How to pick the right outfit is often a dilemma that ladies face. There are many fashion apps now that help you choose an outfit, and today we’d like to talk about the best fashion apps according to our experts. Here’s a closer look:
Chicisimo – Outfit Planner.
Chicisimo is a virtual outfit planner (IOS app – Android app) that helps you decide what to wear. It is an interactive fashion platform for women. For those moments when your closet despairs you. This is a user-friendly app that is designed for women. It gives outfit suggestions based on numbers of criteria for wider choice. Weather, occasion, number of times used, and calendar of outfit are some of many.
All you need to do is to document every fashion you own onto the app. This might seem a bit tedious in the beginning. Remember though that this is a necessary first step. After all Chicisimo can help only when it has all information about you. Being virtual in nature means it is available for you 24×7. Just go out and set filters based on what you require ladies! Say you need to get dressed for a trendy pool party. Let Chicisimo suggest a combination for you keeping this in mind. It often happens that one tends to forget or overlook certain possessions. An app-based fashion guide like Chicisimo overrules this totally. Suddenly you find innovative suggestions popping up on screen.
First impression lasts longer, so the first impression you make on that potential employer goes a long way. It’s important to have clear how to choose the perfect outfit for a job interview. The moment you meet your potential employer, they instantly form an opinion of you based on your outfit and how you present yourself.
No matter the kind of work environment, it is important that you dress professionally for any job interview because what you wear can make or break the interview.
Planning your outfit yourself or with the help of an outfit planner as Chicisimo is a big part of preparing for your interview. If you want to make a very good first impression, it is important to have some interview outfits that are ready to wear so you don’t have to waste time scrambling through your wardrobe at the last minute to find the appropriate outfit.
If you are not sure about what to wear to an interview, one thing to keep in mind is that you must look professional and polished no matter the type of job you’re applying for. You have to look appropriately dressed, neat, and tidy even when there is no dress code.
Our Chicisimo outfit planner’s tips to dress to an interview
If you’re a woman preparing for an interview and you need some inspiration, we have some ideas on how to choose the perfect outfit for your job interview. Here are simple tips from the outfit planner of the Chicisimo fashion app.
Black dress and tights
The “little black dress” is very popular and you can find it in almost every girls’ wardrobe. Invest in a quality “little black dress”. However, the little black dress shouldn’t be so little when it comes to interviews. Your black dress should skim the knee.
Pair the black dress with textured tights. Make sure the dress pattern is subtle. A sheer stripe, ribbed look, or a cable pattern adds texture and interest, while anything that looks like fishnets is not appropriate for the workplace.
Finish your outfit with a lovely pair of black heels for a stylish and classic formal look. Our outfit planner has millions of how to style a little black dress for formal or official purpose.
Wear a blouse with bow and skirts
If you do not want to wear a dress, you can try a blouse with bow and skirts. A blouse with a bow gives you an elegant look. This look can be completed with either a skirt or slacks. You can wear a skinny waist belt to add a touch of detail that will make the top pop.
For a classy official look, wear a skirt made with an interesting fabric or a simple black pencil skirt. Depending on the company you’re interviewing, you can wear a jacket to dress up the look.
Wear a suit
Even women who don’t fancy suits have at least one in their wardrobe- for formal purposes like this, so when you’re not sure about what to wear or what will be appropriate for the company, a nice suit is always a good bet. You will have to decide whether you should wear a skirt or pants. However, if you want a conservative look or if the company is a conservative one, skirt is your best bet.
Wear a suit that fits you perfectly and isn’t too flashy. Pick darker colors over bright colors. High-end brands are great – they will get you noticed, but they are not necessary.
Just buy the best quality you won’t have to break the bank for, and try supplementing with a name-brand handbag, briefcase, or scarf if you can.
Knee-length is usually the most appropriate for interviews. If you wear a longer skirt, it shouldn’t puff or flow.
Button down blouse or shirt
Most women have at least one button-down top (shirt and blouse) in their wardrobe. Button-down shirts don’t have to look boring, and you also don’t have to stick to white or blue button-down shirts and blouse.
You are free to try out fabrics such as a silk chiffon, which works perfect when paired with a camisole. Try other colors too. Try wine, dark green which look classy and professional.
When buying a button-down top, remember that the neckline of the top should be modest. Make sure it covers your bra, so you won’t be showing cleavage.
It is a great idea to always keep your button down tucked in. If it is a style that should be tucked out, then that’s fine.
Avoid wearing unnecessary accessories
Your interviewer might get distracted by the flashy necklace and big loops that you are putting on or the big flashy wristband on your wrist.
So, it is very important that you keep your accessories to the barest minimum. A nice watch is great, but do not wear colorful ties or other loud and obvious accessories.
Wear neutral colors
When you find it difficult to decide what to wear, it is best to go for neutral colors like Gray, Nude, Blue or Brown. You can never go wrong with neutral colors. You will always find a neutral color that suits your skin tone.
