Get onTrend with help from your fashion friends

Long gone are the days when the only place where you could get fashion advice was from a glossy magazine or at the hair salon or from your older (and sometimes wiser) sibling. In a new, present world, where the social media platform is influencing fashion in a very real way, we are now looking to Instagram and blogs for our latest fix.

Well fashion lovers, we have got a cool new app for you and it’s called onTrend! Here to help you with all your fashion needs, while also showing the ever growing power of the “it” girls of Instagram, onTrend allows users to have five minute virtual style sessions with top bloggers.

Based in LA, onTrend was founded by a small team, who, using their years of retail and technology experience, decided to gather the services and talents of eight very different but equally influential Instagram style stars. From around the world locations like LA, California and Sydney, the stylists are Mina Doll, Caitlin Marks, Isabel Hendrix, Luna Lovebad, Lee Catherine, Selena Cruz, Emily Jenny and Honor Hamilton.

Bringing them all together on one fashion platform, the Insta-girls lend their time to eager fashion fans by offering style and beauty tips, shopping intel, and even career advice via one-on-one video styling sessions that users schedule through the app. So instead of stalking your favourite beauty bloggers or fashionista babes on Instagram (which I’m sure many of us do), with onTrend, you’re able to chat directly and personally with them.

Like having your own personal stylist in your pocket, onTrend is definitely clever and unique but how does it work? Well, users download onTrend and sign in using Facebook or Instagram. Then, you’re taken to a feed that showcases eight stylists hired by the app. When you find the one whose style and personality interests you, and who you relate to most, you’re able to book a five-minute styling session with them right from your phone. This then connects you through a proprietary video call system that’s built in to the app.

We caught up with Honor to ask her a few questions:

What inspired you to create onTrend?

onTrend was a birth for the need to connect influencers with their audience on a more personal level. I was approached with a concept from onTrend that I felt was something that innovated the way we communicate with these people that inspire us daily, so I jumped on board. Not only do they inspire, they affect our purchase decisions, what we want to do over the weekend, and even how we want to dye our hair. 

What advantage does the app have over others on the market?

The app gives users the ability to speak directly with the stylist/influencer they are interested in. The audience finally has a chance to have a one-on-one conversation about style, beauty, and even careers and travel. Rather than leaving a message somewhere and keeping your fingers crossed, you can get details on where to get that rad top someone was wearing or best places in Palm Springs they’ve experienced through their travels.

How would you describe your personal style?

My style is always so hard to summarise because it’s all about aesthetic. I pull my favourite styles out of each decade and blend them together into a work of wearable art. I’m really big on vintage fashion with a splash of modern pieces to keep me in the present. My wardrobe is mostly novelty pieces – I created a separate account for my printed pieces called @shirtparty to really emphasise this without burning my regular audience out.

What is the one item you could not live without?

I could never live without my oversized vintage Levi’s denim jacket. It goes with everything, whether it’s a dress, pants, fancy shirt, or even with sweats running to the market. If I had to keep one jacket forever, it would be that. 

Do you have any exciting updates planned for onTrend?

We’re always adding new features to enhance the experience based on our feedback. We’re about to launch a companion site that complements our primary app. After a user completes their style session, they will receive a notification within 24 hours containing a link to a 100% customized “trend” page, with product and brand suggestions, fashion aids, celebrities to follow etc, that is completely based on their chat with the stylist. It’s something like a mood board with items to remind them what they need, where to get it, or what makes most sense for their requests.

The onTrend app is available to download now on iTunes.

Flavie Belanco
Photo: Courtesy of Honor Hamilton