LOOKBOOK- “an international social experiment in style”

There is no doubt that fashion is a form of art. Everyone who is a bit interested in the subject knows that there is a division for a high fashion and street fashion. Although  the high fashion is gorgeous and exquisite, not many of us can simply afford to buy a dress designed by Dior, Chanel or Prada. But still, people want to look stylish. Sometimes they save the money to buy one thing from the originator of the famous brand and match it with clothes from a second hand or shopping centre. They call their style-street fashion, and if we want it or not, this phenomenon has an immense influence on more traditional outlets. 


The website http://lookbook.nu is a kind of Mecca for fashion lovers. It considers a collection of photographs of the coming models, photographs, designers or fashion bloggers who are willing to show off the whole world their styles, uniqueness and talent. In my view, it is like a “fashion diary” because the users are updating the photos on a daily or weekly basis. The users can “hype” the picture if they like it or not. Those who are more interested in the stylization make comments either positive or negative. This is really great and motivating because you know if your taste is original and imitable or you have to work on because your stylizations are everyday, normal and ordinary. 


The people who are responsible for “all the mess” are the two San Francisco natives-23 years old girl- Yuri Lee and her boyfriend. They started to lead the page in April 2008 and after 4 years their www address is one of the most recognizable in the world of fashion. The registration to it is limited as you have to be invited by the members of LB. It not only helps to uphold a certain expectation of quality for “the looks” posted on LB but also the users feel like being a part of more exclusive community. In my opinion the design of the page is simple and clear. One can browse “the looks” by country (80 to choose from), brands or colors. The other way to search is by taking a closer look at the categories “new”, “top” or “ leader”.


 I have to admit that I am a regular observer of LB because like a lot of my peers I am looking for an inspiration from people I see on the street. Yet, I noticed some tendencies which had started to appear on LB. When there is a picture of a girl in a certain model of shoes (I noticed that the world went crazy about Jeffrey Campbell shoes  or similar (http://www.google.pl/imgres?start=153&hl=pl&sa=X&rlz=1C1SKPL_enPL446&biw=1280&bih=679&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnso&tbnid=6e2h8SworQ3IOM:&imgrefurl=http://www.dollsscrapbook.com/2011/05/shoeicide.html&docid=DT0JFw72bY1mUM&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9GAfqM4SGV8/TdQNRKuyuBI/AAAAAAAAA2w/YU4QfYKdh4Y/s1600/Jeffrey-Campbell-shoes-Lita-%25252528Dark-Yellow-Suede%25252529-010604.jpg&w=480&h=360&ei=B1CmT-rsIKfi4QTO44nFCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=722&vpy=219&dur=625&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=108&ty=106&sig=102499566799582956021&page=8&tbnh=138&tbnw=171&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:153,i:170), T-shirts (motifs of flags, logo of Jack Daniels whiskey or Guns n Roses) or floral leggins, the next week there are plenty of photos of girls wearing the same shoes, T-shirts or leggins. I realized that what is on LB is regarded as a clue what will be fashionable in the coming season for the young people. This is why we have got a group of girls looking exactly the same. However, they think that their taste is completely unique and fresh. But, there is also a group of people who are making experiments with clothes and at the same time reflect their natural talent and remarkable personality. Still, there is one thing which cannot be denied- LB has now the same power as the fashion magazines, and for me, it is great to have one place in which there is described what is now known as a contemporary street style.