FashMatch: One click away from fashion 2.0

Ever wanted to score some hot Michael Kors boots, but didn't want to book the trip to Rodeo Drive? FashMatch.com is bringing that fancy shopping strip (and your local mall) to your computer.

Technically speaking, Fashmatch.com is a consumer social-networking site where visitors can put together outfits from various designers and swap fashion tips and advice. Last week, CNET News.com reporter Caroline McCarthy blogged about ShopStyle.com, another online shopping site. FashMatch and ShopStyle point to clothes shopping 2.0 as an up-and-coming trend.

With FashMatch, fashionistas are three steps away from having their dream outfit in their closets. The Find tab lets users search for clothing via brand, style or price filter. Under the Match tab, consumers can look at outfits created by other users or mix and match their own getups from head to toe. Finally, the Buy tab leads visitors to the designer's external site, where they can make a final purchase.

FashMatch.com features different styles of clothing, from Diesel designer jeans to inexpensive flip-flops from Old Navy. The Flash-enabled interface is user-friendly and vibrantly colored, which is as important in the Net market as a well-lit dressing room in a department store would be.

Since FashMatch is still in beta, there are a few things that could be improved. For one, I found it odd to see a social-networking site based around fashion. Once registered, members are asked to fill out a profile, which lists information such as favorite quote and a list of clothes you already have. Maybe it's just me, but I don't usually bond with people based on the designers they choose. Plus, there's no way virtual shopping can ever fully capture the fun of real-world shopping with friends.

Though there are a number of trends highlighted for females, I couldn't help but notice the lack of male clothing. The common wisdom has it that women love to shop, but fashion sites should not alienate one gender--especially in the metrosexual age.