Google launches Boutiques.com, a new fashion shopping site

Google launched a new fashion shopping site, Boutiques.com, Wednesday morning.

Boutiques.com is looking to change the way people buy clothing and accessories online, by using a concept known as visual search, as well as giving users the option of creating their own "boutique" to serve as a filter to find items that fit into a person's personal tastes, Google said in a blog post.

The new shopping site was built by former members of Like.com, a visual-search company Google bought during the summer. Visual search is a search-engine method that uses images to determine what a user is looking for, rather than relying solely on text typed into a search box, as Google.com does.

Boutiques.com is also using a combination of input from fashion stylists, designers and celebrities, as well as some new Google algorithms that take into account how patterns, colors, silhouettes and sizes work together.

Much in the vein of social-media websites, users can "follow" a boutique to see what items are "favorites" of different celebrities and designers on the site.

Unlike nearly every other Google online product, no Google logo can be found on Boutiques.com, and the site doesn't feature the familiar Google navigation bar along the top either.

However, the new venture does already have a Boutiques.com iPad app.

For the time being, Boutiques.com is only available to users in the United States, and only features women's fashion items. Google does plan to eventually roll out the site to other countries and add clothing for men, the company said.

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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Image: Screen capture of Boutiques.com. Credit: Nathan Olivarez-Giles / Los Angeles Times