Daily Archives: May 2, 2011

Fashion in Reverse.

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Fashion-forward people are those who hack away at the kudzu of current trends in an attempt to break new ground.  By the time the fashion-forward see an uptick on what they’re wearing, it’s time to move on.   The group who follow the fashion-forward, let’s call them the fashion advanced guard, don’t really have the stomach to lead, but do have the confidence to be early adopters.  Together, these two groups move markets.

Some websites have begun to help clothes buyers find ropa selected specifically for them based upon logged style preferences, no doubt informed by body type and income.  Some of these choices are branded and/or endorsed by celebrities giving them a little extra cachet. If done well, these sites also offer fashion tips for accessorizing..  My reading tells me these algorithmic recommendations require a monthly service fee. (I wouldn’t want to play with that “P”.)

I see this bandwagon as smart and viable, but suggest a new approach. The contrarian in me would take the model  — the gathering of fashion “likes” and spitting out recommendations — and invert it.  When a user presses enter, I would offer up the complete opposite of the fashion indicated. Call it Oppsy.com. If you really want to make a fashion statement and command attention, there is no better way than to repel the expected. It’s a dirty little secret Cathy Horyn and students of fashion use in front of the mirror daily. Peace!