StyleOwner turns fashion lovers into STYLEpreneurs
May 11th, 2012 by ChristenStyleOwner, a new social-selling platform allows style-savvy individuals to create, curate, and market their own personalized online fashion boutique while earning a generous commission on all sales. By harnessing the power of a personalized recommendation from friends, StyleOwner empowers the Facebook generation to become entrepreneurs while living the dream of running their own fashion retail site. Store owners range from fashion personalities and young working professionals, to college students and stay at home moms.
Fashion bloggers such as Sonia Evers of Runway Hippie, Cailianne and Samantha Beckerman of the Beckerman Bite Plate, and Lauren Behfarin and Julie from Born and Bread have all opened stores on StyleOwner. Lauren and Julie from Born and Bread opened their StyleOwner boutique to make a richer experience for their readership and profit from their passion for styling. “StyleOwner has allowed us to create an amazing store without the hassle of setting up an ecommerce site, buying inventory, and worrying about credit card payments and shipping. StyleOwner takes care of all of this for us. We are able to focus on what we do best-curate amazing product and put together looks we love from StyleOwner’s “Master Closet” of over 2,000 incredible brands! Plus we remain authentic to our blog while connecting with our readers in a new way.”
“We have created the first true social commerce platform where everyone wins,” said Joel Weingarten, CEO and founder of StyleOwner. With a background in technology and a fascination with shopping behavior, Weingarten created StyleOwner to personalize the otherwise impersonal experience of shopping online. “The customer gets a personalized curated experience, the store owners live out their dream to have their own fashion business, and the brands/retailers harness the power of social selling by turning consumers into brand advocates.“
Anyone interested in starting their own store can visit www.styleowner.com and get started today.
Never Miss A Step With Teva Fuse-Ion For Women…
May 11th, 2012 by ChristenThere’s just something about hot, wet, sticky feet that isn’t too appealing to me. So you can see why I’m less than a fan of wearing rainboots during the warm summer months. However, the idea of wearing any other sort of footwear throughout the grimy, rain-soaked streets of New York is unheard of – that is, until Teva’s Fuse-Ion for women.
Upon first glance, these “adventure shoes” remind you of the fashions of old school Converse, Keds or Vans sneakers. But when you look a little closer, you’ll notice there’s a little more to these performance shoes that meets the eye. Teva’s Fuse-Ion technology boasts a waterproof, fashionable shoe with a slip-resistant sole that makes running in the rain a breeze!
Recently, I put these kicks to the test – ripping and running throughout the streets of NYC during Wednesday’s rainstorm…
As you can see, the Teva Fuse-Ion’s made it easy for me to maneuver throughout the wet and rainy city, while staying dry.
Check out this video for more on the technology behind the Ion Fusion…
- Spider Rubber + JStep outsole will stick to a grease-covered aluminum ramp, wet rocks, slippery stairs and more!
- Drain Frame™ sheds water like a sieve, keeping your soles dry and light
From steep wet pavement, to stairs, to subway stations and more! The Teva Fuse-Ion shoes aren’t just adventure shoes for hiking in the wilds of Mother Nature, they’re also necessary for comfortable navigation through the concrete jungles of NYC.
Interested in owning a pair of Teva Fuse-Ion kicks? They’re available for $90 online at Teva.com
*Disclaimer: Teva provided DivasandDorks.com with a pair of Fuse-Ion for Women shoes to review. All opinions listed in the post are 100% my own.*
Amazon.com Brings Designer Fashions To Your Doorstep…
May 9th, 2012 by Fashion StaffAmazon is so serious about its next big thing that it hired three women to do nothing but try on size 8 shoes for its Web reviews. Full time. The online retailer is shooting 3,000 fashion images a day in a photo studio using patent-pending technology.
And it is happily losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year on free shipping — and, on apparel, even free returns — to keep its shoppers coming back. Until now, fashion has been one of the few categories that Amazon has tried to dominate without success. In addition to its own site, Amazon bought the shoe site Zappos.com for more than $1 billion in 2009, started the shoe site Endless.com and MyHabit, and bought the boutique Shopbop in 2006.
