Saturday, August 30, 2003

A camera in the dressing room is a good thing?

This Wired News article describes a futuristic changing room with "a computerized fashion consultant programmed to let the customer know what they really ought -- and perhaps more importantly ought not -- to wear." Do we really want a 3-D camera system in our dressing rooms? And even if you think that's a good idea, would you trust the computer's advice? The article mentions that they could be programmed to promote certain lines of clothing.



I am having flashbacks to the time I went shopping in H&M on my lunchbreak, tried on a hot pink vinyl mini-dress and got stuck in it. It was enough of a nightmare just trying to get the freaking zipper open. If I had to put up with a computerized assistant telling me I looked like crap and that I'd be better off in something less shiny, I probably would've lost it completely. (Side note: This was not even my worst dressing room experience. Once, at a Salvation Army, I was trying on this cute vintage dress, and the zipper got stuck. This is why you should always shop with a friend. In the end, I had to be rescued from the dress by an embarrassed security guard with a pair of pliers. Maybe in the future, I should avoid clothing that zips.)



This Cornell University website has some 3-D imaging ideas I like better. "Virtual Try-on," a program that could help people find clothes that fit when they're shopping online, sounds a lot more fun than the real thing. If the virtual me ever gets a stuck zipper, I'm giving up on clothes for good.

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