Lady LUX

Shopping online for clothes is supposed to simplify your life. But guessing your size is often anything but simple. Each label’s sizes can vary, leaving consumers to guess as best they can. Until now.

New site UPcload has created a “virtual tailor” online that assesses your measurements via webcam, translating them into an on-screen image that gives you reliable size recommendations, reported Daily Mail. In less than three minutes, Upcload can determine your arm length, chest circumference and more. Found the perfect pair of pants online? Now you will know if they are too tight, too short or sag at the waist before you buy.

The way it works: You position yourself in front of a standard webcam in your home while the software scans your form and creates a 3D image of your precise body. Drawing on a database of 100,000 individuals’ form, the site recommends clothing perfect for your body shape.

“It means we can suggest clothing ideas to people that they may never have thought of before,” Asaf Moses, CEO of UPcload, said to Daily Mail. “The program is using your body shape to suggest genuinely new ideas to people rather than simply suggesting on the basis of your historic buying pattern. It is like having your best friend with you.”

The device considers product details such as textile material and consistency before selecting apparel for the ideal fit.

Moses’ own experience shopping online sparked the idea. He found himself forced to return the clothing he purchased online far too frequently, frustrated he has guessed his size incorrectly once again. While shoppers everywhere are enthusiastically flocking to the Web, Moses discovered that 40 percent of clothing bought online in the end is returned, usually because the size is wrong.

After you undergo the measurement assessment, the program generates a personal profile that can be used on any store in the UPcload network. As the software is free to users, the stores are responsible for paying to participate.

The Berlin-based business has been operating in Germany but has just begun beta testing in the United States, with a planned 2012 release in North America, and hopes to expand to Britain in the near future. The site intends to eventually move its profile system into brick-and-mortar stores and include social shopping suggestions for consumers to discover favorites from others with similar shapes.

For more information, visit www.upcload.com.

Tagged in: shopping, online, body shape, size, virtual tailor, upcload, measurements,