Polyvore Popularity Test

By Marni Elyse Katz
June 21, 2011

Polyvore, the crazy popular online community where the fashion obsessed and social media savvy cull images from all over the web to create collages called "sets," makes fashion editors out of everyone so inclined. As for which styles, brands, websites, and celebs get the most play, well, that’s for the users to decide.

Polyvore

Polyvore sets: In the City, Rag & Bone Skirt

Realizing the value of its community’s crowdsourcing power, the tech-savvy team over at Polyvore introduced Style Analytics. The tool ranks brands, sites, fashion trends, and celebrities based on users’ engagement level with them. The data examined to determine rank include how many sets something (or someone) is in, how many users “like” it, how many users comment on it, and number of impressions.

While pop culture and newsworthy events can certainly influence what’s trending on Polyvore, mainly, it’s simply about the fashion looks users are loving right now. We examined and (unscientifically) analyzed the top five brands on Thursday, June 16, 2011. In addition to making some assumptions as to why these labels have been supertrenders (Polyvore looks at trends cumulatively over time rather than wiping out the results every day), we did some cross-research to see if the labels were also trending on eBay by comparing their sales from June 10 to June 16 with approximately one year prior. And, of course, we shopped for them there, too.

Polyvore

Polyvore sets: Cameron Diaz, Elie Saab SS 2011

1. SuperTrash

On Polyvore: Up one from last week. Top products include skinny and stretchy black jeans, caged peep-toe platform pumps and fitted, double-breasted, strong-shouldered blazer.

On eBay: There are no SuperTrash listings on U.S. eBay to speak of, but worldwide, over the past few weeks, there have been around 20-30 per week—mostly from the UK. That's up a bit from one year ago, when the number of weekly listings typically fell in the single digits.

SuperTrash is hardly a household name in the U.S., but this L.A-born but Dutch-bred brand is a Polyvore queen bee. Prices are mid-range—it’s neither designer nor pure fast fashion—but the company is obviously offering looks that Polyvore-ites crave. The top three product silhouettes also make a showing on Polyvore’s Top Trends list.

SuperTrash finds on eBay:

Roll over items for details

SuperTrash Ivory Chiffon Blouse

(buy it now price, $34.14)

SuperTrash Beige Bodycon Dress with Ruching

(buy it now price, $95.09)

SuperTrash Nude Pink Flower Peep Toe Shoes

(buy it now price, $164.99)

2. Elie Saab

On Polyvore: No change from last week. Top products include strappy tan platform pumps, ruffle silk sleeveless blouse with bowtie in coral, sheer sleeveless silk blouse and camisole.

On eBay: Elie Saab gowns are not only super expensive, but they're also hard to find off the red carpet. That may be why the brand barely registers on eBay, where the number of listings has stayed in the single digits over the past year.

Although Elie Saab is a red-carpet favorite and the designer of Katie Perry's wedding dress, we failed to make any concrete connections to the Polyvore popularity of today's runner up. Catherine Zeta Jones wore Elie Saab to the Tony’s, but that’s not quite the right demographic; Sarah Jessica Parker wore a floral Elie Saab in Cannes last month, and Mila Kunis’ lavender Oscar confection was Elie Saab, but that was a while ago already, and neither lady ranks as a top celebrity on Polyvore.

Elie Saab finds on eBay:

Elie Saab Fitted Silk Cocktail Dress

(buy it now price, $896)

Elie Saab Royal Gold Sequined Chiffon Short Dress

(buy it now price, $5,999)

Elie Saab Haute Couture Wedding Gown Jeweled Jacket

(buy it now price, $2,500)

3. Jane Norman

On Polyvore: Up one from last week. Top products include floppy straw sun hat with brown plaited leather detail; khaki linen belted, cuffed shorts; yellow envelope clutch.

On eBay: There are typically fewer than 20 listings for British brand Jane Norman on U.S. eBay, but worldwide, the number hovers around 10,000—and it continues to climb: listings are up 45 percent and sales are up 54 percent in the past week vs. one year prior.

We attribute the popularity of Jane Norman (have you even heard of this label?) to the surge of interest in British high street labels. Its prices are quite reasonable, but still, the looks are benign, leaving us to wonder, “Why?” Looks like we’re not the only ones less than enamored. The chain is in serious financial trouble and has been put up for sale.

Jane Norman finds on eBay:

Jane Norman Bronze Sheen Ruched Dress

(buy it now price, $25.99)

Jane Norman Two-Layer Gray Dress with Netting Skirt

(buy it now price, $25.99)

Jane Norman Black Sequin & Bow Evening Bag

(buy it now price, $12.99)

4. Rag & Bone

On Polyvore: No change from last week. Top products include ‘Verona’ draped gray stretch jersey dress, ‘Wilshire’ camel stretch cotton blazer, woven straw fedora with blue and white checked cotton trim.

On eBay: As Rag & Bone transitions from a fashion insider favorite to a household name, it's feeling the eBay love. Listings have more than doubled and sales are up 60 percent compared to one year ago.

This is a label we love. The looks are quintessential New York, yet translate easily to most other locales. Rag & Bone is a big deal on Seventh Avenue—last year, designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville won the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year Award. All this, and prices have stayed within reach. As to why it’s in Polyvore’s top five, we’re going with the fact that they simply deserve to be.

Rag & Bone finds on eBay:

Rag & Bone ‘Verona’ Black Leather Dress

(buy it now price, $225)

Rag & Bone ‘Sahara’ Suede Peep Toe Wedges

(buy it now price, $99)

Rag & Bone ‘Nancy’ Double Breasted Cotton Blend Blazer

(buy it now price, $159.29)

5. H&M

On Polyvore: Up eight from last week. Top products include stretchy white lace tank, denim shorts with belt, yellow and white striped tee shirt.

On eBay: H&M continues to climb everywhere. Sales are up 28 percent and listings are up 27 percent vs. approximately one year ago.

Another fast fashion favorite, Swedish megachain H&M moved up eight spots to number five. On trend, with unbeatable prices, it’s the place for of-the-moment summer staples. While lace didn’t make Polyvore’s top 20 Trends list, it made strong showings on runways and has been a top performer at retail outlets. As for the striped tops, we have one word: Prada.