Smart Gadgets for a Fashion-Forward Closet

Digital devices can help you select and mix-and-match outfits to wear so you look your best each day

Kayla Matthews 13 July 2017

Houzz Contributor, app junkie and self-improvement enthusiast. I also write for Curbed, Inman, VentureBeat and VICE. You can read more posts from me on my blog, ProductivityBytes.com.

Houzz Contributor, app junkie and self-improvement enthusiast. I also write for Curbed,... More

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Choosing what to wear for the day can be a challenge. Not only do you have to make sure your clothes are washed, dried and wrinkle-free, but you also need to determine whether the items look as good on you as they did when you purchased them.

Most people use mirrors to assess their appearance – or to help spot stains or wrinkles – but new gadgets from Amazon, Kuri and Jibo are poised to give people an even better look at themselves.

Echo Look Acts as Your Personal Style Assistant

Echo Look, a gadget with a full-length, hands-free camera, can give you advice on whether to wear the clothes you have on or try something different. Echo Look is one of Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices, which also include Echo and Echo Dot. Alexa is the virtual assistant used in the Amazon Echo family of products.

You’ll speak directly to Alexa when using Echo Look. The device can function like other home assistants, which means you can ask it, “Alexa, what’s the weather like?” or find out what time your favourite Italian restaurant closes. The camera is what allows it to also be a fashion aid.

Once you have the device set up, you can use it to help you pick outfits for the day and get feedback on your choices.

How to use: First, you get dressed. Then you stand in front of the camera, and say, “Alexa, take a picture.” This activates the camera on Echo Look. You can also ask it to take a video. The device will use its LED lights, depth sensors and background-blurring capabilities to capture you in your outfit.

Review your look: You can continue to take photos in other outfits so you can compare the looks side by side in the app. The app will house all of your images and videos, allowing you to see every outfit you’ve tried on in one place.

Share your style: From the app, you then have the ability to share your images with family and friends. This might come in handy if you wanted to get an opinion from a family member who lives in another country or isn’t home at the moment. You can ask your sister, “Should I wear the yellow dress or the floral dress to the wedding this weekend?” If she’s always been your go-to for style advice, she still can be.

Get style help: Amazon offers a Style Check option for people who want to get advice from Amazon’s growing team of fashion experts and the device’s machine-learning algorithms. To get this feedback, submit two images for a check. The app will analyse the outfits and give one the nod based on style trends, fit and colour. Over time, this part of Echo Look will get smarter through user feedback and input from professionals. Will it always be right? Probably not, which is why you still might want to get that opinion from your sister.

Echo Look is about 6 inches tall and less than 3 inches wide.

Other Style Assistant Options

While not every device with a camera was intended for fashion use, it could be. These new technology devices come with photo and video capabilities and could help you get fashion advice from friends, along with completing other tasks.

Kuri is a small, autonomous robot that can do everything from wake you up for work in the morning to take pictures and video on command.
Somewhat of a cross between the concepts of Echo Look and Kuri is a little guy called Jibo. In addition to being able to capture photos of what you’re wearing, Jibo can also remind you of important events or entertain you with a joke.

Tell us
Would you use a style assistant like one of these? Share your thoughts in the Comments.

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