Wear colors that match your skin tone
When choosing a color for your interview outfit, make sure that it goes well with your skin tone. Don’t just choose a color because it is believed that it will increase the chances of you getting selected for the job. The color you wear must suit your personality and match your skin tone.
Wear a conservative shoe
A mid-heel pump is a great choice for interviews. Don’t wear a pair of shoe you can’t walk in. If you are the type that doesn’t like heels, wear something low and basic.
Also, you shouldn’t forget to consider the industry you’re interviewing at when picking your shoe. In the fashion and beauty industry, you may want to opt for a glamorous high heel, while as a Secretary, a basic flat shoe is probably fine.
Dressing for an interview is different from dressing for dinner dates or a day out with your buddies. You have to look professional – like the perfect candidate for the job.
Chicisimo outfit planner has millions of interview outfit suggestions for women who have a hard time deciding how to choose right outfit for a job interview from their wardrobe. Our outfit planner saves you the stress of looking for the appropriate dress for you.
Download the Chicisimo outfit planner app for IOS or Android. And if you need information on how to start with the Chicisimo fashion app, please check this previous post.
Most apps offer a single-sign-on functionality for users to create an account. We have taken a look at how this SSO functionality has evolved in our Android app.
The graph above shows the percentage of people who sign up using Google SSO and Facebook SSO over the course of the last two years. Google has almost doubled from representing 25% of sign-ups to almost 45%. In the same period, Facebook has declined about 15%, a similar percentage to the 18% decline we saw on iOS. We were surprised when we saw the data, but if you think about it, Google Play Services is now a default in most Android devices, which makes Google SSO seamless.
Google’s SSO success is linked to the G+ failure
It is kind of ironic that Google’s SSO succeeded despite the G+ failure.
Google felt the pressure from Facebook to create a social network product and launched G+. As we all know, a number of problems harmed its development, and despite having a niche, never developed as a full-fledged social network.
However, the G+ effort led Google to create a virtual identity which did not exist before, the concept of “Google Account”, where at the moment, the only thing that existed were individual services account, like a GMail one.
We’d love to hear about other people’s data.
Note: we are analizing data from a very specific audience: women from the US, Mexico, Brazil, and Europe, who create an account in our Android app (we are not analizing logins, just account creation). Our app is an outfit planning app with a virtual closet called Chicisimo (iOS & Android). We offer three sign-up options in our Android app: Facebook, Google and email (email is used by 23% of people).
Everyone loves weddings and every wedding guest loves to look their best for the wedding, loves being the perfect wedding guest. However, a lot of us find it hard choosing the right wedding outfit even when we have lots of clothes handing in our wardrobe.
While some wedding invitations specify dress codes, some don’t, making it difficult for some of us to decide what to wear. Knowing the rules and tips to be the perfect wedding guest will help you blend in with the wedding party.
So here are some great tips for choosing the perfect outfit for a wedding.
Don’t pick an outfit that threatens to outshine the bride
Yes, we know weddings are a good time to treat yourself to one of the new pretty dresses in your wardrobe. However, you should avoid going too maxi gowns with trains and multi-colored sequins that call for too much attention should be avoided.
You should not wear sequins, animal prints, and other over-the-top designs to a wedding. The focus should always be on the new bride, not a wedding guest outfit.
Do not go for white
Trying to look like the new bride is by far the greatest mistake a wedding guest can make. No wedding guest should steal the attention away from the bride. It is really bad.
The day belongs to the bride. If you wear a white dress, there is the possibility of you been confused for the bride, so no matter how great white looks in you, don’t wear it – just for one day. An outfit planner can help you choose a perfect wedding guest outfit that is not white.
Don’t dress too casually
No matter the dress code, outfits that are too casual should not be worn to weddings. Remember that this is a special day for the bride and the groom, and you’re expected to dress like someone who is celebrating.
Dress up and dress nice and elegant. If you don’t like dresses, check your wardrobe for cigarette pants and pair it with a well-cut blazer to make a great, smart and trendy wedding guest look.
Avoid wearing black
It is a wedding and not a funeral. Ditch the black outfit. Unless you have the pretty little black dress, black is a no-no for weddings.
This “no black” rule is especially for relevant for summer weddings when wedding guests should embrace the vibe of the day and rock bold colors and prints. An outfit planner can choose the best summer wedding outfit for you.
Don’t attend the wedding with a large purse
Don’t carry a large purse or handbag. Opt for a small clutch or a small cross-body bag. Mini bags are trendy right now, but a satin clutch or a classic metallic will never do your wrong.
All you need to bring are keys, your phone, your ID and Credit card, and lipstick. You don’t need a tote bag.
Don’t wear your prom dress
Whether your prom dress has sequins (which sea already told you to avoid) or not, they are not ideal for weddings.
While it may be so sad that you have two beautiful prom dresses hanging in your wardrobe that will likely never see the light of the day again, it is better to keep them in the wardrobe than take them out to wear to a wedding.
