Diving Into the World of Virtual Styling After Polyvore

How often do you have a hard time finding an outfit?

If your Instagram is mostly fashion-based, you've probably scrolled and stumbled across an account filled with a collage of outfits meant for your own “inspo.” Throughout recent years, virtual stylists have been on the rise in the fashion industry; especially on the social media platform Instagram. For these stylists, it all starts as a hobby, but when they start to gain a following, it can also become a new job opportunity. 

Similar to the concept of a mood board, creating an outfit virtually is typically established against a plain white canvas. Then, begins the process of styling different clothing and accessories. Titled as a “set,” they are all created differently, depending on the aesthetic of the stylist. Some will incorporate more artsy elements to their sets by filling in the white canvas with objects that are known as “fillers;” while many others prefer to focus on the outfit itself. 

Although these Instagram pages started to become popular in just recent years, virtual styling has been around for a while, especially if you spent a lot of your time on the fashion side of Pinterest and Tumblr. Before Instagram was even around, there was Polyvore—an app that welcomed the creative tech of styling.

Source: Internet Retailing

Labeled as a social e-commerce platform, Polyvore is known to have created the original virtual styling community. Founded in 2007, the site allowed anyone to sign up and creatively express themselves in all things fashion and beauty. Unfortunately, in 2018, the company was bought out by luxury fashion retail site—SSENSE. Many users of Polyvore were devastated logging into the app and discovering that everything was absent. As a user myself, I experienced the same grief that many creators did when the platform they built was taken away within the blink of an eye.  

Known to be a golden time for these fashion creators, many of us were lost and unable to create these sets many people considered a serious hobby. Since Polyvore was held in great value in the online fashion community, the disappearance led to many alternatives being made—yet still taking months to fully find a good replacement. Many of these creators took their sets onto Instagram and started the journey to the success of virtual styling that it is now.  

Gee, who runs @silkmp3 on Instagram, vocalized her disappointment when Polyvore left us. “I remember opening the app and how nothing would show up. I didn't know what exactly happened until I saw somewhere online that they sold it,” she states. “It was such a surprise during that time. Making fashion sets was my favorite thing to do as a teenager.” 

Along with sadness, the reaction of Polyvore users was mostly left angered at the abrupt ending. No one had seen it coming. Many had gone to Twitter and started petitions that were signed by thousands to bring back Polyvore. Sadly, their pleas were left ignored and unaddressed. 

As people mourned over the app, Gee explains how she shifted her platform to Instagram. “I was obsessed with what people did with [Polyvore], when they sold it, I stopped making sets because I couldn't find an [alternative] app that I liked. But I got back to making sets last year because I thought it would be fun— and it is,” she says.

Source: @silkmp3 on Instagram

Starting her account just at the beginning of 2021, Gee reinstated her love for original fashion sets and decided to give styling another try. During her years of hiatus, she was encouraged by mood board accounts that she followed. It wasn't until last year that she discovered virtual styling became popular on Instagram. 

After she had started to gain her own following, it was then she realized that fashion is something she is good at. Currently finishing a degree in Biological Sciences, she tells me, “This is definitely more of a hobby right now and something I do because I love it—but as my account reaches bigger audiences, it makes me wonder what it'd be like to do something like this professionally.” 

Although there are some virtual stylists that have had business opportunities and brand deals, I discovered that many of these creators are not entirely in a rush to grow their business further and professionally. 

Kiera, the young woman behind @fashion.ang3l on Instagram, expressed her uncertainty. “I don't know if styling would start to become a career for me in the future,” she says. “I see others start to professionally style people, but I don't know if I would do it.” 

Just at the age of 16 with over 12,000 followers on Instagram, she already has her feet in the styling community.

“Fashion is something I would like to do, but I don't really know what direction I want to go in. Right now, I don't spend too much time on it; it's kind of something I do when I have free time,” she exclaims.

