Internet giant Google announced on Wednesday, 17 November, the launching of its first online fashion store. Called Boutiques.com, this new site that applies the search engine into the wonderful fashion world allows you to experience the personalized shopping and discover numerous fashion boutiques and goods. Moreover, users have the opportunity to create their own boutique by just one click.
Boutiques.com helps you create your own wardrobe by answering to certain fashion related questions. The site uses a technology that assists you in discovering, analyzing and proposing different pr�t-�-porter items. With just one simple click you can refresh your wardrobe with a combination of choices coming from fashion taste-makers and machine learning algorithms.
Now you can search through hundreds of virtual boutiques, while the site gives you a helping hand by coming with suggestions regarding different ways of matching and wearing clothes and accessories. You start with a style, and you�ll see 50 hand-curated items on top, with the rest of the inventory in that style chosen by Google�s algorithms.
In order to directly go to the products you are looking for, you’ll have the ability to filter your search based on age, genre, silhouette, size, pattern and colors. Users have the possibility to receive pieces of advice and matching outfit ideas to the right of the search results that are helpful in completing a certain look based on style rules. Moreover, they can also find items starting from a specific pr�t-�-porter piece.
Boutiques.com allows you to draw your inspiration from celebrities’ favorite items. �Celebrity Boutiques� is much like playlists on iTunes where you can search through the virtual boutiques of celebrities such as Carey Mulligan, Olivia Palermo, Ginnifer Goodwin, or and Mary-Kate Olsen. Besides, Google also lined up an impressive initial set of designers, like Alice & Olivia, Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Cynthia Steffe, Derek Lam, Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta, Rag and Bone, Diane Von Furstenberg, but also fashion bloggers.
The site offers larger and clearer photographs of clothes. �I’ve always been impressed with Like.com,� said Sucharita Mulpuru, a vice president and retail analyst at Forrester Research, who is familiar with the work on Boutiques.com. �I was just floored by the technology back then and it’s evolved since. They’ve just honed the algorithm.�
At this time, Boutiques.com is only available in the U.S. and only for women�s fashion, but it is planed to expand in the future. Google will launch a companion iPad app to complement the experience.