Do not overdo your makeup
Again, you should not be calling attention to yourself. Your makeup shouldn’t be too flashy. Something light and pretty is very okay for the wedding guest.
Do not go without a gift
No matter, how good your mirror says you look, you are not a perfect wedding guest without a gift for the new couple. So, get a precious gift and take it along with you to the party.
Wear the appropriate wedding party outfits
As stated earlier, not all dresses can be worn to weddings. So, in addition to the tips to being the perfect wedding guests, here are a few outfit suggestions. These outfits are approved and acceptable too.
Here we go.
A printed jumpsuit
Printed jumpsuits are becoming really trendy and popular with both brides and wedding guests. They suit everybody type – the suit tall and petite girls, the slim and the curvy ones.
Jumpsuits are also a fab option if you intend to dance the night away. One good thing about jumpsuits is you don’t have to worry about fake-tanning your legs.
A soft pleated midi dress
As a wedding guest, you can a dress that is soft on your skin and elegant. Opt for a midi dress that hit a sweet spot with its length.
Also, wear good platform heels or wedges that team perfectly with your midi dress.
Style your midi dress with a cute side body bag or a clutch purse and a simple pearl necklace.
Maxi dress for fall weddings
If you are attending a fall wedding and you love maxi dresses, you’re in luck.
If it’s a ranch or a vintage wedding you are attending, you can wear a simple spaghetti strap dress paired with gladiator sandals.
You can also pair it with an oversized hand clutch, and big sunglasses to create the perfect wedding guest look for you.
Wear the perfect accessories
If you’re attending a wedding which requires a simple frock, a casual outdoor wedding, for example, you can perfect your look with a pair of statement earrings.
You can also finish your look with an eye-catching necklace to help you look great and stand out.
Also, you really don’t have to stick to classic silver or gold. Wear a fun shade can really make your wedding guest look pop.
Skater dresses
A skater dress is flexible for a wedding occasion. You can choose from a wide range of colors, materials, and lengths, depending on the type of wedding. Only wear the appropriate length and modest style.
In conclusion, with these styling tips suggested, you will feel beautiful and confident as you leave for the wedding party.
Always make sure you look at yourself in the mirror before stepping out. If you’re not sure of your outfit, remove them and go for another style.
If you are still confused about what to wear, you can get suggestions from an outfit planner, which usually has millions of wedding guest looks you can pick from.
One of such outfit planners is Chicisimo. You can use this outfit planner as your personal stylists for any event you are going.
As an example, you can check these 35 ideas of outfits for being the perfect wedding guest:
Download the Chicisimo outfit planner app for IOS or Android. And if you need information on how to start with the Chicisimo fashion app, please check this previous post.
Amidst all the terms floating around women’s lives and their daily closet problems is something called a capsule wardrobe. For those of you who are wondering what this means, here it goes. This is a term coined in the 1970s by Susie Faux, who is the owner of a boutique based in London called “Wardrobe”. Essentially it is “a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces”.
The name and the explanation suggest this as an essential part of your closet and indicate how you can become your own outfit planner with ease. You have at your disposal some fashion basics that can be mixed up and accessorized to give you rocking looks every time. The phrase “if looks could kill” achieved with ease, to encapsulate the essence of a capsule wardrobe.
Why would one require such a thing in the first place? And what essentials need to go into it so that you can think like an outfit planner?
What should go into a capsule wardrobe?
Selected items of clothing that define classic chic and are fashion evergreens need to find a place in your capsule wardrobe. When did an LBD go out of fashion, like ever? Or a monochrome? Or lace? You get the drift, right?
The optimum number of items in a capsule wardrobe as per established outfit planners and non-professionals alike is around 33. When you begin selecting from your chaotic closet it might initially seem a really small number. Select only the items that are most dear to you, irrespective of whether they are trending or not.
The ideal way to go about creating a capsule wardrobe would be to have around 4 of them to cater to different seasons. Understandably some items will be common to all which is quite expected. Make sure you include items encompassing jewellery, clothes, shoes and accessories. An app like Chicisimo can be of real help, enabling you to choose the right items.
Why would anyone need a capsule wardrobe?
There are real and virtual outfit plannersif one cares to look and they are all out there to help sort out the chaos that is in your closet right now. Why you would require a capsule wardrobe in that case, you might wonder!
No decision fatigue. It is the decision making, the eternal question of ‘what to wear’ that wears out the best of the best. A big headache that you believe only an outfit planner can handle but that is so not right. With your own capsule wardrobe, you have your choices cut out and decision that much easier.
Select stuff that matter. In the run and scoot that life becomes for most of us, we forget to focus our attention on things that really matter. Cutting out clutter from all aspects of life will renew your focus on things that really do matter. A capsule wardrobe is only one aspect of life that will help you realize how less is more and less is relevant and less is doable. Go for it.
