Google opens online boutique for stylish women

Style-conscious US women can create their own online boutiques or browse collections "curated by taste-makers" such as celebrities, designers, and fashion bloggers, according to Google product management director Munjal Shah.

Boutiques uses computer vision and machine learning technologies to match a woman's tastes with clothing or accessories that she might find tempting.

"In fashion, there are lots of choices," Shah said. "This site had to be collaboration."

Google got fashion trend-setters and spotters to share top picks and to "teach" the website what they liked when it came to styles.

"They did this by telling us what colors, patterns, brands and silhouettes they loved and they hated," Shah said.

"Our machine learning algorithms use this information to enable you to shop all of the inventory in the style of that taste-maker, on top of the 50 items they've hand curated."

Boutiques lets people create personalized online shops infused with their fashion preferences.

Search tools help solve style puzzles such as figuring out which shoes or handbag best matches an outfit, according to Shah.

Boutiques.com was only available in the United States and was limited to women's fashion.

(c) 2010 AFP