Daily Front Row

2010 May 12

Is Styledon the Facebook for Fashion?

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Styledon.com’s founder and CEO Leora Kadisha
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(NEW YORK) Online coverage of "street style" is so ubiquitous that to fashion cognoscenti, it almost feels stale. After all, what was once Sartorialist territory has been invaded by everyone from TommyTon to Elle.com to even Facebook. But interest in what real people wear---and how they wear it---is only growing, as both brands and editors look to the proverbial streets for direction. How to move beyond the street-style blogs, which often target style-savvy urbanites, to target a more realistic sample of readers and consumers?

Enter Styledon.com. This site, which is currently in public beta mode, aims to share your style as Facebook shares your life. While it has several features, including news and editorials such as designer features, it's Styledon's "bulletin board" that brands and inspiration-seekers will find most useful. Users, who can easily create accounts by synching Twitter, Facebook, or Google accounts, are invited to post "inspiration" photos of whatever visual elements they find intriguing. Whether it's a certain pair of shoes or a lamp spotted in the window of a boutique, Styledon gives users the chance to swap both stories and shopping information. By expanding its focus beyond strictly fashion and into the coverage of home decor, it offers a more comprehensive look at style, the sort that Todd Selby has capitalized on beautifully.

Every post on Styledon is able to be linked back to one's Twitter, Facebook, or personal blog. Posts are categorized into "Personal" and "Inspiration," thus creating two boards full of images. Even in its beta phase, the site is steading gaining dozens of new members each day from far-flung locales such as Kazakhstan and Russia.

Styledon's founder and CEO, Leora Kadisha, is only 23. She grew up in Beverly Hills---her father Neil Kadisha is a co-founder of Qualcomm--and studied fashion at the Sorbonne and ESMOD School of Design. "Styledon combines the life you have with the life you want," she explained at Monday's launch event, held at Robert Verdi's Luxe Laboratory. "And brands are already watching." So how will they participate?
ASHLEY BAKER