In all SSENSE (pun intended), I canโt believe Iโm doing an article about this matter but hey, someone has to do it! Itโs no secret that less than a month ago, Oath (the mother company) sold Polyvore to Canadian luxury online retail store, SSENSE. Where does that leave us? What Polyvore Alternative can we use?ย
The sudden news rocked the Polyvore community down to their stilettos and sneakers.
Many were left wondering why would Polyvore betray their loyal users with such an abrupt decision to remove the app from existence without warning. Such a move fueled more than three weeks of anger and disappointment, and for good reason.
How could this happen without a time window to prepare for such a decision?
We lost the ability to create with our beloved Polyvore. It was a place where we could bond with fellow users.
We gained inspiration from each other throughout the community. This and the ability to foster our own connection to all things virtually artistic.
For some, Polyvore was a safe haven.
To others, Polyvore was a stress relief from the outside world. Then, thereโs me.
As a fashion stylist of over six years, Iโve used virtual styling to reach fashionistas, inclined and styled challenged. My mixture of bold colors, prints, and pairing of formal and casual pieces together create seemingly โeasyโ outfits! These could be used as guides whenever shopping.
Iโm not going to lie, I was crushed.
I spent 48 hours in complete silence and mourning. I cried for the first five hours, as if I lost my best friend.
But to be honest, Polyvore was like my best friend without the gossip and backstabbing. But that bitch definitely betrayed and blocked me without warning.
And Then SSENSE Took it Away
The decision of SSENSE to acquire Polyvore without understanding the functionality of Polyvore was incredibly insane to me.
Why would SSENSE even bother to purchase personal data without doing further research? No one used Polyvore to shop.
We used Polyvore to create. Period.
Stylists, fashion students, style fans, interior designers, and other operators of art utilized Polyvore to create. However, I wonโt get into how stupid I think SSENSEโs decision to purchase Polyvore is. They could have engaged the #PolyFam and new users into the right direction, of continuing the fashion creation with ease.
But we got youโฆ
I have been on a mission to find my replacement, my new homeโฆ From our research, we have found these three Polyvore alternatives. Below are MY top three platforms, both online and app version.ย
These are helping to introduce the Polyvore concept to how users create and shop.
Now, this article isnโt meant to endorse any particular online profile/app. This is to give an expertโs perspective on what has worked for me, allowing me to continue to inspire and style women.
As if nothing happened to Polyvoreโฆ
Here are 3 Polyvore Alternatives!ย
SmartCloset | Difficult Level: 2
Cost: Free
Pros: Once mastered, the app is a pretty amazing tool to create outfits to showcase on a social media platform or blog.
Cons: Compared to Polyvore, the app isnโt community friendly nor does the app create an environment of sharing ideas. Just outfit planning only.
Very similar to a personalized closet on the go, SmartCloset gives its users an opportunity to design their individual online closet using items theyโve already purchased, plan to purchase, and/or using for inspiration.
Much like a wardrobe planner (what it actually is), the app allows its users to plan their daily wardrobe, categorize the wardrobe based on item specifics, and essentially create their outfits with ease.
Whether you choose to upload pictures from your phone or โclip (the ability to collect items from a third-party website to use on the app)โ from the appโs inhouse collection, you can plan out and create.
In the wake of the Polyvore madness, I was introduced to SmartCloset through a mutual friend. He and I have similar platforms on Instagram. We knew that a long delay from posting could in fact result in the loss of followers and momentum.
Once I downloaded SmartCloset, I must admit that it was quite challenging.
Polyvore presented so much ease with developing a catalog (items used in a mood board), creating a virtual outfit, endorsing/watermarking your work, and adding additional embellishments (art, symbols, colored background, etc). These elements gave the mood board personality, ownership, and a distinctive look.
All of which, could help a user quickly identify the work of a Polyvore fashion influencer.
SmartCloset as the Wardrobe Planner
SmartCloset, however, isnโt an app made for those who want a similar feel of Polyvore and its fashion community. SmartCloset is strictly for creating outfits and planning it out by the week.
I know thatโs disheartened news for those who enjoyed the aspect of bonding and sharing ideas with fellow users. However, for those like myself who enjoy creating outfits as a fashion stylist/blogger, this app is a great tool to get the momentum going and fans excited.
Fun Tool:
I rated this app with the Difficulty Level of 2 for the simple fact of ease versus challenges.
- When I first downloaded the app, the Difficult Level was a nice 4.5 on a scale from 1-5, 5 being the most difficult. Reason being is that it does entail more work. Polyvore made it easy to find the latest fashions mixed with fashions from 5 years ago.
- The collection on SmartCloset doesnโt have such a large variety of apparel to choose from (close to my liking anyway). Therefore, I found a pretty cool (but tedious) way of uploading items to make bomb fashion mood boards: Pinterest.
