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Rent the Runway launched a second way to judge dresses online (besides the normal model-centric product pics): Based on other users' similar body types culled from pictures that they send in.
Called "Our Runway", which RTR pegs it the "first-ever online social shopping platform," it features "Find Women Like Me" tool, in which users can view thousands of women with comparable body types in dresses from Tibi and Milly to Zac Posen and Narciso Rodriguez by entering height, bust size, dress size and age.
Of course, there are pros and cons to Our Runway. Pro: It's inclusive of a wider range of body types, making it way more serviceable in terms of fit, which retail e-commerce across the board consistently struggles with. Cons: (1) photo lighting and positioning can be bad, making it more difficult to judge a dress. (2) Prom dates and/or frat bros can make the picture kind of awkward (and who wants a dress that inspires that deer-in-headlights look?). But then, the product image with model is still available for perusal and for every awkward photo there's one like this, this, and this. D'aww.
· Our Runway [Official Site]
· The Racked 38 Summer/Fall Edition: Thoughts Requested [Racked]