Fashion and the internet

So we live in an age of technology. And being quite a dinosaur myself, I was only just introduced to Twitter by my tech-savvy younger sister and to confess, it was not that long ago when I signed up to facebook and blogger. While still a traditionalist at heart, having been inducted into this world of e-commerce (or S-commerce as we may now term it, see this article on WWD), I am beginning to appreciate the number of ways technology is fast changing the fashion industry. 


There is Moda Operandi started by a Harvard Business School graduate and a Vogue contributing editor that showcases runway collections allowing consumers to pre-order pieces online immediately after the shows and even pieces that may never make it into stores. There is Birchbox which offers a selection of beauty product samples delivered monthly to its subscribers. Rent the Runway which allows its users to rent designer dresses has inspired other companies all the way in Asia such as thatbagiwant.com which was a major hit in Singapore. 


The NY Times did a cover recently on TheFancy.com, a new form of social media where its users can share images of items they own or covet or experiences they have had on a  scrapbook type, Pinterest-inspired website. Stylistics.com is another interesting one. Started by Wharton and University of Iowa graduates, the site allows its users to keep track of what they are wearing on a 'style calendar' and how much 'mileage' they are receiving on each item (i.e. how much the user paid for the item versus how often it is worn). This always reminds of my fashion-conscious sister who took pains to record exactly what she wore everyday in a little notebook just so that she would not repeat the outfit.  


These are just some examples that I have read about. It seems to me that online fashion-related sites run the gamut, capturing every instinct we may have as a consumer and there are probably more yet to be cashed in on. The real question is which of these are going to be valued at $100 billion when it IPOs?