Surely, fashion isn't going anywhere—especially in creative tech; so, she has all the time to decide what path she wants to take for her styling account. “I would keep doing [styling] for a long time though. I don't know a reason why I would stop,”  Kiera states.

Prior to creating her account, Kiera explained that seeing other virtual stylists was the reason behind her own. She was fascinated seeing other people do it and seeing it done in magazines. “I really liked that the clothes were all spread out,” she adds. 

What people don't often realize is how easy it is to jump into this community. With the number of stylists that there are on Instagram, it's so easy to become inspired—ultimately, that is the goal of virtual styling. “I think it was last April when I started seeing other people do it, and after that, I pretty much started straight away,” Kiera tells me.

Source: @fashion.ang3l on Instagram

Her process of creating these sets is by using the beloved photo editing app—Picsart. During the time Polyvore was gone, the community found other ways to create sets other than using substitute apps that were still getting on their feet. Constructing outfits virtually, the clothing and accessories are always in the form of PNG. Hence, why they are created on a white canvas. Styling is almost like a puzzle, except you're piecing together a finished look that inspires others. 

Unlike the recreations of Polyvore such as Urstyle, Smart Closet, or Shoplook, Picsart allows creators to take more control in their styling process. To inspire others, something that is always important for stylists is to know the outfit details and tag them in the post. 

Arletta, who is behind @stylebyarletta on Instagram says that “after trying out the apps, I found that I like Picsart better— even though sometimes it’s frustrating cutting the background of some items.” 

Even though virtual styling remains a common hobby for these girls, they're still very hands-on with the process of creating sets and interacting with their followers. 

Many often think that having a stylist is a convenience strictly for celebrities, influencers, or those with money, but with Instagram, following a stylist’s page allows you to be more in control of the relationship you want to establish with them. In most cases, followers will support daily “inspo” and like a post here and there, but these stylists are always more than welcome to collaborate with those seeking advice one on one. 

“A lot of people ask me to help, actually,” Arletta states. “Someone asked me to help them style their Naked Wolfe shoes, and I actually posted it.”  

She explained that many young women will come to her for events that they need help styling—such as birthday parties. Usually, they reach out with something specific in mind, then build from there.

"I don't ask for money or payment because I love to help people with it [styling], because why not?,” Arletta exclaims. 

Arletta made it clear that she prioritizes her mental health by over-posting on Instagram. She can go a month or two without posting and even losing some followers, but she still makes sure to answer all inquiries she receives. 

Source: @stylebyarletta on Instagram

Arletta recalls how she got into virtual styling, saying that “it was the little things that kept me going.”

She explained that her mom's style was her biggest inspiration and that she would always style the clothes that she kept from the ‘90s. She was always creative—making jewelry from small trinkets and styling her friends and family. It was no doubt that she coined the ‘fashionista’ title from the people around her. 

With all the different styles and aesthetics there are in the fashion world, the outfits these stylists are creating don’t reflect their personal style. Instead, the clothing they style is usually a reflection of their dream wardrobe or something they use to inspire themselves. Because of how obscure the clothing items can be, owning these clothing pieces is not often realistic for virtual stylists. A lot of the pieces that are styled tend to be designer or highly priced.  

Each stylist has their own story, but something they seemingly all have in common is that it all takes a viral post to build a successful page. Similar to how it is in any other creative industry, large amounts of exposure from one post can lead to thousands of followers. Of course, getting on Instagram's explore page has helped them reach a larger audience. With the platform they built, they received recognition from notable internet names such as Maggie Lindemann, Ming Lee Simmons, Lauren Kettering, Maddy Crum, & more. 

Although it may seem a little extravagant to have your own personal stylist, virtual styling accounts have allowed people to come across an endless amount of fashion tips and inspiration available to anyone. For these creators, interacting and helping people find their style is their favorite part about their hobby and having a platform for it. Whether you're a fashion lover or someone just trying to up their style, these Instagram pages were created to help you find all the right elements for your next look.