Read more at NYTimes.com
Having wounded the publishing industry, slashed pricing in electronics and made the toy industry quiver, Amazon is taking on the high-end clothing business in its typical way: go big and spare no expense.
“It’s Day 1 in the category,” Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, said in a recent interview. Though characteristically tight-lipped on bottom-line details, Mr. Bezos said the company was making a “significant” investment in fashion to convince top brands that it wanted to work with them, not against them.
The traditional retail world — and many major brands that want no part of Amazon — are gearing up to fight for their lives.
“It has the latitude to set prices and charge whatever it wants,” Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst for Forrester Research, said of Amazon. “That is a huge threat for brands.”
Amazon has sold clothing for years. But recently it has focused on signing on hundreds of contemporary and high-end brands, including Michael Kors, Vivienne Westwood, Catherine Malandrino, Jack Spade and Tracy Reese, and it continues to prowl for more. On Monday, some of Amazon’s muscle was on display as the company sponsored, and live-streamed, the Costume Institute Benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the accompanying exhibit.
Bare Necessities Brings Lingerie To A Tablet Near You!
May 8th, 2012 by Tech StaffBare Necessities, the leading online destination for brand name bras and lingerie, today launched two new catalogs without printing a single page. The editions are completely digital and designed specifically for a tablet shopping experience. The catalogs are available today via the free Google Catalogs and Catalog Spree tablet apps for both iPad and Android, and can be viewed on BareNecessities.com as well.
The first new catalog features Bare Necessities’ incredible new swimwear collection, featuring brands such as SPANX, Elomi, Freya, and Fantasie.
The second digital catalog highlights Bare Necessities’ Spring bra and lingerie collection from Wacoal in a rich, sensual experience that is accentuated by being designed for an interactive, tablet environment.
Bare Necessities also launched www.Bareplus.com in February 2012, which features more than 1,200 styles of full figure and plus size bras and lingerie.
“We are excited for the opportunity to use digital technologies to connect with consumers in new and engaging ways,” said Bob Vitale, President of Wacoal America. “Through the digital catalog, Bare Necessities has made our bras and lingerie really come to life for women of all sizes.”
Google Catalogs and Catalog Spree are available free on Apple’s App Store for iPad and on Google Play for Android.
Celebrity Fashions At The MET…Who Wore It Best?
May 8th, 2012 by ChristenThe Gala Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations exhibition took place last night, and of course fashion industry insiders slipped on their best pieces to celebrate the stylish annual event.
Check out the fashion hits, misses & see who battled it out in similar looks below…
They Call It Mello Yellow…
Coco Rocha plays in pretty pinks and yellows in this vintage Givenchy number, while Solange Knowles plays it safe in sophistication in this gown by Rachel Roy. Who rocked yellow better?
Lethal in Leather…
Rihanna dons this reptile textured gown by Tom Ford while Rosario Dawson ops for a similar sleeveless option by Calvin Klein. Which one killed this leather look on the red carpet?
Flowered Frocks…
Rashida Jones floral look by Tory Burch gave us more matrimony than red carpet flare, while Sarah Jessica Parker stunned in her floral Valentino gown. Who gave up the flower power best?
Battle of the Cleavage…
At first glance, you could mistake these two starlets as the same actress – but Paula Patton shows us what she’s got in a low cut gown by Vera Wang, while Sofia Vergara showcases her goods in Marchesa. Who shined best in this silhouette?
Check out the gallery below of more celebrity arrivals at the MET…
Young Survival Coalition Presents… In Living Pink Gala 2012
May 4th, 2012 by Christen
On Wednesday, May 16, 2012, Young Survival Coalition (YSC) will hold its eleventh annual In Living Pink gala to raise funds to support, educate and empower young women with breast cancer. Young Survival Coalition is the premier global organization dedicated to the critical issues unique to young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. Using in informative interactive website, education resources and programs, YSC’s goal is that young women feel supported, empowered and hopeful and most importantly, are not left to face breast cancer alone. Join designer Stacy Igel (of Boy Meets Girl USA) and a host of others for a fun night of raising breast cancer awareness for young women and more.
