Girls In Tech

By: Kayla Zerby

Years ago, you’d be crazy to think that a no-name blogger could ever rub elbows with the editors of Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar at a runway fashion show.

Today, it’s the norm.

And, as New York Fashion Week descends upon NYC’s Bryant Park next week, the industry’s shift from traditional media to social media will be more apparent than ever.

For an industry so heavily reliant on networking and word-of-mouth buzz, it’s no wonder that so many in the fashion world are turning to social media to build their brands.

Chictopica, for instance – “the most valuable online resource for style inspiration and shopping guidance” – is tackling the social media trends in the fashion world head-on during NYC’s fashion week. From February 13-14, more than 300 bloggers are expected to attend the “Social Influence Summit,” a two-day conference featuring presentations from the CEOs of Polyvore and Modcloth as well as online tastemakers, fashion and retail executives, brands and media.

If you’re not able to make it to the Chictopia event, you can always follow this fantastic list of the “Top 20 Fashion Sources You Should be Following on Twitter” to help you stay in-the-know.

And a testament to just how far the fashion world has delved into social media, check out the first-ever Fashion 2.0 Coalition Awards, sponsored by sample sale site ideeli and blogging network Style Coalition. With seven different categories ranging from Favorite New Social Media Site to Best Twitter Account by a Fashion Designer or Brand awards, this is the first time big-name fashion designers and brands will be recognized for innovatively connecting fans through social media. (Hurry! Voting ends on Feb. 8, 2010 at 11:59 p.m.)

What’s your favorite chic geek fashion site or fashion Twitterer? Post a comment and let us know!

If you’re planning to be in New York during Fashion Week, February 11-18, make sure you don’t miss the Chictopia10 Social Influence Summit.  The half-day conference will focus on social media trends that are radically changing the traditional landscape of fashion taste makers.  Chictopia10 will bring together fashion bloggers, social media influencers, media buyers, designers and brand executives to discuss the secrets to social media marketing and its affect on consumers’ interaction with fashion and brands.  What was mostly a one-way ‘we-make-it, they-buy-it’ relationship, is growing into a two-way conversation as fashion bloggers increase in popularity and influence, and social media sites like Chictopia give individuals a platform to celebrate and share their individual style.

Helen Zhu, CEO of Chictopia notes, “We are entering into a new decade where the traditionally exclusive fashion industry will be revolutionized by social media.  This gathering will discuss the changes that will shape the future of this industry.”

The Social Influence Summit will close with a fashion showcase from five independent designers from their upcoming lines, followed by a cocktail party giving everyone a chance to mingle and network.  Representatives from Teen Vogue, Nylon Magazine, The New Yorker, The Gilt Group, Polyvore, Style Bubble, and others will be in attendance.

Saturday, February 13 (2pm – 8pm)

Venue:
Allegra Laviola Gallery
179 East Broadway
New York, NY 10002

View the AGENDA, and REGISTER HERE.

What happens when fashion and personal style meets social media?  You get Chictopia, a fashion destination website and social network for fashionistas.  I recently met Helen Zhu, co-founder and CEO of Chictopia, while on the Geeks on a Plane tour in Asia, and her combination of style and substance struck me straight away.  While on a late-night, post-club stroll home in Shanghai, we bonded over our shared passion for the start-up life.

Although Helen had always wanted to combine her talents and personal interests to launch a company, it was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2006 cover article that struck a nerve.  Time Magazine’s 2006 person was You.  Time applauded people’s creative contribution to changing the landscape of global media and social interaction through blogging, social networks and sites like YouTube and Wikipedia.  2006 was about the power of individual contribution in the new digital democracy.

Helen and her two co-founders launched Chictopia in April 2008 as a place for trendsetters and fashion devotees to connect and share their personal style with others.  The site allows people to rate styles and encourages users to upload photos of themselves in their favorite outfits so that others with similar shapes and taste can learn from and be inspired by real people like themselves, rather than get ideas for fashion from what supermodels are wearing in magazines.  Ranked as a top 4 style site by Nylon magazine, Chictopia is already profitable, thanks mostly to their focus on revenue and growth.  Rather than start from scratch, Chictopia looked to sites like Facebook, Yelp, and Catster for inspiration when they started building the site.

Jump into the world of Chictopia – and while you’re there check out the newly launched fashion contest sponsored by Forever21, including a 10% off Forever21 promotion available exclusively to Chictopia members.  Congratulations to Helen and her founding team for delivering a unique offering and inspiring us to follow our passions!

Guest blogger: Alexis Stack

March 26, 2009

8:00 pm

For our next event, we are bringing together the worlds of Fashion, Beauty, and Tech. As someone who has been involved in the Fashion and Beauty industries for over fifteen years, I have had the opportunity to produce fashion shows and photo shoots, travel the US as a National Makeup artist, and work with several top brands with regards to marketing and PR. In the last decade, I have slowly turned my focus to the Internet and it’s truly amazing to see how it’s evolved and become a key component for business.

