New Fitting Rooms Make Trying on Clothing Less Onorous, More Jetson-Like

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[The Nanette Lepore mirror, via Forbes]

We thought dressing room technology was perfected when they invented doors, but clearly we weren't thinking big enough. Forbes takes a long, detailed look at the "dressing rooms of the future," all designed to take the drudgery out of trying on multiple pairs of pants.

At the Prada store in Soho, for example, a responsive mirror records how you look in every item you try on, so you can compare two reflections at once. In 2007, the Nanette Lepore boutique at Bloomingdale's tested a fitting room webcam that allows shoppers to show their outfits to friends or parents in other states via a special website, which sounds both amazing and rife with opportunities for abuse.

This, however, sounds less amazing: "The site will also suggest other merchandise in the store. The shopper can then click on one of the recommendations, and make it appear in the mirror superimposed over his image, as though he were trying on the garment." Other plans include better lighting, call buttons, and refreshments. 50% of consumers surveyed "expect that 3D body scanning and interactive dressing room mirrors will eliminate the stress of trying on that new outfit," which makes us think 50% of consumers surveyed might need to take up meditation.
·Dressing Rooms Of The Future [Forbes]
·In Pictures: Dressing Rooms Of The Future [Forbes Slide Show]
·Have You Been In Bloomingdale's NYC’s Nanette Lepore Boutique? [the.Life Files]