It Better Look Fabulous on a Tablet

Project Runway contestants just faced a challenge to create something for the online retailer Piperlime. With the release of the Amazon Fire, the quest to make merchandise that looks good on a tablet is definitely on.

Image: Lifetime

As Project Runway fans watched the Piperlime Challenge episode Thursday night, they were also watching the dawn of a new age for fashion designers and retailers who are increasingly going to have to consider this question: How is this item going to look on a tablet?

The reality show's latest challenge was to design a piece that said 1970s sophistication (a definite oxymoron to some, a chance to relive a vibrant time to others). The winner was to get a standout prize: to see his or her design produced and sold online by Piperlime, an online boutique of fashion accessories that's owned by Gap Inc.

As the judges assessed the designers' creations—two each, one a mix of separates and the other a single garment—they kept coming back to how the fashion would look editorially in a digital environment like the iPad or the upcoming Amazon Fire. What Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, Heidi Klum and guest judge Olivia Palermo (a Piperlime guest editor and former star of The City) kept coming back to was whether or not the designs would pop on a tablet.

They were certainly concerned with whether Piperlime's customers would be motivated to buy based on the visual allure of the garment as they chose a winner. But beyond how a dress, skirt or blouse looks on a tablet, research is starting to show that the handheld computers are frankly great places to sell stuff.

New market analysis cited by the Wall Street Journal shows tablet users are more willing to charge their credit card while shopping with a tablet as compared to a laptop or desktop. The Journal piece quotes a Forrester Research retail analyst who crunched the numbers and found 3 percent of PC users are likely to make a purchase after online browsing, but for those using a tablet, the numbers are much higher: 4 or 5 percent.

The Amazon Fire, priced at $199, introduced Wednesday, basically democratized the tablet by pricing it within reason for the average consumer who might not spring for the Apple iPad , which starts at $499. The device also comes with a 30-day membership to Amazon Prime, the company’s free-shipping and media-streaming service, which encourages shopping and is said to be quite addictive.

Seeing an item on a tablet is not like seeing it on a laptop or desktop. Viewed in high resolution, merchandise is so crisp, clear, vividly hued that it’s almost as if you could reach through the screen and touch the object. It’s probably just about the closest you can get to shopping in a brick and mortar store. Remember those?

With that in mind, grab your tablet and check out the two Project Runway looks Piperlime is selling: Anya Ayoung-Chee $198 jump suit and Bert Keeter's $98 color block dress.

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