Pinterest is LIFE and has kept a record of all of my favorite items to use in the mood boards from Polyvore.
I simply go to Pinterest, download the items to my phone, and upload the pictures to my SmartCloset โcloset.โ I customize (or auto shape to reduce the white background for better outfit creation) the items and then BOMB itโs ready to use in my closet.
It sounds like A LOT OF WORK but trust me, I donโt mind because I like to remain as the fashion MUVA.
Similar Apps
- Style Book โ $3.99
- Closetspace โ Free
- GlamOutfit: Free
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Fashmates | Difficult Level: 1
Cost: Free
Pros: Next in line to be the next Polyvore
Cons: Needs about 6 months โ 1 year of development to get on the level of Polyvore or better.
Hands down, Fashmates is trying to be the Beychella version of Coachella! Literally!
Anyone who owned a Polyvore account within the last 10 years recognized the growth, elevation, need, and perfection of the app. This includes its uniqueness.
Why?
Polyvore was the HOLY GRAIL of creation for those who were in fashion, interior design, art, magazine/newspaper editorials, and fashion branding/marketing.
Nothing on the market was like it. Now that the programming no longer exists, fashion software programs like Fashmates are emerging and itโs pretty exciting.
Off the rip, Fashmates is ready to be MUVA of the virtual creation game due to several factors. What are those factors?
Well, let me explain.
Fashmates has an online creation portal AND an app.
Why is that so important?
Polyvore allowed its users to use their PC/MACs to design their creations or simply with the use of the app. THATโS HUGE. And itโs amazing to see Fashmates take advantage of it. Giving user the space to create in comfort and convenience is what set Polyvore apart from other apps.
While Iโm sure every app and app developer has had their own agenda to serving the general population, itโs always best to follow trends and perfect those trends to be continual waves that people canโt live without.
Hint: thatโs the reason Polyvore was so popular and devastating to lose.
Fashmates allows โclipping.โ Clipping is VERY IMPORTANT.
As a stylist, Iโm always finding apparel, accessories, and footwear that I must show my audience and clients. Especially if I think theyโre dope in an outfit.
Clipping is simply a method of taking an image from a third-party site and adding that image to your online catalog or collection of items to use, in creating outfits.
Thatโs it!
Fashmates gives their users the opportunity to use items from ANYWHERE. For people like myself to create outfits using items we want to use, Fashmates will see an extreme rise in population.
See, fashion is a democracy, not a dictatorship.
You canโt tell me what fashion I cannot use. Thatโs just wrong!
Fashmates also encourages an online community.
For me, this particular factor was never important. I didnโt network quite too often on Polyvore and only followed twelve users that inspired me.
However, for the sake of fellowship, building relationships, and following like minded users, Fashmates is definitely encouraging users to create that family vibe that Polyvore once had. I love that about this app because people used Polyvore for so many reasons.
Even though my reason was strictly business, for others it was a safe haven. Polyvore created an opportunity to create and share ideas. This app created an opportunity to follow a particular person or group of people, to be spotlighted for creativity, and to build friendships/relationships within the app. Itโs definitely an amazing thing.
Fashmates allows PPC and pay-for-styling.
Unlike Polyvore, which I thought was insane, Fashmates believes in putting money in your pocket.
Now, I had a pretty good relationship with the Polyvore family prior their sudden exit.
The amount of influence I had within the app scored me a free trip to New York back in 2015! I was able to meet the then editor of Lucky Magazine and get free footwear from Dolce Vita.
Sweet!
However, even with that amazing trip, I was wondering where the money was.
If a user is within the top 5% of the influencing population of the app, shouldnโt a financial incentive be granted? Well, not for Polyvore.
Essentially, I made the decision to email Polyvore directly, letting them know that I would no longer publish any mood boards from my profile which over time did not add to my audience of 11k followers or 11 million views.
Trust when I say thereโs power in value.
With Fashmates, users are allowed to sell their styling ideas, purchase items, and invite users to use the app with a financial incentive.
Fun Tool:
- I rated this app/online portal with the Difficulty Level of 1.
- The programming is VERY similar to Polyvore for those who are familiar with the original programming.
- For those needing additional help, marketing and instructional videos are being created for the ease of use.
- Accessing apparel is pretty easy and of course, the clipping agent is always a great addition.
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ShopLook.io | Difficulty Level: 2
Cost: Free
Pros: Online portal is definitely developing the online community aspect of what Polyvore used to offer, including the promise of an app for iOS and Android, the clipping option for users to find apparel from anywhere, and getting paid for the styling/influencing throughout the app. They also offer monthly $500 shopping sprees!
Cons: The system is not as advanced as Polyvore and does need additional work.
