Susie Bubble

The Fashion Statement: Google's Fashion Engine

Filed under: Apparel, The Fashion Statement

Who among us hasn't typed in "nude stiletto" in a search engine box and gotten back enough Lucite heels to make a stripper swoon? Well, things are looking up. Yesterday, Google launched Boutiques.com, and it greatly improves the search process when you're shopping for fashion items online.

Google posted the back story on its blog: "A year and half ago, our team (which at the time was part of Like.com) started to wonder if we could create a better experience for people to shop online. We jokingly called ourselves the computer nerds and fashion nerds (and a few of us were both). So, we set out to create a new way to browse, discover and shop for soft goods online."

The site uses visual search technology developed by Like.com (which Google acquired in August) using images to drive the search rather than text typed into a search box. You can teach the site your style by either taking a quiz or sifting through images while hitting "More My Style" tabs. When you're finished creating your own "boutique," it then helps filter out items you dislike and adds more of what you'd like. It's kind of a Pandora for fashionistas.

Tags: Boutiques.com, BryanBoy, Carey Mulligan, ginnifer goodwin, Google, lauren conrad, Los Angeles Times, online shopping, Susie Bubble