One of the observations I have made is how slowly the Fashion and Beauty industries are in terms of embracing the Web. As traditional marketing and PR are scrambling to hold on to their momentum, it doesn’t seem that they are including Social Media as part of their overall strategy. Furthermore, there are many Fashion and Beauty professionals such as makeup artists, stylists, and up-and-coming designers that want more exposure on the web and may not know the best way to achieve that.

That’s where the “Social Fashion & Beauty Summit” comes in. Girls in Tech LA is bringing together some of the movers and shakers of the LA Fashion and Beauty scene that either have an online fashion or beauty company or are interactive executives. We will be discussing the current state and future of the Fashion and Beauty industries as they pertain to the web.

Guest speakers include:
Chris Elia – Founder of Closetcouture.com
Patricia Handschiegel – Founder of the 9 Group
Macala Wright – Interactive Marketing Director for 1928 Jewelry
Meg O’Brien – Founder of Megsmakeup.com
Catherine Hickland – Actress on ‘One Life to Live’ and Founder of Cat Cosmetics

The event is taking place on Thursday, March 26th from 8PM – 12AM at LIVE! On Sunset, which is an interactive store, the first of it’s kind. So, we will be able to live stream the event all night! We will be having a fashion show featuring brands such as Joie, Dylan George, and BCBG Generation, and a cocktail party to end the evening.

Tickets are $20 and with your purchase you will have 20% off all brands at LIVE! exclusively that evening.

Purchase tickets at http://socialfashionbeautysummit.eventbrite.com

RSVP at girlsintechla@gmail.com

This is an event not to be missed!

Strolling along South Park in San Francisco one day on my lunch break, I ducked into a small coffee shop for a quick breather before heading into Jeremy’s on the corner to check out any new goodies they have in stock. I got my coffee, walked over to add some sugar, and then my hand hit a stack of those post cards that are left randomly all over the place. Normally, I’d just walk away, but this one was so pretty, antique floral looking, with pink roses and blue lace background. All it said was ‘Thecoveted.net’. I had no clue what it was, but I took one, stuffed it away in my ‘Mary Poppins bag’ (as all my friends call it) and left the shop.

A few weeks later, I was rummaging for an old receipt, and found the cute postcard, went to my computer and typed in ‘thecoveted.net’ and anxiously awaited what was to show up. There in front of me, was my new favorite, obsessive, ‘must read’ blog that I have not missed one day of since that lovely spring day of 2008.

I was new to the world of blogs, twitter, Facebook, everything Web 2.0 related. Fresh out of fashion journalism reading WomensWearDaily and W, I was now following ReadWriteWeb and TechCrunch, so adding The Coveted to my daily blog reading made me smile so sweetly and look forward to the scoop posted by Jennine, Kezia or Sonja on vintage clothing, emerging designers, sustainable fashion, beauty tips and my favorite,  the weekly Links a la Mode.

I drool over Jennine’s impeccable flair for unique style and relish in her every day ensembles. Her smarts have grown from creating the Coveted, to then founding Independent Fashion Bloggers, an online community started in 2007, aimed to enlighten other fashion bloggers about monetization, advertising, networks and blog improvement.  She has taken her readers on a ride of world fashion while giving us a glimpse of her life, her move from San Francisco to Germany, her long hair, her short hair and her flirtation with bangs.   I sometimes forget that I am in Tech and show up to events inspired by what she wears and designers she features.  But, I am after all, a Girl in Tech, and if I show up at an event in my fabulous frocks, the techies shouldn’t be surprised and I know Jennine would be proud (if she knew who I was!)

February 24, 2009

6:30 pm

With the success of the Girls in Tech Incubator series that began in San Francisco, it was time to bring it to Los Angeles. Our Incubator events highlight either a young, female entrepreneur and their company or a web company specifically focused on women.

Our first-ever Incubator event for LA will feature Closetcouture.com and it’s Founder, Chris Elia. Closet Couture is a social and fashion utility that connects people of stylish minds with those who live or work around them. CC users manage their wardrobes online, define and refine their personal style, get help if needed, upload unlimited photos, share links and videos, and create their own style cabinet made up of the best and the brightest. Chris started ClosetCouture.com to solve the problem of never having anything to wear despite a brimming closet. Closetcouture.com was named one of TechCrunch50’s best startups last year.

Come and join us as we learn about how Closetcouture.com came to be and Chris’ journey in developing her company. We will also discuss the ins and outs of developing a startup, how to use all the various social media sites to promote your brand or business, and when it’s the right time to go for funding. The event will be held at Blankspaces, LA’s #1 Co-working office space, on Tuesday, February 24th at 6:30PM. Please get your ticket at http://girlsintechlastartupsavvy.eventbrite.com/.

