Many of us like to go clothes shopping with close friends and family simply for that fitting room consultation before buying. But much as we love them, not everyone we know is a talented fashion maven who can make good suggestions or offer tips on how to put together a certain look or style. Thanks to modern technology, you can now get that help without even leaving home!


Lookville is a new social fashion network - "one giant fitting room" of people passionate about choosing clothes and accessories which look good. Like any social media network, joining is free. You also create a profile for yourself. Then the fun begins. You post pictures and ask your fashion question.People respond with helpful suggestions and others vote on whether their advice is good. The top fashion advisers who garner the most votes are featured on the home page.

The rules say you must have a full body picture but clearly not every question merits that. Someone uploaded a skirt picture wondering if it looked dated.  Another an outlandish hat which the members thought was indeed too much. If, as I was, asking about what outfits suit a particular jewelry piece, then it makes more sense to upload a close up of that item as worn.

Uploading is easy. You do have to add tags including picture tags. The latter involves clicking on different parts of my necklace and typing in what it was including brand, material and pattern. You can explore the site or see what's new or search for specifics. Following members you like is also another feature.



The site is a lot of fun. It can be of use to have other people critique your jewelry as a fashion accessory. My  experimental upload  to Lookville was my new Etsy listing, Gothic Punk Chain and Tatted Necklace.  I photographed it with a jacket but I wondered if it could be worn with other styles like a peasant blouse perhaps.

Sure enough within a few hours, I had one fashion maven suggest "I would probably wear something basic like a fitted white tee and some black skinnies." A second commentator later added, "Hope you did make the back part inter-changeable for longer and shorter wear! Love the tatting idea, very artistic! If it would be worn short enough, a peasant blouse would get a very nice touch by it! Great with red and white! " 

Just yesterday, a third commentator chimed in, "Really neat! The fact that it's made with tatting would make me stick to casual wear if I were to wear this necklace, but it would go very nicely with a black or white (or any colour, frankly) blouse or sweater. Good job, and very unique!"

I certainly appreciated the tips because a) I made a similar necklace for myself  b) I could add the suggestions in my Etsy description.  Also important is the vindication that tatted jewelry is well received.

The point about making necklaces into interchangeable lengths is a good one. This is how I would do it :


The site is a lot of fun. It's well populated with people who have a discerning eye for what looks good and the advice is free. But I do not think jewelry artisans should overly use it as a promotional site. Participate wisely. Jewelry is an important fashion accessory so the site is perhaps a good learning and testing ground for designs.

Lookville is still in private beta which means membership is by invitation only at the moment. If you are a true fashion maven and really like to join, I have five invitations to give out. Email me beadinggem at yahoo dot ca if you are interested. I will send the invites to the first five requests.

You may also like :
TotusMel - An amazing tatted jewelry designer
Learn to needle tat with TotusMel
How to make tatted jewelry tutorials

For more tutorials check out my Jewelry Making Tips

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