One of the first apps that I researched after the deleting of Polyvore was ShopLook.io.
Although I did a great deal of my mood board creation through the app, Polyvore had an online portal that allowed users to create whatever they wanted using their PC/MACs.
The Clipper option was definitely Safari and Chrome friendly, and the programming was quite easy to navigate. ShopLook.io offers a similar experience online, while promising their developing community the option of an app for both iOS and Android.ย
In the future, we can look to a better system catered to the Polyvore community and the ability to earn money while using the app. Honestly, I like the direction that ShopLook.io is going! I canโt be too harsh on ShopLook because they are still in the development stages. But this is a great Polyvore alternative.ย
Just as shocked as the original #PolyFam was of the selling of Polyvore, Iโm sure ShopLook.io was as well and just needs time in making their platform greater. Thatโs fair. The administration of ShopLook.io is VERY PLEASANT and opened their floor for suggestion and comments on what direction they need to go in to make their platform just as amazing as Polyvore or better.
For me, thatโs amazing customer service and I look forward to creating more mood boards with ShopLook.io once they design an app for iOS. Since the app is in the developing stages, I would just advise potential users to be on the lookout for changes, developments, and new projects within the ShopLook.io programming.
Similar Online Portals
- TrendMe.net
- URStyle.com
I do believe that as a virtual expert of online styling, these apps/online portals are essential for users. These apps help people like myself continue our style legacy, without interruptions.
Iโm sure in the wake of the selling of Polyvore, many more apps and platforms have been developed for the ease of being the Polyvore alternative. I apologize if I did not mention any of those apps/online portals throughout this article.
These are currently MY favorite alternatives to Polyvore!ย
If you have further suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me via my site styledbydnicole.net.ย
Itโs been a pleasure writing this piece for you and I encourage you to style on!
I just checked out URSTYLE and it looks pretty cool. I used Polyvore on my PC so I like that you can do this one on your PC. Anyway I just wanted to pass this along URSTYLE has it setup so you can login to your Polyvore account and ask for a download of all of your Polyvore boards. It says you have to request by May 10th. Once you get your download you can upload it to your urstyle account. I know some people have years and years of their work that was on Polyvore. Here is the link https://urstyle.com/topic/450263/import-profile-feature
After investigating several Moodboards after the Polyvore heist, Iโve come to the conclusion that none of them have everything, and very little of anything Polyvore had. The quality and ease of the Polyvore platform is just not there, especially if you are an Art Refugee from Polyvore. Their editing tools are archaic and some of these Boards havenโt updated their sites since 2010. A few are scrambling to catch up but itโs going to take time.
The other thing we need to remember is that the Terms & Conditions of these Moodboards absolutely DO NOT guarantee safety from having our Intellectual Property stolen. Most of these Moodboards wonโt โdeleteโ a memberโs account, theyโll deactivate it which means they still have every single ounce of our data in their database, which can subsequently be passed on to any company involved with or taking over that site. Our Sets, Items & Collections can be copied and pasted by anyone.
While some sites do have copyright plugins to protect your IP, these Moodboards donโt because their goal is to advertise. So there is a risk every time we join one of these Boards. A few provide a way to upload our lost Sets, because after May 25th, we wonโt be able to get them from the company that took them in the first place. However, we have the same dilemma in that the Moodboards who allow for those uploads now have all of our Sets in their databases.
In addition every Item, every Set, every Collection that was made in Polyvore now has a link to the company that bought Polyvore out (even mentioning the name online links you to their site). So while they have a trashy, low class company with even trashier advertising, theyโre getting millions upon millions of hits every time someone clicks on a Polyvore Item, even if itโs by accident (and most of these clicks are). What shows on paper and their database is a fabrication of popularity by the hits they get 24/7. So they basically stole millions of dollars worth of advertising from Polyvore members by using their Items, Sets and Collections to advertise for โtheirโ company. They didnโt earn it, or work hard to get that kind of rating, they simply did a โMoney for Dataโ deal.
This kind of sabotage isnโt uncommon in the fashion industry, so the lack of integrity isnโt surprising. Itโs just that 24 million loyal members of Polyvore were punked in the process . . . all at once. The shock wave is still reverberating. We arenโt finding anything comparable yet, but I will say that URSTYLE, among all of these Moodboards, is the only one really working at improving their content and reaching out to PV Members in such a way that makes them interested in participating and being patient with their process.
So the choices of course, are individual, but just be mindful of the realities of being on Moodboards from now on. Weโre not in Kansas anymore.
Strongly recommend Smart Closet. I have been using it for quite a while and it satisfies me with the function to organize my wardrobe, create a look and add them to daily calendar. I donโt need to worry about losing my data since it can be backed up to google drive! I am using iOS version and they are now creating social community that I can share my ideas and also follow others! I found pretty much of previous Polyvore users there! I hope that the writer can correct the social part in this article!
