So recently I was invited to meet the people behind this great little site Fantasy Shopper. Starting out as an online game, it has developed into something somewhere between a shopping directory and social media site. Users "shop" a from directory of items - a simple click adds your item to your wardrobe - and from there you can do the above kind of editorial spread of images to create whole outfits!
Being an inspiration-rich but cash-poor kinda gal, this was an absolute ball - to make my first outfit I needed shoes, but am I headed over to New Look as I would in real life to find the best wear-them-once-if-they-disintegrate I can get away with? Hell, no! I went to Harrod's, darling! And for my jewels? Barney's! Give me Fendi and McQueen by the bucket load, bitchez, grrl be shoppin'! Before long I earned the "Top Spender" badge, which tickled my pickles because it's not even real, right? Still, I be VIP, y'all.
As a real online shopping tool, though, it's sorta awesome. Red fur jacket? Purple fedora? Specific searches make trawling through the world wide web redundant, since most major high street brands are there, plus a few online boutiques and bigger department stores. For me, online shopping is as much a research tool as anything. This tends to happen even more so on those weddings/big night out/fashion week moments you need to get to all in one sartorial-savvy piece, so why not plan my ensemble in full? Who knows, if you do find the dream dress, you can shop it straight from your sofa. Even if I plan on using something I already own, I can always grab something similar from the virtual shelves for the purpose of planning.
The main fun is the planning, though, and in the social media aspect of things, you can easily garner likes and followers for your efforts, and like and follow back. You can also plan under a brief for the competition section. One of my favourite little corners is the "Style Assist" function - people pose clothing questions and the likes of you and me get to respond. Ace, because out of all the tasks retail work throws at you, advising people was the one that made me feel least like a cog in a machine. As innate as style is, some people need direction and appreciate an informed opinion. It's awesome that this site allows those less style savvy or simply stuck in a rut to get a second opinion, all from the masses themselves. If social media is the future of democracy, Fantasy Shopper is fashion very own little Arab Spring moment...
To see my profile on Fantasy Shopper and say hi, click here.
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