 

Starting an online magazine at the age of 15 and spending at least 75% of my day behind my 17-inch mac book pro–one can only see how much my life revolves around the Internet.  With the holiday season coming around, I thought I would start looking for gift ideas for my young nieces and nephews. I didn’t want to follow the most obvious route of videos games and barbie dolls.  Instead, I went online and came across a site called My Handwork Studio.  My Handwork Stduio is a new, safe virtual needle arts and fashion community where kids can be creative, learn new crafts and share their designs with new friends.

The reason this particular site caught my attention was the online aspect of something that was known to be an “offline” activity.  The online site allows kids and teens to do some pretty cool activities such as:

Create an On-line Persona: Kids can create their own on-line character (avatar) –  including customized outfit, skin and eye color — and profile by sharing favorite hobbies and activities.  Send and receive messages from fellow Studio kids, even add friends to the personalized Studio page.

Learn Cool Crafts: “Kid Educators” provide “how to” video instructions on knitting, crochet, embroidery, hand- and machine-sewing, and needle crafting.  After watching the videos, print off detailed instructions and templates to make the projects at home. When done, upload a photo to your profile so all of your Studio friends can see it.

Play Games: Earn “Studio Dollars” by playing fun, on-line games.  Redeem by buying virtual accessories  — iPods, cell phones and pets — for your character.

Shop for Crafting Supplies: Our on-line store allows you to buy crafting supplies, books and materials on-line and have them shipped directly to your home.

Seek On-line Crafting Help: Need more information developing these new crafting skills? The Retailers section allows you to type in your zip code and see all of the local craft stores in your community where you can seek additional help.

The website will also be launching a “kit of the month club” that integrates the online aspect of the community with offline crafts delivered straight to one’s doorstep. This is definitely a great gift idea for the upcoming holidays—especially for me (I am known for bringing the theme of the “Internet” in everything I do).

I think My Handwork Studio is going in the right direction.  The average store front businesses are embracing new technology and reaching a much larger audience in more innovative ways. For more information, check out their website at http://myhandworkstudio.com

 

Nothing makes an outfit like a fabulous pair of shoes, a beautiful set of pearls and a sleak-looking handbag. Well how about a PC? During New York’s Fashion week this month at the Vivienne Tam show, was revealed the new fashion accessory – a digital clutch. 

HP has partnered with world-renowed designer Vivienne Tam to create a special-edition notebook. HP’s 8.9-inch 2133 Mini-Note has been a great success, so it only makes sense that the company would want to expand the line and target a specific demographic. This is the first time a computer company has partnered with a well-known designer to create a PC that combines fashion and technology. Not to mention that this represents the modern woman who is as passionate about fashion as she is technology and innovation.

From being able to choose your favorite color iPod, to all the different designs that came out for the T-Mobile SideKick, it only seems right that one should be able to buy a PC that represents their personality. This first unveiling represents Vivienne Tam’s Chinese culture with the red color and the peony flower, which is the national flower of China. However, it’s also what the flower represents – beauty, prosperity and happiness which for Ms. Tam also represents the modern woman.

It will be interesting to see how sales will do for this digital clutch. However I know one thing, a woman can never have too many accessories. The HP Vivienne Tam Special Edition Notebook comes out early next year.

Also to note, HP and Tam along with Glam.com launched a fully integrated virtual experience. It’s to inspire fashionistas around the world to find design inspiration online. Go to http://tech-chic.glam.com/, find your best pic and have fun!

Oh, the love of shopping. Some call it retail therapy, others like to idle away their afternoon with window shopping. However, in recent years shopping online has become the ‘thing’ to do to avoid the hassle of parking and long check out lines. Although, no matter how savvy one is shopping online, until you receive your package in the mail and try on what you ordered, you won’t know if you made the right purchase. One site is trying to make your online shopping experience much more streamlined.

Myshape.com, headquartered in Pasadena, CA, started in 2004 with the goal of finding clothes that fit well and also flatter womens’ body shapes. They have comprised seven body shapes each made up of letters that just happen to spell MyShape . For instance, you might have Shape P, which is a woman that has a fuller bust and narrower hips, with a bottom that is more flat than round. On the site they accompany the information with a picture of a woman who fits the description. Then you click on one of the categories (jackets & tops, pants, skirts & dresses, etc) and they describe what you should look for when shopping for those pieces.

I think Myshape.com is a great concept, because as we know there are many different body types that make up the female population. They have a great roster of brands, but it certainly focuses on a particular demographic. It definitely is not for the demographic that is shopping on shopbop.com. Although, I believe they could benefit from adding to their designer list with including some of those shopbop.com designers to appeal to a wider audience.

After looking at the site and the different ’shape’ types, I think I’m shape M. Go and check out what shape you are.