21st Century Thrift Store

             Technology has changed many aspects of our life, and shopping is no exception. I have written about discount websites, but what about clothes sharing? 99 Dresses is a phone app that allows you share to clothes with other app users to create the infinite closet. Buying dresses is a constant battle with myself. Too many clothes, yet nothing to wear. The way this app works is, you take a picture of a piece of clothing you are tired of and post it. When you “sell” a piece of clothing on 99 dresses, you are not dealing with actual money. Instead, you use “buttons” when buying and selling items. So, for example, a user would buy your garment for 230 buttons, and then you could use those buttons toward the purchase of another item that you like. The only thing you pay for is shipping and handling. You many also buy more buttons if you don’t have enough for a piece you want. The other option is to give away more items of clothing until you have earned enough buttons. When you sign up, the app asks your sizes so they can fill your feed with relevant items. This prevents you from falling in love with a garment that is not in your size. You may also follow women’ whose style you admire.

Right: Alexandra Carlino; Left: Google

I heard about this app through my friend Diana who gave away a five items of clothing and built up enough buttons to buy a BCBG cocktail dress. She used 1,200 buttons for the dress and it was in great condition. The dress arrived in a few days and it didn’t cost her anything! Now she has the option to put that dress back on the market or to give away a different dress. When this app was first launched, it was only for dresses. Now you can use it to get jewelry, makeup, skirts, pants, and sweaters.

The 99 Dresses was created by a 20-year-old women in Australia. She, like many of her friends, was never happy with the clothes in her closet. This app gives women a chance to continually change what they find in their closet. Women love borrowing clothes from their friends. Why limit themselves to people they know? Instead they can share with hundreds of others. I consider 99 Dresses, and other apps like it, the 21^st century thrift stores. Instead of walking into a store and sifting through racks; with the push of a button, you can have a new dress coming to your house. This app is available for free on the app store and compatible with iPhone and Android phones.