London - If you’ve ever spotted the perfect outfit on a celebrity, but had no luck finding it in the shops after hours of searching, help is at hand.
That summer dress, or a more affordable version of those designer shoes, could be just a click away.
New technology can search online for any clothes which are similar in colour, texture or design to an outfit the user likes.
Developers now plan to incorporate it into an app that lets users find high street copies of designer dresses worn by their favourite stars at the press of a button.
It would also help fashionistas see where their stylish friends shop – and locate similar clothing.
Using a picture taken on a mobile phone or from a website, the technology identifies outfits based on three characteristics: colour, texture and design features.
It searches a picture database for matches, then shows the customer a range of similar items.
The software, called Find Similar, also works with pictures and videos from social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
It can recognise materials, such as colour swatches or patterned wallpaper, and can identify dresses, tops and blouses, T-shirts, jackets and coats, skirts and men’s coats.
Cortexica, the company behind Find Similar, said the software will be made available as an app for anyone to use as soon as next year – but first it will update the way we shop online.
The firm said leading UK stores are testing Find Similar, which took seven years to develop.
One way retailers could use it is to categorise online stock without staff entering data manually.
It will also help customers match a designer dress they can’t afford or a pattern they would like to wear.
Fashion-forward shoppers could find clothes similar to catwalk styles before the high street is flooded with cut-price imitations.
Find Similar was built by neuroscientists, visual scientists and engineers at Cortexica, which is tied to Imperial College, London.
It replicates the way the brain views images, the company said, picking out points of interest rather than scanning the whole picture as most computers do.
Cortexica co-founder Jeffrey Ng Sing Kwong said: ‘I have no doubt this will revolutionise online clothes shopping. It will really democratise the ability to look for items.
‘With this software, if you see something you like you just need to take a picture or find one online.’
Chief executive Iain McCready added: ‘Most shoppers will have experienced that deep feeling of frustration after hunting endlessly and aimlessly for clothing that they’ve seen or admired.
‘They’ve also had the experience of seeing an expensive item and wondering whether they might be able to find something similar.
‘Our software is the answer to these perennial problems.’ - Daily Mail