Latest news with #LianaSatenstein
Elle
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Why Everyone Is Shopping on Livestream Right Now
In January, writer Liana Satenstein hosted an informal runway show in her living room. As friends-cum-models paraded through the narrow space, she announced each piece over the din of the well-heeled crowd. But to be in the room where it happened, you didn't have to score an IRL invite. You just had to tune in to the live selling-and-buying platform Whatnot. Shopping, for as long as it has existed, has been about more than just the practical act of purchasing goods. It's a chance to socialize, to indulge, to play. And now that e-commerce has become old hat, there's a desire to bring some real-life excitement to the online experience. Enter the livestream. Satenstein, who hosts a series of closet cleanouts she calls 'Neverworns,' started with in-person sales, but kept receiving messages when she'd post teasers online. 'What am I supposed to do? You have to either be here or too bad,' she thought at the time. Livestreaming became a way to bridge the gap—shoppers could get the full Neverworns experience, including a chance to purchase, from the comfort of their own homes. If boomers had QVC, livestreams are shoppertainment for the Twitch generation. 'Gen Z, and the up-and-coming Gen Alpha, sees social media as an entertainment platform just as much as traditional TV,' says Rebecca Rom-Frank, a marketing strategist for the trend forecaster WGSN. 'With the rise of video platforms, it makes sense that livestream shopping would follow.' Satenstein drew inspiration from QVC clips on YouTube and a 1989 interview with Donna Karan on a talk show called Attitudes. 'There's context, layers, history—and [Karan] has a model walk out in the clothes showing how something fits.' Since its founding in 2019, Whatnot has become a buzzy name in the live shopping space. In January, the platform announced that it had raised $265 million in new funding. According to Whatnot, viewers spend an average of over 80 minutes per day watching its content, more time than they spend on Instagram or TikTok. While they buy about 12 items per week, there are also plenty of users who are tuning in just to chat or listen, no purchase necessary. 'I hear time and time again that it feels like a TV show, where each week there's a new episode,' says Nica Yusay, who sells luxury handbags on the account FashioNica. Despite the convenience of a one-click checkout, there's a loss of community spaces. Shopping has become a solo sport, but livestreams can bridge the gap. Customers can get involved, connecting with like-minded shoppers—and the seller on the other side of the lens—without leaving the couch. Watchers ask questions on the fly, and sellers do their best to keep up, offering banter, backstory, and even try-ons in front of their audience. 'People ask me how many unitards I own at this point,' says Nina Chong-Jimenez, a Whatnot seller whose account, Lockitin, has made nearly 68,000 sales. 'At any given moment, I'm stripping down to put anything on that I can. It's important for you to see how a piece is going to fall on a person.' It's an added layer of transparency that's often lacking in apps or large online marketplaces: You can see the person behind the post, and get real-time info on the piece for sale, all while chatting with friends. With higher sale conversion rates than conventional e-commerce and a growing market share, livestreaming seems poised to keep winning new fans. For now, buyers and sellers are still figuring things out. 'There's no rhyme or reason,' Satenstein says of how much she ends up selling in a livestream. 'But I'm having a good time.'
Vogue
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
A Sad Goodbye to New Top, the Downtown Jewelry Shop That Fashion Insiders Loved
The New Top Instagram page, once boasting thousands of followers, including many influential creatives, is now deactivated—gone without a trace. The reason for its closure is still unknown, but in statement released exclusively to Vogue, Shuai wanted to give special thanks her devoted shoppers over the years. 'I am very grateful for your support and friendship every day I work,' she wrote via a third party. 'I will always remember your sunny smiles!' While the news of New Top closing is still spreading, many fashion fans are already mourning the loss. And understandably so: There are few shops like it left in the city. For one, you did not need a fortune to shop its assortment of gold goods; the shop was popular for its competitive price points. (Nearby, Popular Jewelry on Canal Street is another celebrity favorite, though decidedly pricier.) New Top was also one of the larger and more sceney jewelry shops in the city: You went there not only to shop, but to see who was shopping. When Vogue reached out to fashion insiders to share their favorite memories of the store, we were delighted to hear so many great encounters and memorable encounters that took place amid its treasure trove of gold jewelry over the years. Read on for special homages to New Top. This is truly the end of an era. Liana Satenstein, writer and creator of NeverWorns 'I loved it because you could get something as small as a pinky ring, or something as big as a gold chain with a massive charm. It eventually became the place where, when someone left Vogue, they'd get a piece of jewelry engraved [as their going-away gift].' Kim Shui, designer 'We had Jane walk in one of my first shows. Almost all of my gold jewelry is from there. New Top was great because she knew what you were looking for and she always made suggestions that worked. If you asked for custom lettering, she was able to translate what you wanted.' Sally Singer, president, Art + Commerce I loved New Top, and especially Jane, who liked to brag about her studious and artistically talented daughter while pulling fifty or more charms from the display for me to hem and haw over. New Top was my go-to place for talismanic, personalized baubles—my idea of 14-karat heaven. The selection was vast, the prices fair, and the scene incredible. One of the last true bastions of downtown cool.
