Yesterday, Amazon debuted the Echo Look, a webcam that will critique your outfit. But, it turns out, they’re late to the party; Google, via their Android app and the mobile version of their site, is already trying to do the same thing. Yes, Google wants to be your stylist, and it might even work.
The tech behind the new feature, called ‘Style Ideas,’ is fascinating. To use it, you’ll need to search for an item of clothing in Google Images, click on the picture for that item, and then scroll down to see the results. Google’s machine learning algorithm will track the item and then search the web for images featuring that item or something similar (and often more budget-friendly). It offers these options as “style ideas” to show you how people are wearing the item in question, and with what.
Here’s a quick look at how it works:
Algorithms can be notoriously spotty when it comes to subjective topics, and there’s no topic more subjective than fashion. Right now, when you try ‘Style Ideas’ out, it plays it fairly safe, which might not appeal to those looking to get a little more daring. And Google is oddly keeping its light under a bushel at the moment, as this is only on Android apps and mobile browsing, which hints they’re not entirely happy with the results yet. Still, for a quick look at whether something will work in your closet, it’ll be worth browsing.
(Via Insider)