness. But what I love the most is that all of the images on the site are sharp and crystal clear. I personally like it better than polyvore.com his reason. While Polyvore has already established itself as a popular online outfit creator destination, I find the site to be overwhelming, with never ending options to choose from. For myself, and for my generation, I think the simpler the site’s interface is the more enjoyable it is to use overall.
After I experimented making a few of my own outfits, I realized how Shmotter might capitalize on what it offers. The site could easily evolve into a popular venue for fashion designers and advertisers to showcase their brands, while enabling fashionistas in the making to interact and communicate directly with them. On the flip side, the site then delivers deeper insights into the minds of fashion and trend-conscious consumers like myself, and even fashion influencers to those designers and advertisers. Shmotter could become a fashion-focused community blog where users share what they love and don’t love. It’s a perfect way for users to provide feedback and help shape the brands they love… and invaluable direction and data for those brands. As a new user of the site, I already love feeling like an important part of a fashion-focused community where I can share my ideas and creations, discover new trends and interact with like-minded people.
I see Shmotter becoming a great destination for high profile designers and stylists to interact directly with their customers and fans, sharing tips, new outfits, and forecasting trends.
While it’s still in the beta, I see a great future for Shmotter.com as a hub for fashionistas in the making like me. Especially from within our web-centric generation, it can be used as a way to stay on top of the latest fashion trends… or even start them. Who doesn’t want to brag that they were the first to start a trend?
Photos via Shmotter.com
I just started tinkering around with Shmotter and I have to say, I’m not a huge fan. It’s like window shopping… It’s fun to look at all the pretty clothes for a while, but then what? It seems like only half of these clothes have links to a shopping site or even tell you what brand they are. And the ones that are available for purchase are far, far beyond my price range.
Maybe there is value in the fact that I could upload my wardrobe to the site and it could help me put together outfits, but there is no way that I will ever find time to upload every single thing in my closet.
Sorry, I just don’t get it.
What if there was an iPhone app and/or a program that enabled web cams to read the bar codes on the tags of new cloths? Then you could easily add items as you buy them just by scanning them in the store or later at home. It wouldn’t help with all the stuff you already have, but it would be cool.
Another cool website is http://www.kaboodle.com/. It puts a button on your browser to grab any item you see while shopping online and put it on a wish-list to help you keep track of what you’ve seen and what you like. If these two sites combined I think you’d see a huge potential.
I totally get where you’re coming from Christine. It’s definitely hard to find time to upload all your clothes to a virtual wardrobe and the clothing obviously isn’t affordable either. I personally think it’s just fun to play dress up and see what other looks users are creating on the site for ideas. I also think its a great way to make outfits that you can go out and shop for at a lower price point. As someone who loves fashion, I find value in being able to create looks and play around with this stuff online, which is where I spend most of my time anyways.
The iPhone app is a genius idea!
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by addy_dren: Simplicity and variety of high-end brands draws Gen Y to Shmotter.com (via @KaraFigTree ) http://ow.ly/HP4M #tngg…
Another cool website is http://www.kaboodle.com/. It puts a button on your browser to grab any item you see while shopping online and put it on a wish-list to help you keep track of what you've seen and what you like. If these two sites combined I think you'd see a huge potential.