Park & Bond is Gilt's second departure from the business model it was built on, that of online flash sales. Until this year, the New York-based startup, which employs more than 600 people but is not yet profitable, had focused on limited-time discounts on high-end goods and services. It had covered a growing number of categories, including fashion, home and travel.
In May, Gilt launched Gilt Taste. Helmed by former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl, Gilt Taste was pitched as an "online culinary magazine" that was supported by ecommerce offerings, rather than advertisements. With beautiful photographs and an interface that resembles the tablet app of a high-end magazine, expectations were high. Unfortunately the site has since evolved into more of a glorified catalog.
Park & Bond, sadly, is even more disappointing. Aesthetically, it's leagues behind its most obvious competitor, Mr. Porter. Take, for example, this piece on plaid, with non-clickable photos arranged in linear fashion. Tyler Thoreson, the former executive editor of men.style.com, and Andy Comer, a former multimedia editor of GQ, were brought in to lead creative and editorial, but their talents seem to have been lost. The shopping sections look as catalog-like as one could imagine.
I'm no expert on men's fashion and couldn't tell you which labels are sought-after and which could be found at any department store. That said, the styling of Park & Bond strikes me as bizarre. Take the pairing of a $3,595.00 cashmere blazer and $275 cargo pants, above. One doesn't really sell the other, does it?