Get to love real things. Having the decision of dressing taken care of, you will be able to ponder more on what you love to do, what matters, etc.
How to go about building your capsule wardrobe?
Decision time again, ladies! What to keep, what to box away, and what to throw. It can get tedious for the best decision makers what with nothing to wear in the first place. However, this is a move that will really help with sorting out your closet like a professional outfit planner.
How about following these tips when creating your very own capsule wardrobe?
See it all. Take it all out and spread it on your bed. Everything means just that, everyyythingg. Each item of clothing, each accessory, shoes, bags, hats, bring it all out lady! This is the only way you can make any sense of the multiple things that your closet contains. There are many hidden and forgotten items that are sure to make an appearance during this exercise. Having it all spread out before your eyes not only gives you a lot of choice, but you also realize what an immense amount of stuff you already own. An app like Chicisimo in fact does it for you virtually. It lets you see everything in your closet at the touch of your fingers in one place.
Sort it out. Sort your stuff by sections. Firstly by apparel type, like jeans, tops, gowns, shoes, jewellery, etc. Then for each section, go for subsections of ‘love, maybe, throw, give away’. There are bound to be some things you will always love, no matter what. Then there will be other things you will never wear, no matter what. Similarly for other two categories as well. Now make sure each item on your bed is put into one of these categories. Here again Chicisimo is at hand to do this for you virtually.
Finalize your choice.Think like a professional outfit plannerwhen you go about finalizing your choice and keeping it to the 33 pieces of closet essentials to constitute your capsule wardrobe. Go by each apparel or accessory type as mentioned in #2 above. Keep different styles for each of these sections, deciding based on minimalism.
You will see how stylish and classy your capsule wardrobe turns out after this exercise. Remember not to get down and out at the number of things that did not make it to this list. No list needs to be rigid and exhaustive. Above all, you need not throw away the rest. These are essentially fashion basics and must haves that you shortlisted. You can always work around these guidelines and add something here and remove something there in order to get your final look just right.
In short, let Chicisimo become your guide towards a more organized closet and function as your new and 24×7 outfit planner. You will see a more confident you straddling your worlds and making a real difference.
Download the Chicisimo outfit planner app for IOS or Android. And if you need information on how to start with the Chicisimo fashion app, please check this previous post.
Did you know that black is the most popular outfit color? Because half of the times we get dressed, we wear black. But are you interested in what are the top outfit color combinations to wear with black? To answer this question, that’s what Outfit planning app Chicisimo found by analysing outfit data from millions of women sharing what they wear
Outfit planning app Chicisimo – Available for iOS and Android.
How to wear black
Black
Yes. If you wonder how to wear black, combining it with black for a total black outfit is a good decision. Because most of the times we wear black, we combine it with black itself. In fact, total black looks awesome on you whatever your style is, whatever the occasion. Search for “totalback” in the outfits app Chicisimo to get the best ideas from real women.
White
Outfit planning app Chicisimo found that white is the most popular color to wear with black… other than black itself. In fact, half on the times we wear black, we combine it with white. And it looks stunning!
As a conclusion, you can be sure about the perfect color combinations to wear with black. Because it’s clear that with a total black you can never go wrong 🙂
As an example, here you have a video with 30 fantastic ideas to wear a total black look from the Chicisimo outfit planner app:
Download the Chicisimo outfit planner app for IOS or Android. And if you need information on how to start with the Chicisimo fashion app, please check this previous post.
We are glad to interview Andrés Torrubia today, a successful tech entrepreneur with a strong background in artificial intelligence. What sets Andrés apart is his unique role here in the Spanish tech ecosystem, exposing us to AI in unique ways.
As a developer, he is a very active member of the international AI ecosystem and brings that experience back to us. “Machine learning communities are vibrant and welcoming. Teaming up with others is a norm rather than the exception“, he says below.
And as you’ll see as you read the interview, Andrés can help us understand how the world will look like, when ruled by Chinese and US AI superpowers. “We are letting core infrastructure (finance, telecommunications, news, etc.) in the hands of foreign players“, he argues.
Andrés (@antor, 44) likes to say that he has the luxury of living in near the beach in Alicante (Spain) while working in the US through FIXR.COM. He has participated in multiple deep learning competitions, most notably he finished #1 in a Self-driving car LIDAR point cloud segmentation challenge organized by Alibaba in China competing against 1400+ teams.
In this interview, we mostly wanted to ask him about how AI might impact our lives, and how to be prepared for it.
Andrés Torrubia and Colin Powell.
We’ve all been hearing about AI for a long time, but something has changed in the last few years. How AI is different now than it was 10 years ago? What has changed?
Andrés Torrubia: Deep learning is the single reason AI is in the news today. Thanks to deep learning, AI has become effective, useful and more accesible.
While most of the theory and methods that support supervised deep learning are more than a decade old, the surge in availability of datasets and computing power has allowed deep learning to achieve results that many in the industry thought would take much longer.
