These days, the world is quite literally at out fingertips. Cellphone apps have become the medium of choice for everything from soial networking to planning a fabulous night on the town. Now, it seems that the world of fashion is making its way out of the glossies and into the lcd screen of your phone via a set of new apps designed specifially to keep you stylish on the go. As if the recent boom of internet bloggers wasn’t enough to unhinge the magazine’s monopoly on fashion, apps are next in line to cause an upraor in the industry that once looked only to editorials as the authority on all things style. NY Mag put together a top ten list of the best fashion apps available; need a wardrobe lesson? There’s an app for that. Check them out:
(From NYMag.com)
“What is ‘apps?’” Christian Louboutin once asked a writer at The Wall Street Journal, before admitting, “I’m a very bad technician. Technology, zero.” Of course, Louboutin isn’t the only Luddite in the fashion industry, whose frosty attitude toward all things tech is just starting to thaw. As more designers warm to the idea of e-commerce, they’re also getting hip to the smartphone frontier. Several biggies have rolled out iPhone apps to show off their collections, and, in rarer instances, allow users to shop. And just last week, eBay, which pretty much has the web-retail sector cornered, introduced a free fashion app, which allows users to browse and purchase more than 20 million fashion items, as well as “try on” clothes and build virtual closets.
We sifted through the glut of fashion-centric apps to see which ones are worth your precious downloading time; click ahead to see our top ten picks for the iPhone. (Sorry, Android users, but your options are still limited. Download nymag.com’s free blog app for now and pray that all those pretentious iGeeks get their just desserts in an Apple recall.)
1.
Chicfeed
This bare-bones app pulls photos from some of the Internet’s most respected style blogs, including the Sartorialist, Face Hunter, and Lookbook. The sorting functionality — or lack thereof — leaves something to be desired, but if you’re just seeking quick-hit eye candy, there’s no better way to see loads of style snaps all in one spot. The app is available two ways: free with advertising or 99 cents without.
2.
Diane Von Furstenberg
While many designers with apps remain skeptical about mobile commerce, Von Furstenberg told W, “We already do so many things from our phones, so shopping is a natural progression.” Accordingly, DVF’s app allows users to shop via a “Looks We Love” section or by thumbing through the collections — albeit not 24/7. (Our nighttime request to purchase a one-shoulder floral dress wasn’t addressed until regular business hours.) Still, DVF gets props for rounding out the app with Facebook-sharing capabilities and access to her Twitter feed.
3.
Gap StyleMixer
This innovative brand app allows you to mix and match Gap items with pieces already hanging in your closet. Create outfits using uploaded photos or use the “Mixer” to browse Gap products and create head-to-toe new looks. Shake your phone and the Mixer will generate a random combination of pieces, including shoes and accessories. The “Community” function allows you to share your uploaded looks, as well as check out combos other app users are creating. On the downside, if you’re near a Gap location, you can also supposedly “unlock” a special promotion on your phone; we tried, but were lamely told to “check back soon for a new offer.”
4.
Glamour Ask a Stylist
Wang or Wu? Jeggings or jorts? Dr. Scholl’s with socks or without? These are the types of pressing sartorial questions one might bounce off a trusted friend — or one of Glamour’s on-call app stylists. Here’s how it works: Browse their mini-bios (some are from glamour.com, others from Craigslist), choose the one most up your aesthetic alley, upload your outfit pic and/or inquiry, and wait. Our selected stylist responded to our day-to-night dilemma fifteen minutes after we fired off our request. And, in true women’s-mag fashion, we were given an extra boost of confidence (“You’ll look awesome wherever you go!”). A solid bet for the indecisive.
5.
iShoes
Scroll through more than 50,000 kicks in the shoe-porn Finder, or search the sea of shoes by style and designer. The app indicates which pairs are on sale and connects you straight to buy-it-now retailers. The app is free, functional, and offers decent-size closeups of each item, though we hope its creators introduce better browsing filters (like color, size, heel height, material, etc.) with the next update.
To read about the other apps that made the top ten, go here!
Also Check out:
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