Wednesday, March 10, 2010

victory...

Remember how a few weeks ago I mentioned the crazy awesome website lookbook.nu and how I was finding it impossible to be invited or be accepted to join?


Well... I (and by I, I actually mean Kiley helped me so much, so we) got on. It sounds silly and vain and all sorts of things I'm not, but the idea of the website intrigued me. Someone sitting on their computer, laptop or whatever and judging your style and the way you interpret fashion is crazy, yet at the same time being apart of something that seems so exclusive, feels kind of weird. Can someone please explain that to me, wanting to be apart of something that clearly isn't just.

Not only does lookbook want to be exclusive in who they let in (and who the existing members invite) they also have a set of rules that you have to follow in order to be considered. You have to take your pictures a certain way (full body, from the knees up or from the neck down) and they cannot be photoshopped to hell.

I really do like finally being apart of lookbook and I am thoroughly enjoying the whole idea of commenting and hyping and what have you, but the concept of the site, and when considering it in a broader concept, (or someone who has never heard of the site interprets it) the idea is very superficial and almost seems like a way to create a fashion hierarchy within the site. The creators of lookbook decide who gets let in and whether your picture remains up (if they don't like it or you don't follow their rules you run the risk of having your photo taken down).

Would lookbook have the same appeal if anyone could post pictures of their personal style and hype the looks they liked? Probably not. Yeah sure, it could possibly open up a door for a person that was not previously interested in fashion but at what cost? Would there be people who posted pictures that showed a disinterest in fashion and thought pictures of skimpy-spaghetti-strapped-barely-there dresses paired with plastic platform heels were acceptable outfits to demonstrate great street fashion (well I guess it is street fashion but not the kind that we want). The site, was after all inspired by websites such as The Sartorialist, and if Scott Schuman has standards well then...

The site is about showcasing some sort of fashion sense or even an innovative and interesting way of wearing clothing. But who am I to decide who is trying to be innovative and interesting with their wardrobe.... Wow this is hard to say without sounding like a bitch.... but anyways, I get why they have rules and standards but I just wanted to get it out that it's a bit vain.... can you tell I'm torn.

I guess in the end it's all in good fun and shouldn't be analyzed as anything further than a website based around youth culture and their desire to fit in yet at the same time be different.... a way for people to show the world what they are trying to be.... and finally a spot where you have an opinion in the fashion world, a place where you can see the results of liking an outfit and a place where you have a voice about what you think is 'hot or not'.

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