Some countries with very different political systems to ours are investing heavily on AI, much more than Europe. This might bring some challenges to Europeans. How do you see Europe in a world where others dominate AI? What consequences do you think this could have?
Andrés Torrubia: AI is a general purpose technology that will be used across many industries and facets of society, even those that have been relatively immune to information technology disruption.
Unfortunately in Europe -at least in technology- we have a history in investing in core research but fail to leverage those investments commercially. The web was invented in Europe (CERN), yet the only originally European web browser is almost history (Opera); the MP3 audio compression format was invented in Germany, yet multimedia codec licensing is a US operation (MPEG LA), etc. The more you look at the value chain from fundamental research to consumer commercialization, the more you see US (and recently Chinese) companies making inroads in our daily lives; with local (European) players getting a smaller piece of the action.
In Europe -at least in technology- we have a history in investing in core research but fail to leverage those investments commercially.
This trend has already happened in the information economy and AI will accelerate it even more due to its self-reinforcement cycle: good AI companies gather more data, with more data they will build better products, which they will commercialize and reap more profits, which they will use to hire the best talent which in turn adds a positive loop in the cycle.
In the same way that it is almost impossible to compete with Google in the search engine business, it will be very difficult if not impossible to compete with Google, Amazon or Apple in voice recognition due the massive advantage they have in data (each time we use their system we are helping them make them better), resources and talent to build AI voice recognition products.
In contrast to Europe, China has used a combination of:
1) asymmetry (making it difficult or impossible for foreign tech companies to compete in the Chinese market while importing technology and know-how to China from those countries) and,
2) a sharp multi-level focus to build its AI ecosystem: education, incentives to bring talent working abroad back to China, loose regulation, data sharing, financial incentives, etc.
I believe the consequences of not having a strong AI industry are two-fold:
1) Economic influence: in a similar way that a bigger share of the information economy is being played by US companies, AI will make it feasible for these companies to cross the line from the information economy to the physical economy. For example: the last mile of (e.g. Amazon) package delivery is done by a local courier, soon it could be done by autonomous drones powered by AI.
As AI becomes infrastructure, we are letting core infrastructure (finance, telecommunications, news, etc.) in the hands of foreign players.
2) Trust: as AI becomes infrastructure, we are letting core infrastructure (finance, telecommunications, news, etc.) in the hands of foreign players, which is ok as long as they are friendly but even if they are there is an evident risk of misalignment of values. The US sees healthcare and education differently than us in Europe, and China has a different view altogether. This will become an issue if Chinese censorship starts happening outside China as they gain more influence globally.
How can we influence EU politicians?
European regulation intends to defend citizens. Do you think all this regulation is a disadvantage for EU tech companies, compared to their US and Asian counterparts?
Andrés Torrubia: I think it is a bit more complex. In the US antitrust laws are intended to protect consumers, not competitors. European regulation may be well intended but in my opinion badly executed, for two reasons:
Early regulation can severely hamper success of emerging companies, especially startups. In the US and China (at least in technology) the tendency has been to leave markets loosely regulated to allow small companies and entrepreneurs to focus on product market fit without spending precious resources in legalese and compliance. Once those small start-ups get bigger (think Google, Amazon, etc.) they welcome regulation because they can afford to spend on compliance and they know new contenders cannot.
Execution. We are in a sad state of affairs when technology companies like Google pay more in fines to the European Commission than in taxes, when the user experience to browse the web is utterly destroyed with the pretext of cookie disclaimers, information sharing (which could have been done at the browser level), when focus is placed on privacy and not human manipulation at scale, etc.
How do you think we could influence our politicians to make better technology decisions?
Andrés Torrubia: We need a much stronger technology industry in Europe. If you look at the European stock exchanges and compare them to the US and Asia, Europe top stocks look more similar to those of the 80s than in the US (we do not have Googles, Facebooks, Amazons, Netflix, etc.).
Some would say that technology and AI by extension can bring a lot of benefits to society: highly-paid jobs, money in the form of tax receipts, and progress. While this is true I think it is short-sighted. The challenges we are going to face in the next decades are immense: an ecology crisis positively reinforced by more energy demand, growing and aging population, disruptive job displacement, wealth inequality and international tensions.
I see technology and AI as a matter of survival. Same as when countries used to mobilize all of their precious resources when at war
I see technology and AI as a matter of survival. In the same way that countries used to mobilize all of their precious resources when at war, we should acknowledge that the world is entering uncharted territory and the two solutions to go by are either to look back to the past (and give up many of the rights and benefits we’ve worked hard to earn, like healthcare, education, freedom. etc.) or invest in science to help us conquer the next stage of human welfare.
No political discourse that I know of has technology, science and the scientific method as its main toolbox. We owe our world to fundamental discoveries in physics which supported by math gave birth to our technological society with all of it benefits. I think it’s time to move from nineteen century politics and devise a social system that while it may look utopian today could be achieved thanks to science and technology.