One cool thing I wanna say about Smart Closet is that they are displaying and organizing all the data about you and you will clearly see your shopping and styling pattern through statistics! They help you know yourself better! I really love this app!
I am curious if you uploaded your zip file from Polyvore onto Fashmates? I have been waitingโฆI am receiving likes by the dozens every day, but to me, my sets are invisible. Was this an issue for anyone else? Thank you.
One that Iโve tried is Combyne, and its actually pretty cool! Itโs free, and you can create sets and look at other peoples outfits just like polyvore. It doesnโt have as many options of clothing that polyvore did, but it has the same concept. Iโm not sure if you can use it on your PC, but you can download it on your mobile phone! It wonโt be the same as Polyvore, but its something.
Thank you so much for this!!! I felt just as horrible and devastated when polyvore was purchased. How rude!!! But thank goodness you came to the rescue!
Happy to help!!
I went looking for some ideas for fall and wow, gone. No I would never use the new site that took over. Thank you for sharing some new sites to visit.
Hi, I loved this article. I had no idea Polyvore had been sold and this was very informational for an inspiring blogger. Do you know if there is a site that allows me to create kidsโ outfits? The ones listed donโt have any man (if any) kids options.
Fashmates has men, women, home, and also has a โclipperโ so you can clip anything from the web. Also unlike polyvore, you can clip from almost anywhere. Whereas with polyvore it had to be an actual website and not google or an image on browser tab and such. Also, fashmates is QUICKLY growing. They are being very intuitive on their own in creating a new home for everyone that was displaced as well as being receptive to feedback from the community. If you have a problem, tell them, they will fix it on the spot. They have a chat support as well as support available in their groups.
They are also compiling wishes for new features in their groups and are actively working to continually fix as well as improve. Their goal seems to be not just a polyvore replacement but to be something better. Sure, theyโll need time but theyโre quickly doing all they can to address any concerns their users have as well as offering tools we are familiar with and features we always asked for and/or wanted on polyvore and were never listened to about.
Big improvements are coming, the community is growing, and even better features are right on the horizon. I say give it a try, stick with it, bring other people and we can all help each other and help fashmates not just be the next polyvore but be the place to actually be home and be everything that we wanted polyvore to be and MORE.
Fashmates has men, women, home, and also has a โclipperโ so you can clip anything from the web. Also unlike polyvore, you can clip from almost anywhere. Whereas with polyvore it had to be an actual website and not google or an image on browser tab and such. Also, fashmates is QUICKLY growing. They are being very intuitive on their own in creating a new home for everyone that was displaced as well as being receptive to feedback from the community. If you have a problem, tell them, they will fix it on the spot. They have a chat support as well as support available in their groups.
They are also compiling wishes for new features in their groups and are actively working to continually fix as well as improve. Their goal seems to be not just a polyvore replacement but to be something better. Sure, theyโll need time but theyโre quickly doing all they can to address any concerns their users have as well as offering tools we are familiar with and features we always asked for and/or wanted on polyvore and were never listened to about.
Big improvements are coming, the community is growing, and even better features are right on the horizon. I say give it a try, stick with it, bring other people and we can all help each other and help fashmates not just be the next polyvore but be the place to actually be home and be everything that we wanted polyvore to be and MORE.
I miss Polyvore. I will use the alternative, but itโs not quite the same.
I just found out that Polyvore site was closed. Iโm super sad to hear this. Thank you for creating this article. Itโs very helpful.
Thank you for this! Very helpful. And since the time you published this Fashmates seems to have come a long way! Itโs almost identical to Polyvore with even better features like being able to upload your own photos. So cool ๐
There is also http://www.urstyle.com
Its a brilliant polyvore alternative. Reminds me of polyvore so much.
Got contests, collections, easy set design, great community and moreโฆ I highly recommend checking it out.
There is another app that works really well and it is specifically meant for creating outfits and you can see where the pieces are from and what other outfits they are used in. Itโs really cool and FREE which is amazing, they have challenges and you can add your own things, there are a few things that could be better but it mostly has to do with the adding your own things but other than that itโs pretty user-friendly. Itโs called COMBYNE. Itโs super cool and I use it quite often
There is a new alternative, STYLD.APP you can pretty much do everything that you did on Polyvore. They have outfit makers, Wishlists and a very big product database and the website is free. Looks like it is constantly being updates as well and available on Play, but nothing for iPhone yet.
! Gorgeous! I miss Polyvore. Thank you Beautiful
I love this style โค๏ธ
Great insights on alternative styling apps! Iโve been searching for something to fill the void left by Polyvore, and your recommendations are super helpful. Canโt wait to try out some of these options!