The Tamesis
After nearly a month of trekking through New York’s slushy snow day after day, I’ve made daydreaming about warm-weather vacations a full-time job. My desktop is littered with labels showcasing hotels from South Beach to South Africa, their idyllic photo galleries more appealing than the bleak reality outside my window. Trading in a bomb cyclone for warm beach breezes is high on my to-do list.
This being Vogue, we’d be remiss if we talked about tropical vacations and didn’t touch on our vacation wardrobe. In the words of Emily Henry, you can wear whatever you want on vacation. That tight little top that feels too bold for everyday life? Throw it in the suitcase. Are those bell bottoms suitable for a late night Donna and Dynamo reenactment? Don’t even think about leaving them behind. If you’re like me, you pack both, forget all about the socks, but still end up wearing the same suit and blouse every day.
Thankfully, for those of us with whimsical tendencies, limited overhead space, and forgetful tendencies, there’s an app or dozens of apps that make this possible. The fashion tech industry has grown alongside the broader consumer AI craze and is now awash with platforms that promise to help users shop, organize and design their wardrobes with ease. Ahead of a couple of long-awaited trips abroad this spring and summer, I set out to master my packing knowledge once and for all with the help of stylish tech.
Discover
Before the panic of overweight luggage and broken zippers sets in, vacationers and business travelers alike will have a great time deciding what to pack. Sometimes, the right ingredients can be found at home. Other times, travelers must turn to the Wild West of online shopping to find amazing items.
Daydream, a natural language shopping engine powered by artificial intelligence, saw a 10% surge in travel-related searches last month. While the frigid temperatures plaguing our country may have something to do with the increase in inquiries near the beach, Daydream co-founder Lisa Yamner (née Greene) believes the shift is a long one. “Travel shopping gives us the opportunity to do what we do best, which is help our users find things with context,” she said. “You can go to any retailer and find some level of editorial about the holiday store, but this is a holiday in broad terms. With Daydream, you can be very specific about where you’re going and what you plan to do.”
My query for “Interesting pieces from a trip to Mexico City in early April” yielded surprisingly precise results. Fringed tops, cut-out leather jackets and tailored trousers with unexpected textures far exceeded my expectations. Yamner and her co-founders both have extensive experience in the fashion industry, which she believes is critical to the platform’s ability to address such nuances. While a general AI agent could learn that a trip to Mexico City might require brightly colored or edgy clothing, Daydream goes a step further and translates that context into product recommendations tailored to the specifics of the destination as well as the shopper’s personal style and price point. The platform also offers landing pages organized around common travel themes, including skiing and beaches, that customers can use as starting points.
purchase
Or, if you have a reasonable budget and a highly specific vision, working with a buyer can help you realize your most distant fashion dreams. Maybe you’ve been thinking about the infamous Stella McCartney for Chloe 2001 jodhpurs as you head to Argentina, the polo capital of the world. Or maybe you’ve been eyeing this cult-but-sold-out Carelli Dolly jacket for a week in the snowy Alps. Instead of setting up Google alerts and praying that the above items pop up in your size, you can check out Sourced By, an all-in-one platform designed to streamline every aspect of the fashion purchasing process.
