Earlier this month, something major happened – Polyvore called it quits with the internet.
The interactive mood board platform was bought by SSENSE and millions of users (including us) were heartbroken. As one of the world’s leading eyewear retailers, we had the opportunity to use Polyvore as a shopping platform for eyewear lovers. With our largest range of designer brands and styles, the platform provided the perfect experience for finding the right pair of sunglasses to match one’s outfit.
Many were angered by the fact that the switch happened so abruptly – leaving fans with a blog announcement that seemed like more of a celebration than a farewell. In response to this bittersweet news, Twitter and Instagram feeds were flooded with emotional comments from the platform’s “polyfam” (the platform’s friendly community), who will now have to find an alternative outlet to express their love of fashion, style and beauty.
Click on the image and start shopping now!
As the Chinese proverb says: “Crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind”, and so we’ve dried our tears, tailored a list of 4 worthy alternatives and their pro’s & cons for you fellow users, in the hope that we can continue to maintain our own versions of an outfit template.
1. Shoplook.io
This shopping website was quick to jump to the rescue of ex-Polyvore users and has since been communicating with them about the changes they are making. Note: they are really trying to brand themselves as THE alternative to Polyvore.
– You have are more limited when it comes to creativity than on Polyvore:
you cannot change the background, add text or additional items like makeup.
– When you select items, it is not clear where the items are from and how much they cost, only later when the set is posted are they easy to find
– No options for males
Click on the image and start shopping now!
→ Sign Up Now
2. Ur Style
+ You can add text, plants, phones, backgrounds, and other enrichments like that, making it similar to Polyvore.
+ There is an actual ‘community’ page, where contests and other conversations are being held
+ Together with Shoplook.io this website is the most aesthetically pleasing
+ There seems to be quite a high volume of user activity on both the main site and community page (most interaction out of all alternatives).
+ There are also options for men
+ You can create sets without making an account
– There are no group areas yet
– A lot of styled pictures are of a model wearing the item, which is not what people usually prefer and limits the creation of sets a little.
Click on the image and start shopping now!
→ Sign Up Now
3. TrendMe
+ Easy to sign up and get started
+ Similar to Polyvore, you can also change the background, add text, buildings,
nature, etc. It allows for more creativity
+ Quite interactive: you can add friends, see their sets, and ask for style advice
+ Some users immediately want to add you when you have made an account
– To like someone’s set you have to first click on the set. There is no shortcut to quickly liking it.
– There is not a lot of activity at all (about 10 sets per hour are posted)
– No options for males
Click on the image and start shopping now!
→ Sign Up Now
4. Bantoa
This website is a little different, as its main aim is to provide outfit inspiration, and not necessarily creativity. The sign-up procedure is also a little different: when you first sign up, you can only browse sets. Once you’ve finally signed up using the ‘become an outfitter’ button, you can actually start making outfits.
+ Nice overview. Even though with all the prices and brands it starts to look more like more of a web shop than a creative platform. But the sets do look organized.
+ There are many filtering options when looking for sets
+ Suggests outfits based on the information you fill in
+ There are enough options for adjusting images when making outfits
+ Has a message to ex-Polyvore users that they’re working towards new improvements and being more international
– You have to fill in a lot of information when you want to sign in (which is the reason for the easy filtering mentioned above)
– (For now,) there’s a creativity limit because
you cannot change backgrounds and add text
(but it does make for a coherent feed)
