There’s a new social platform coming to you soon just for launching merchandise online: Dro.pt. This platform enables you to reach retail buyers, bloggers, consumers and stylists through interactive lookbooks shared publicly and privately.

Within the interactive lookbook, users can buy merchandise or click ‘want’ if the merchandise is not yet available. The ‘want’ function is particularly interesting as users are notified the moment it’s in stock.

Right now, they’re in alpha testing and you can request an invite to test. Who knows — they might take a similar approach to Pinterest and keep things in beta while they’re blowing up.

A handful of brands are testing Dro.pt this week and we'll release to a few more next week. If you want to be one, let us know.—
Dropt (@JustDropt) April 04, 2012

And check them out on Spotify…

New music for spring. Check out our Dro.pt April Playlist via @spotify spoti.fi/HGjbsi—
Dropt (@JustDropt) April 03, 2012

We have Facebook Timeline to track our social lives, but what about our dating lives? Enter The Little Black Book app, recently created and launched on iTunes by my friend and colleague Jonathan Eppers (@jonathaneppers) in addition to Stace Baal and Tim Watson. Here’s what Jonathan had to say about the app:

So, get your hands on the app here, recently #1 Lifestyle app on iTunes, and follow them on Twitter @littleblackbook. You’ll never have to create a silly Excel spreadsheet ever again like a handful of my friends do while juggling the many dating sites out there.

And did you notice something about the app screenshots? Yep, that’s my little picture there next to the name ‘Sarah Parker’! Note: It’s only a mockup  Also for an added bonus, check out their hookup infographic. It’s a bit racy, but also super informative. Here’s a taste:

Here are a few of my favorite quotes that I cannot stop referencing in my everyday life:

• “Who pulled that look? Lisa Frank?”
• “Little tea pot. Chin down. Eyes up.”
• “Andre Leon Talley is my spirit animal”
• “Victoria Beckham is a space alien from planet fashion.”
• “People were worried about me. I want to be that thin again.”
• “Hashtag. Chic to the next lev!”

Source: CND Fashion Week

This week, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week announced the preliminary lineup for the fall 2012 collections! Taking place Feb. 9 – 16, 2012, at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park, fall fashion week should be another amazing time of year. Here’s the lineup of designers as of Jan. 10:

Nicholas K, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Kaelen, Richard Chai, Honor, Tadashi Shoji, Candela, Chadwick Bell, PARKCHOONMOO, Concept Korea, General Idea, Rebecca Taylor, Brandon Sun, Rebecca Minkoff, Nicole Miller, Katya Leonovich, Charlotte Ronson, Academy of Art University, Ruffian, Lacoste, Porter Grey, Jill Stuart, Son Jung Wan, Mara Hoffman, Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Vantan Tokyo, Vivienne Tam, Monique Lhuillier, L.A.M.B., Venexiana, Lorena Sarbu, Lela Rose, DKNY, Tracy Reese, Joy Cioci, Custo Barcelona, Diane von Furstenberg, Y-3, Carmen Marc Valvo, Mathieu Mirano, Timo Weiland, Jenny Packham, Carolina Herrera, Carlos Miele, Zang Toi, Emilio Cavallini, Donna Karan New York, Reem Acra, Norman Ambrose, Betsey Johnson, Leather Japan 2012, J.Crew, Badgley Mischka, Vera Wang, Bibhu Mohapatra, Fotini, Naeem Khan, Dennis Basso, Pamella Roland, Tibi, Haus Alkire, Narciso Rodriguez, EMERSON, Whitney Eve, Michael Kors, Rochambeau, Nanette Lepore, Joanna Mastroianni, J. Mendel, Suzanne Rae, Milly by Michelle Smith, Farah Angsana, Anna Sui, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein Collection.

Now, the countdown begins! Which designers are you excited to see this season?

Watch Tory speak at the WWD CEO Summit on her company’s use of social media. Her talk is about the impact of social media on telling the Tory Burch brand story and connecting with and creating an engaged community. Enjoy!

So, are you a fan of this trend? Check out my picks below and tell me what you think!

