Digital Dress Up with House of Holland

Apologies for interrupting fashion month programming but I want to share something rather exciting! You may recognise this screen split snap from my insta as I posted the very same one the day of the House of Holland show after being introduced to a very cool bit of new technology…

Despite being a die hard digital girl, and frankly owing my whole career thus far to its capabilities, I’m surprisingly crap at online shopping. Don’t get me wrong  I adore few things more than browsing the endless array of e-tailers that seem intent on convincing me that food and phone bills are non essential expenses in comparison to, say, a 3D floral embellished co-ord. But generally my actual purchases are of the shoes or accessories variety, unless I’ve physically tried the garment in question on before. When it comes to dressing oneself, there really is nothing more important than whether the item you’ve fallen head over heels for actually looks good on. We’ve all got different body shapes and it’s bloody impossible to know whether a particular piece will suit you purely because you’ve selected it in what you think is the right dress size, and anyway, they vary hugely from store to store. So the obvious next step to make online shopping less fraught with anxiety, and the endless tedium of doing returns, is enabling us to try things on before cash changes hands and a package arrives at your door. No mean feat for sure.* Various companies have experimented with creating online avatar with pretty mixed and often massively inaccurate results. In the lead up to the House of Holland show, I gave the (self proclaimed, but largely uncontested) world’s “best body shape and garment fit” service, Metail, a whirl.

Having pre selected a look from the SS15 collection that I wanted so badly it physically pained me, I tapped in my height, weight and bra size into the site so it could create my very own 3D body model. You can also adjust waist and hip measurements which is helpful and I have to say, my digital doppelganger looked spookily like me. The rest is simple; once satisfied with your body model you can start trying stuff on. Despite the fact that I’d already chosen the look I’d wear to the show, my “Me Model” and I played digital dress up with most of the collection, in the name of research of course. What I particularly enjoyed about the experience, aside from the fact that trying stuff on is just fun, is that you’re totally immersed in the House of Holland world. You can watch the show video, browse current season clobber and (now) pre order from AW15 too. It’s a smart service, enjoyable way to waste a few hours (that is, if you’re not actually shopping) and definitely has the potential to make online shopping a smoother experience and reduce the number of hours we all spend sending stuff back; something that, let’s face it, sucks a whole lot.

If you fancy doing a spot of House of Holland digital dress up then click right here.

Love Ella. X

*I’m not entirely sure why so much of this post has been in rhyme. Possibly losing the plot half way through fashion month… I just don’t know anymore.