You are the co-founder and CEO of Fixr.com and Howmuch.net, and you use AI to solve a number of problems there. Could you give us an estimate of the % of revenue that you attribute to using AI? I know it’s not an easy question:) Do you think your competitors not using AI are less efficient in their business model?
Andrés Torrubia: Our case is very specific, what I can say is that the majority of our growth is due to AI.
You participate in many AI international competitions. Can you please describe the process? The first steps and how it evolves. Meaning: you start DiDi’s challenge competing alone against thousands of other engineers, then you partner with a Russian nuclear physicist… For a beginner, all that process is kind of frightening. Tell us about it please.
Andrés Torrubia: Get your hands dirty.
No matter how much you read, nothing compares to building your code from scratch. The first step is to download the dataset and build an intimate relationship with the data. I like to do some exploratory data analysis (EDA) rather than treating data as a black box. The process looks a lot more like interactive programming in BASIC from the 80s rather than regular, boring, boilerplate software engineering in Java. Many machine learning practitioners use Python inside Jupyter notebooks which allows to extremely fast experimentation and immediacy.
In competitions you do not have time to create completely new deep learning architectures, so instead you should get familiar with the data and focus your strategy on how to use your limited resources to train your system in the most efficient way. More often than not, labelled data contain errors so part of your strategy should be how to deal with them: use them anyway, fix them, discard them, etc.
Machine learning communities are vibrant and welcoming. Teaming up with others is a norm rather than the exception as sharing tricks, techniques and tools with people from diverse backgrounds is incredibly enriching. It may look daunting, but it is not.
Andrés Torrubia at NASA.
Machines can read images, more and more. Be bold: what is the biggest change this will bring?
Andrés Torrubia: Computational perception has been in my opinion one of the Achilles heels of the IT industry. We do not realize but many common actions we perform daily are the result of us adapting our natural behavior to make it easier for computers to understand us.
We have to drive cars manually not because computers cannot control cars but because computers do not understand the exterior environment of a car (obstacles, pedestrians, etc.).
When we go to a supermarket we have to be in line for a while and go though the cash registry where they scan every item we bring. We do so because the computer cannot determine what we’ve taken without us almost spelling it for them.
Those are just two perception applications, but huge ones. From a product management perspective the way I think of perception AI is: how would the user experience look like if they had a person with them translating what they see and ear in real time to a computer? AI makes this potentially doable.
The convenience that this will bring will be great, the danger again is not privacy, but the potential use of this perceptual data to perform individual manipulation at scale. Personally, I am totally fine walking into a store and have my face recognized as I take a bunch of snacks and have the supermarket charge them to my account directly without going to the hassle of waiting in line through the cashier, etc; but not at the expense of the supermarket leveraging this data for other purposes or worse still selling it to other parties to build a super detailed profile of me that would eventually be so precise that they would know which ads would trigger my desire to buy a certain product or even worse coerce me into doing something (without me even realizing it).
Cities are big generators of data. Apart from autonomous vehicles, what’s going to change?
Andrés Torrubia: I wish that city management (and by extension city politics) was more driven where data is available, so the first step is to collect and make city data transparent. I am not a smart city expert, but I think governments are pretty bad at picking winners, so my thinking would be to make the data available, identify the problems first and then devise solutions. As an engineer / entrepreneur sometimes is tempting to fall in love with the solution to a problem, but it should be the other way around: you have to fall in love with the problem, and then find the best solution.
An engineer wants to learn AI. Where should she start?
Andrés Torrubia: Learn by doing. I really recommend taking Fast.ai courses and then participate in small projects or competitions. If not an engineer, take the AI for everyone by Andrew Ng.
Last question: you are being interviewed by Chicisimo – you know we’ve built the Fashion Taste API to help fashion retailers understand the taste of each individual shopper. We think AI and data are going to transform fashion. And you? How do you think that AI will change fashion?
Oh! If you saw my closet you would understand why I am not even qualified to answer your question and if you captured my data I would be an outlier in your dataset ;-).
Hope you enjoyed the interview. There are some many gems in it, it’s difficult to decide what’s the best part . Thanks for reading!
You have an event to attend and the clock is relentlessly ticking away as you wonder what to wear! The nearer the deadline, the more stressed you are getting. You need to maximize your wardrobe because it’s not helping either with new ideas. How about that long pleated skirt, you wonder? But wait, you have already worn that a few weeks earlier, have you not? What wouldn’t you give right now for an outfit planner to help you out!
However, you know very well it is not realistic to get new outfits for every occasion or to overturn your closet every now and then. Nor is it easy to have an outfit or clothes personalized recommender at your beck and call at all times. To top it, you need to turn out in something that looks fresh and new as well. Chicisimo is a fashion app that could just be the answer to what you are looking for. With a variety of features you can easily remain at the top of your fashion game by helping yourself. For sure it will be a key piece to maximize your wardrobe, and the following tips will also help.