For donations and tickets, check out the Young Survivor Coalition and Boy Meets Girl USA where a portion of the Boy Meets Campus Candy Girl collection go directly to the YSC.
Be&D’s Fashionable Summer Accessories For Your Techcessories!
May 3rd, 2012 by ChristenFresh off our stiletto sneaker obsession – Be&D brings stylish accessories from the feet to the geek. Girls with a lot of tech toys deserve a stylish bag to stow them in. With its “tech toy” clutches and cases, Be&D comes to the rescue of your iPad, iPhone, and other gadgets. The cases are made from mixed materials like embossed leather, lambskin, canvas, and cotton, and the statement pieces come in punchy colors like lime green and tangerine and flashy gold-stud details. Click through to take a look at the Spring and Summer collection.
Wild Shoe Wednesday: Camilla Skovgaard Pre-Fall 2012 Collection
May 2nd, 2012 by ChristenThe latest pre-fall collection by Camilla Skovgaard boasts sandals sexy enough to want to wear NOW! Known for her unique design, Skovgaard uses sculptural silhouettes combined with luxury materials and artisan shoemaking.
These Black and corn sandals with ankle cuff may be on it’s way for pre-fall arrival, but the natural tones & sleek design screams summertime sexy. Check out a few photos below and let us know what you think!
What do you think? Would you rock these pre-fall stilettos this summer?
Black Enterprise Votes DivasandDorks.com Best Of The Blogosphere!
May 1st, 2012 by Christen
Talk about kicking the summer off on a high note! You can’t imagine how happy I am to be selected & actually kicking off Black Enterprise Magazine’s Black Blogger Month Celebration!
Dress by: Calvin Klein (Marshall’s $49.99)
It has been a hard road & it couldn’t have been done without loyal & faithful readers like you! Make sure you check out the full Black Enterprise Black Blogger Month Interview HERE and if you’re in NYC – join me and the rest of this month’s inductees as we celebrate Black Blogger Month in style at the 40/40 club at 7pm.
Betsey Johnson: Fashion, Bankruptcy & Reality TV
April 27th, 2012 by ChristenBetsey Johnson’s company sent the fashion world into a tizzy on Thursday, having filed for bankruptcy. But not to fret—the party is far from over for the legendarily perky designer. Despite having to close 63 freestanding stores, Johnson will stay on as creative director for the brand focusing on sportswear and her moderately priced line, among other projects.
I certainly didn’t see this coming. As a fan of Betsey Johnson fashions (and even more a fan of her MBFW runway shows) I thought they could do no wrong. However, the company was in deep water after a $48 million loan evasion that resulted in a bail out by Steve Madden (Steve Madden Ltd. owns intellectual property rights to the company). The Wall Street Journal explains that the brand’s luxe prices are simply not affordable to its younger demographic and could not compete with lower-priced retailers (H&M,Topshop) targeting the same customer base.
But hold back your tears, because here’s a bit of good news: a few flagship stores will remain open in Manhattan and a few other cities. Saks Fifth Avenue,Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom will continue to carry the collection. Johnson also plans to hold a runway show during Fashion Week in September to promote her more affordable frocks. “I love the moderate price range,” she told WWD. “It is in synch with all the girls who are buying my clothes.”
The 70-year-old will also be cartwheeling onto—what else—reality television. The show, Betsey + Lulu, is set to air this July and will star the designer and her daughter. She will also put her nose to work releasing two more fragrances to follow up last year’s release of Too Too.
Looks like things are looking up for one of my favorite eccentric fashion brands, check out some of our favorite Betsey Johnson runway moments & let us know if you’ll be keeping an eye out for their new “more affordable” lines coming soon.
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