Photo Credit: Fashionology

Recently, I wrote an article for PR Couture on, what I like to call, “instablogging.” Check out the intro below:

In the beginning, when we had to walk uphill both ways to get to the mall, the elite fashion publishing houses provided monthly print magazines to be devoured on the couch, in the bath, under the hair dryer and on the elliptical. Then fashion bloggers established a new way of experiencing and connecting to like-minded readers through style, outfit photos and DIY, carving out places online that made fashion personal and discoverable through weekly posts.

And the industry took note, eventually moving to partner with bloggers and supplement traditional media coverage by becoming publishers themselves. Then with Twitter and Facebook, access to content became greater and the act of sharing this content became a measurement of business success.

Instablogging, the term we use to describe sites like Tumblr, Instagram and Pinterest are the latest publishing platforms to satiate the industry and fashion public’s growing demand for quick-fix content creation and dissemination. Instablogging enables brands to build and strengthen communities at a rapid pace with a snap of a camera, a pin or a click… 

To read the complete article, check it out on PR Couture.

And, for more on Pinterest, check out my mention in this MediaPost piece:

Check out my @PR_Couture mention on @MediaPost – Why Pinning is Winning: bit.ly/pCg0ZM by @dberkowitz—
Sarah Essary (@ConsumingPR) August 10, 2011

I’m all for using branded video content to promote new products, and Kohl’s did just this with a few teasers on YouTube for Jennifer Lopez’s new project. They even changed the skin of their YouTube channel to match her fall collection.

Question: Do you think they should brand across Facebook and Twitter too? In my opinion, they should stay consistent and, if anything, feature photos of JLo across the top Facebook Page filmstrip and change the background of their Twitter Page. Building a cohesive brand campaign is the key to driving home the key messages.

Check out these cheeky videos below teasing Jennifer Lopez’s new collection launching in September. What are your thoughts on this video campaign?

(Flickr: See-ming Lee)

Recently, you may have seen all the social chatter about the efforts of Change.org members behind the Clean Clothes Campaign. I started to recognize these efforts last month when I caught wind of the same story on Vogue.com regarding Versace’s commitment to banning the practice of sandblasting jeans, a technique used to give jeans a used look which is highly dangerous to workers, after Change.org members posted to their Facebook Wall.

Just last week, the Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana’s Facebook Wall was also bombarded by Change.org members’ messages demanding that the company ban sandblasting. According to Change.com, this move comes after more than 25,000 European and American activists joined a campaign on Change.org demanding that the company ban sandblasting.

“The technique, already banned in Europe, is reportedly still carried out in key garment-producing countries like Bangladesh and Turkey and can result in workers developing the irreversible lung disease silicosis,” reports Vogue.com.

Although this group used the written word to protest, Dolce & Gabbana deleted posts on its Facebook Wall after Change.org members posted messages demanding the company ban sandblasting.

A number of major brands, such as Levi’s, H&M, C&A, Gucci, and most recently Versace, have already abolished sandblasted jeans in their collections. Much like the recent Dolce & Gabbana efforts, the Clean Clothes Campaign forced Versace to lock it to the public after accusing them of using the procedure. The Italian fashion house eventually agreed to the group’s demands, going so far as to say that any supplier found to be employing sandblasting as a production technique would be in breach of contract with Versace.

“The Clean Clothes Campaign has now launched an impressive social media campaign and recruited tens of thousands of supporters from all over the world to demand that Dolce & Gabbana follow in the footsteps of their competitors and ban sandblasting,” said Change.org Organizer Meredith Slater. “Change.org is about empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them, and it has been an honor to provide a platform for the Clean Clothes Campaign’s inspiring campaigns.”

In my opinion, expressing ones opinions through the written word is the best way to create change. However, Facebook Walls and other forums are now very similar to physical venues. Fashion labels and brands use Facebook to create the same feel as if the user were a customer in their physical store.

If people were to barge through the doors and begin protesting or squatting, do you think this might be considered disturbing the peace? Could this translate as similar activity on a Facebook Wall? What are your thoughts on moderating conversations online?