All you need to keep in mind is the occasion you are dressing up for as well as the season of the year and whether it is an outdoor event or strictly indoors. Once these things have been sorted out in your mind, you may now go ahead with making the most of what you already possess in your closet. A different hairdo can do wonders to a familiar outfit too.
What could be the possible ways to re-imagine and maximize your wardrobe and bring in a fresh look? Here are some tips to ace your style:
Embellishused clothes. Is your closet staring back at you with the same old used dresses? Think of embellishing an old dress in an imaginative manner so that it looks different and stands out. Remember it is not always necessary to sew on trimmings or patches. You can very well stick on beads and appliqués to enhance your outfit. A little bit of bling will draw attention to your outfit like never before.
Mix and match. The most age-old but proven way to upscale and maximize your wardrobe is to mix and match. You have the clothes already in your closet. You can never go wrong or repeat your look when you do this. And you end up with a fetching new combination every time. Pick a new skirt and pair it with an old top with a cap thrown in for good measure if the occasion merits it. Go for some stylish footwear to add to this look along with dangling earrings and voila, you have the look.
DIY stylization. As already discussed, one does not always need an outfit planner to help with a new look. Going through fashion magazines or websites can help you to come up with revolutionary ideas to re-fashion what you already own. Say you have a much used top that simply has outlived its purpose according to you. Why not run your scissors through the lower hemline so that you have two ends of what can be tied into a bow? Suddenly you have a crop top with a peek-a-boo teaser navel showing to add oomph to your look.
Another idea could be to cinch the waist of an odd fitting outfit and add a fancy clasp there. This not only provides more shape and form but also adds to the look. A regular hem dress can be randomly run through with scissors in order to portray an irregular or uneven hem which is a new style in itself. It is that easy actually!
Redesign old outfits. There is no end to redesigning your clothes in the simplest manner in order to make them look like a new article of clothing. Slitting up the side of a long skirt so that your lovely legs are seen creates a stunning effect. Similarly you can go ahead with adding a solid trim to a printed outfit and then punctuate that with little sparkles. Not that the trim needs to be continuous and boring. You can add it in patches while leaving the rest of the fabric as is to give it a whole new look.
Jazz up. Old tops that do not look good to you anymore on their own can be worn under a jazzy jacket or a throw so that only a part of your top shows. You will not need an outfit planner for this, just a little bit of imagination. Make sure though that the colour combination you choose is such as to make the whole outfit stand out. Turn on the Chicisimo app and it will help you with ideas and suggestions for this makeover.
Accessorize differently. Your wardrobe has many hidden gems waiting to be discovered. A colourful scarf worn in a different manner over an old solid top or a snazzy purse over a simple dress worn with a stand-out belt to cinch the waist will add to the drama. Don’t be surprised if people ask you who your outfit planner is!
Go for untried colour palettes. Sometimes you just cannot imagine a certain colour complimenting another just because it has never been tried before. Unless you try it out you will never know either, will you now? An app like Chicisimo can help immensely in this by projecting the look for you. One cannot always visualize or be objective about how one looks in a particular outfit. Seeing one’s image on an app, it is that much easier to make a decision.
As can be seen, it is quite possible to reuse clothes you already have in your wardrobe in clever and innovative ways to maximize it. All one needs is a little imagination and minimal accessories to achieve this. Let your inspiration run wild mixed with inspiration you see around you. It is quite practical and doable to be your own outfit planner. After all you know best what you have with you. All you need is the confidence to pull it off and an app like Chicisimo that carries all the oomph with it, just like you!
Download the Chicisimo outfit planner app for IOS or Android. And if you need information on how to start with the Chicisimo fashion app, please check this previous post.
How do people describe their clothes and outfits? What clothes do they have in their closets?
There is plenty of data in the manufacturing and distribution of clothes. But once clothes are sold and people are wearing them, there is nothing. No data. Nada.
In the following lines, I will share the following:
They will focus on understanding post-purchase clothing behaviour;
They will allow tech companies to understand taste, as Spotify does with music;
They will end up owning people’s attention, because they will be useful.
Analyzing demand for outfits
The learnings below are based on 4 years analyzing the demand of outfit ideas, and then building the omnichannel personalization fashion retail engineFashion Taste API, to help fashion retailers understand the taste of each individual shopper.
We learnt that two important questions were: How do people describe their clothes, outfits and what-to-wear needs? What clothes do they have in their closets and how do they wear them? In order to respond to these questions, we built a fashion ontology and a taste graph, and all the infrastructure to automate outfit advice.
An outfit is aplaylist of clothes. It is also a correlated list of descriptors: it can be comfy, or perfect for the weekend. An outfit contains correlations among clothes, and the deep meaning that a person assigns to her clothing preferences. Outfits provide a unique perspective into closets.
An outfit is a playlist of clothes
Taste graphs bring a unique opportunity to own the fashion space
The biggest opportunity in fashion technology today is to build a mechanism to understand post-purchase clothing behaviour. And then, build technology on top of that understanding: technology to help people feel better with their clothes.
