The New Fashion Rules: Inthefrow. Victoria Magrath

go out of stock within hours. In that case, you’re out of luck unless you immediately google every retailer that might sell it. Use key words to describe the item you’re looking for, and the chances are Google will find it in the images or shopping tabs.

      Viral items are not just the products that sell out before you’ve even spotted them, though. Rather, they’re the products that you see everywhere for a day or a week before they suddenly end up sold out in every store. Usually it’s because the blogging and Instagram community have caught on to a particular trend. They’re featuring it on their stories and Instagram feeds, so that product ends up going out of stock in a matter of days. That’s certainly what happened for the Aquazzura Christy pumps in 2015, the double-G Gucci belt, the black Balenciaga Knife boots, the Dior bandeau bra with the contrast straps and the Dior T-shirts from the same line by Maria Grazia Chiuri. All of these products were all the rage until the point when you couldn’t get your hands on them.

      The best way to spot the items that are blowing up is to follow as many of the top fashion Instagrammers and bloggers as you can. If you start to notice one particular product appearing constantly during your scrolling, the chances are you’re looking at a viral product.

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      November 2013

       Michael Kors is first to sponsor an Instagram ad

      Can you even remember the days when you logged on to your social media account and it was only your friends’ pictures that would show up in the feed? I remember reading articles suggesting that Facebook was eager to start monetising the platform – to take advantage of the billions of accounts that logged in every day. I was so disappointed. I knew it would mean advert after advert slotted in between Natalie’s baby-scan photo and David’s booze-cruise snaps, and I didn’t want this friendly platform to change. But everything is different now. Nothing is free and you can’t spend a minute online without seeing someone promoting something or other. I can’t complain; as a blogger, I’m part of this issue.