We have no idea how this would work, but we want to believe it works anyway:
Three students from a high school in Scotland came up with a device that could seriously change the way we all shop. They’ve invented something that enables cell phones to read the bar code on any price tag, which will then tell you whether the clothes you’re about to add to the already huge stack on your arm fits you.
This could be most revolutionary for online shopping – just think, Net-a-Porter posts a picture of the price tag next to that Chanel shift you’re thinking about, and you can know whether it will fit or not without putting out the $25 delivery fee!
But could this be real? We don’t really get it (since when do bar codes denote anything about the size of a garment? And how will the device know your exact shape?), but it did win the three kids a regional prize and a showing off trip to MIT.
If it absolutely works, we can’t wait. And if it doesn’t, well, at least we know the upcoming generation is already thinking of better ways to shop.
Fashionista
Fashion Industry News, Designers, Runway Shows, Style Advice
Executive Editor: Leah Chernikoff
Features & Beauty Editor: Cheryl Wischhover
Fashion News Editor: Hayley Phelan
Associate Editor: Dhani Mau
Contributors: Steff Yotka, Alice Pfeiffer, Ashley Jahncke, John Ortved, Chris Benz, Zandile Blay, John Jannuzzi, Sally Lyndley, Elana Fishman, Hayley Phelan, Sarah Ferguson, Mickie Meinhardt, Natalie Matthews, Misty White Sidell, Alaina Hernandez, Amanda Enowitz, Natalie Yost, Caitlin Monaghan, Dana Kruspe, Modesta Dziautaite, Elysia Mann, Fawnia Soo Hoo, Nora Crotty, Jennifer Chan, Jihan Forbes
The 10 Best YouTube Hair Tutorials
The 10 Best YouTube Makeup Tutorials 
Fashion's Most Stylish Guys Give Mark Zuckerberg an (Almost!) Hoodie-Free Makeover for Facebook's IPO
Style and Substance: 10 Ladies Who Have Proven You Can Have Both
Penis Print Pants Exist and They Cost $150 
Copyright © 2012 Breaking Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Registration or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
i have heard about something like this. it wouldn’t happen for ages but has a lot to do with bodymetrics, a scanning device we have in london at selfridges and harvey nicks.
It’s all well and good to know if something will fit, but I think I’ll stick with dressing rooms until the doohicky can tell me which garments will make my butt look big.
woah! Where is this cell phone? That is waay cool.
Oh, if only Net-A-Porter (or any legit online retailer, for that matter) actually carried Chanel. Then I might actually have a shot at owning a piece if they ever happened to hit the sale section.
This is true! The barcode DOES contain size and color info which is why if you exchange for size, the receipt will reflect two different codes (not swapping two of the same item)
I saw this technology in (drumroll) Japan. They’ll have barcodes on posters and such, you and take a picture of it, and then your cellphone automatically decodes it into a web address, so you go to the companion website.
this is kind of like a system they have in Japan, where you can take a picture of a products bar code then go to some website and get info on the products, such as product info and reviews from people who bought the item
This would 100% work if the garment maker in question were to encode or store actual measurements of, like, shoulder width, armpit-to-armpit, hip diameter, inseam, etc.‚Äîthe same as a dressmaker or tailor would. It’s fairly straightforward data; it would only be up to the customer to know his/her measurements.
I kinda like to buy my clothes, bring them home, try them on in a different light and some what babysit them for the night. But now, to have it right on your cellphone, telling you what fits and doesn’t fit, well then…no need for returns
my phone already has a feature
that scans bar codes…..
So like would it know every single measurement of your body, like around your ankles and every part of your arm, and somehow the barcode would have all that info encoded into it?
yea, they’ve had this in Japan for years and years now. if you read japanese magazines, the clothes have little bars next to them for your phone to scan.