Traditional tech efforts focus on efficiently selling more clothes to people, and ignore the post-purchase experience. Once the purchase is finished, companies are blind and can’t see what happens next.
Offering a post-purchase experience that helps people feel well with their clothes, will let the winner own people’s attention, and so many more things as a result.
Taste graphs will power a Spotify for fashion
A Spotify for fashion will understand your taste and needs, because it’ll be powered by a taste graph.
It will help you decide what to wear at any time. You’ll be able to easily store your clothes in a virtual closet, and it will put outfits together for you. It will help you plan your outfits depending on your context, and will suggest new clothes that match your wardrobe.
Helping people feel well with their clothes will be the key functionality of such a service. People want to feel well with their outfits. They want to feel confident, comfortable, happy, beautiful, unique, sexy, stylish, powerful. Instead of that, many people feel stressed or bored or tiny. More than about clothes, it’s about wellness.
1.- Capture units of taste data
Before we try to understand taste, we need to understand what type of data we need to focus on. Spotify focuses mostly on playcounts (each time you listen to a song), and a playcount clearly defines your current behaviour.
We have learnt that the units of capturable taste data are related to text and images. Words express a need (“i need ideas to go to the office”). Images ofclothes represent the clothes people own, and need help with. There are other units of capturable taste data, but it comes down to text and images. Then, in our mobile app we’ve built different easy-to-use input interfaces to capture data and allow people to communicate with the system. You can also see our In-Bedroom Fashion Stylist and our Digital Closet technology.
2.- An Ontology to understand fashion data
But fashion has a problem: it lacks a common classification system. The expression of clothing behaviour is very fragmented: text and images have different meanings for each person, and each person expresses the same concept differently. Due to the lack of this classification (or taxonomy), people’s data is noisy and algorithms cannot work with it. To solve this problem, we’ve built a fashion ontology, which is the backbone of our taste graph.
Our ontology gives structure and meaning to the incoming data. It allows us to interpret data. It is a multilevel “list” of hundreds of thousands of unique ways to describe what-to-wear needs. Think of Netflix initial classification system or Google’s synonym matching.
A derivative of our main ontology is our ontology of meta-garments, abstractions of specific garments. These meta-garments are the result of another learning: only certain attributes of a garment are relevant when solving the problem at hand. This ontology is 100% user-driven, it’s been built from the bottom up, and it is the result of the need to help people with their outfit needs.
3.- Taste graphs to understand fashion taste
When we get dressed in the mornings, we establish correlations among clothes, and among our ways of describing our outfits and needs. Look at yourself today: you are wearing a playlist of correlated descriptors and clothes. You’ve built an offline taste graph.
Taste graphs capture those correlations among descriptors, outfits and people. Think of it as a brain that understands “what goes well with” any garment, or for any occasion, etc. It has this understanding because it analyzes hundreds of millions of correlations, outfits and queries. Then, it filters them to your specific characteristics and context.
Our taste graph allows us to respond with output to any input. We call it the Social Fashion Graph and we patented it back in 2012. You might think that the image below is super simple, but that’s how simple we want the system to be: receive input > produce output.
Taste graphs simplify complexity
The end game
Taste graphs will provide structured and correlated taste data. And then will allow teams to build personalized and meaningful services for each person. Our closets will be taste graphs connected to ecommerces catalogues (also graphs), and everything will change. Taste graphs will transform fashion. Head over to the Fashion Taste API to learn more.
In my opinion Julia Roberts is the queen if we are talking about how to wear a black blazer. Do you remember the last scene of Pretty Woman? Julia Roberts was rocking a black blazer and a plain white t-shirt with a pair a jeans. And she looked gorgeous, didn’t she?
But we need more evidences to conclude that this combination is timeless and super stylish. So let’s see a more up-to-date outfit of the blogger Victoria Tornegren, as awesome as the one of Julia… We love how she wears the black blazer with her white tee!
As you can imagine, I’m not happy yet. And for more options on how to wear these two pieces together I’ve checked the Chicisimo fashion app. Besides, I have in my virtual closet a black blazer and, as everybody else, I also have a white t-shirt. As expected, I’ve discovered in my favorite outfit planner app thousands of outfits that will make me look stunning! I’m sure that I won’t regret to give them an opportunity. Here you have a little example on how to wear a black blazer and a white tshirt:
If you also have these two pieces, you just need to include them in your virtual closet of Chicisimo, and the app will pick outfits for you with your own clothes. In fact, you should add all your clothes to always feel secure about what to wear. Add an outfit organizer in your life and your life will be much easier 🙂
Finally, I think that my supposition is proved! Analyzing the previous facts, my conclusion is that wearing a black blazer and a white t-shirt you can never go wrong! You’ll look effortless stylish and timeless wherever you go!
If you need information on how to start with the Chicisimo fashion app, please check this previous post.
