Lookbook.nu

Lookbook.nu is an invite only fashion community inspired by various "street" fashion blogs on the web. Lookbook was started in April 2008 by Yuri Lee and Jason Su in their San Francisco apartment. Lookbook claims to be an "international experiment in style" and with members in over 80+ countries this certainly seems to be the case. Each member must be invited and is then given a code which allows them to begin posting looks of their own, "hyping" other members looks and commenting on them. The site is set up like a true democracy with each member able to "hype" a given look. The looks with the most hype are featured on the homepage. A look is simply a full body picture(s) showing your whole outfit or at least three quarters of it. Users also label and tag all their clothes so that other users can find where they got the various items. Additionally each user has one heart to give out each day to one look that they deem captures the best fashion for that day. The main reason for the invite code is to keep those rather unsavory youtube-ish denizens out such as spammers, haters, bots and annoying children. For instance all comments on each look must be constructive feedback meaning they are positive and never hateful. In many ways Lookbook is what Facebook started as before all the riffraff were ushered in with a huge welcome mat. Lookbook deals with "street" fashion which is hard to define and although I am tempted to say it simply means hipsters who actually care what they look like, I will refrain. Street fashion is fashion that originates outside of the studios and design houses. It is usually centered on a youth movement and seems to emerge in urban centers. Street fashion may use elements from the studios but maintains a strong grassroots aspect. Examples include punks, hippies, goths, skinheads and hip hop fashion. It is easy to understand when examining one of these past street fashion trends. For example the goths took various high fashion items like extreme black leather coats or boots and incorporated them into their all black look. These boots and coats were never meant for this type of look by the studios but the goths took them and made their own street style. Of course the goth scene has faded back into its subculture beginnings and Lookbook deals with more current street fashions. Currently street fashion seems to be manifested by Urban Outfitters, American Apparel and stores like them and many of the Lookbook outfits feature clothing from these stores. It also works the other way around. Websites like Lookbook and other street fashion sites influence U.O. and A.A. and what they put in their collections each year. Overall I think Lookbook is an extremely cool site and I would love to be a member although I don't think I am proficient enough in photography to really make it work. Perhaps if a certain talented photographer I know could help me out . . .