Chic, Edited, Refined

So I had a friend of mine ask me the other day why she’s started seeing “curated pages” on some of her favorite websites. I got all giddy at the opportunity to explain what curation is, on account of sometimes I run an art gallery in my dreams. I figured if she were wondering, maybe others were too. So here goes my speech.

The concept of curation remains the same whether you’re curating an art gallery or a vintage shop or a website. It’s all about refined editing. Say you own a gallery and a hundred up-and-coming artists bang down your door, asking you to put them in an exhibit. You pick the best twenty, maybe group them into fours or fives, and then put on a season of excellent shows. The same goes for your website and your branding. Think of it as the art director’s approach to quality over quantity.

Look to websites such as Gilt and Jetsetter for inspiration. In my opinion, they are ruling the luxury wholesale market because of their phenomenal curating. Is it a new concept to sell discounted hotel rooms online? Not even. But especially in luxury markets, especially in sale shopping, the cliché holds true: time is money. These are virtual shops which are easy to use, provide the most important details in well-edited copy, and provide a quality, curated selection of choices. Clients return because they trust the product—the product being a pre-determined, refined, high-quality variety of content.

Yes, options are important. But whether we’re talking food, fashion, men, research or information, I’ll take quality over quantity all day long.

Katherine Timm
Director of Sales
Mood: Selective