Tobi.com Fashionista: Online Shoppers Get Virtual Fitting Room (VIDEO)

Online shopping may be convenient, but without being able to try on clothes, it doesn't always end well.

A new shopping application called Fashionista, available at the site Tobi.com from Zugara and Rich Relevance, brings together augmented reality, motion capture, and social networking to create a virtual fitting room where you can "try on" items -- and hopefully do away with the disappointment of getting a dress, shirt, or sweater that's totally wrong.

With just a few clicks of the mouse, Fashionista lets online shoppers get a sense of how they'd look in the clothes they're browsing online, then allows users to share images of themselves with friends on Facebook to get feedback on fashion do's and don'ts.

Fast Company explains,

When you've chosen an item of clothing you like the look of, you print out a special AR barcode-like tag and hold it up in front of you while you stand before your Webcam. Zugara's software then displays an image of the clothing you're interested in superimposed on your body. By maneuvering the AR tag around you can position the apparel exactly how you want it to match your body--so you get to see a rough image of what you'd look like wearing the actual garment.

You can save items you like in a shopping cart with a "thumbs up" button, toss the ones you hate with the "thumbs down" button, or snap a picture of yourself in an outfit and send it to a friend for his (or her) opinion.

Check out Tobi.com's Fashionista in the demo videos below.