Me in my Tesco dress
I love shopping, but I’ve always been hesitant about buying clothes online.
For me, the major factor’s not being able to try before I buy.
So when Tesco launched the Florence & Fred Virtual Fitting room via Facebook, where you input your measurements to find clothes that fit, I just had to er, try it out.
For now, unlike a Yorkie bar, this is just for girls. Sorry, guys.
Does it work?
In short, no, it didn’t work for me. I inputted my hip, waist, bust and weight measurements as instructed for my virtual model.
Once I’d ‘tried on’ a few frocks and got through to the checkout stage, my suggested clothes size was a 16.
See the photo below for my virtual model’s fit in a size 16
Me as a virtual model
In reality, I’m a pear-shaped size 12. So I repeated the method, give or take a couple of inches, and smugly ordered a blue block print dress in size 10, a patterned vest top in size 12 and a blue cardigan in a size 14, just for good measure.
When the clothing arrived, as Tesco’s programme predicted, the dress was a little tight, yet the top and cardigan were just a bit too baggy.
The photo below shows the real-life fit
Me in my Tesco dress
This was a fun trial, especially having to take your photo, seeing it superimposed on a 3D model and assigning your model a hairdo. But I was less impressed with the selection of clothes, the lack of a thigh/leg measurement option and the suggested size based on the data I included.
The styles of clothing are limited, so if there isn’t anything that takes your fancy, I’d say you’re better off heading down to Tesco to see the full range. At least you’ll be able to try them before committing your cash to the purchase.
Once I ‘virtually’ put on the dresses and trouser/top combinations, I was impressed with the 360 degree rotation (and it was so much quicker trying on clothes compared to when I’m in a changing room). Plus, a good feature was the option to convert units from stones to kilograms, feet to metres.
But I can’t ignore the fact that what Tesco’s Virtual Fitting Room claimed to do — helping you find clothes that match your body shape, ultimately reducing customer returns — didn’t happen.
Overall, this is an ingenious conception which, in theory, should allow those nervous online clothes shoppers to find suitable items without having to leave their homes.
I’d give it five virtual stars out of ten. There were some good points but it can do a lot better.
With a few tweaks such as greater range of clothes, further measurement details and instructions on exactly how and where to measure your body for each indicator, the F&F virtual fitting room could be more user-friendly.
What do you think? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below or in the MSE Forum.
