When Polyvore came on the scene in 2007, the social site allowed style enthusiasts to play fashion editor by building collages with photos of clothing and accessories they thought went well together.
Now the online community is taking that treasure trove of user-generated outfit suggestions and turning it into a mobile app modeled after Cher Horowitz’s iconic computerized closet from Clueless. Dubbed Polyvore Remix and boasting 150 million looks, the personal stylist app launched on an invite-only basis on Tuesday.
Users can browse outfits based on what’s trending or by a particular product and hit “remix” until they land on a look they like, which they can then add to “My Faves” for future inspiration — and that’s where it gets interesting for brands and retailers.
Just as Polyvore users can click on an item to be taken to the website that sells it, Remix offers users the option to buy product, too. However, as Venture Beat pointed out, the checkout experience ultimately depends on how mobile-friendly the retailer’s e-commerce site is.
While Polyvore says it isn’t planning to monetize the sales it encourages through the app during its soft launch, once all the kinks are ironed out it could eventually increase revenue by engaging fashion companies to sponsor content.
