Vogue editor and New York social queen, Lauren Santo Domingo, is branching into e-commerce with her new online trunk show, Moda Operandi. The members-only venture, co-founded by the former head of merchandising for Gilt Groupe’s Gilt Noir, Aslaug Magnusdottir, will allow shoppers to buy ready-to-wear collections as soon as 48 hours after the runway presentations. They aim to open up the exclusive world of designer trunk shows, which are often solely for high spending customers and friends, to those who have the resources to buy ready-to-wear, but lack the connections.
The site will require a 50% deposit and will deliver the purchases about four months later when they come out of production. This may satisfy the need for instant gratification without compromising production quality. The garments will be shipped to shoppers before the department store orders, so fashion neo-maniacs can rest assured that they will have their looks first and won’t be subject to store buyers’ preferences in-store. This will guarantee that they’ll recieve the looks they want.
Taking a cue from internet retail giant Net-A-Porter, Moda Operandi will also feature editorial content and sell accessories in the downtime between the four collection seasons: Spring, Resort, Fall, and Pre-Fall.
About 50 designers are expected to come on board, including Thakoon, Vera Wang, and Alexander Wang.
