第1515期:Virtual fashion advice

When's it's time for a wardrobe makeover, who's the best person to give you some advice? You'll probably turn to your friend for some feedback and fashion tips – let's face it: they know you best and can offer an honest opinion about which colours clash – and which outfit makes you look a million dollars.

什么时候该进行衣橱改造，谁是给你一些建议的最佳人选？你可能会向你的朋友寻求一些反馈和时尚提示——让我们面对现实吧：他们最了解你，并且可以就哪些颜色冲突提供诚实的意见——以及哪件衣服让你看起来一百万美元。

However for someone like me, who's not a follower of fashion and has a more practical dress sense, I don't need help - it's just jeans or… jeans! But for people who care about their appearance, they can now get some trustworthy advice with the aid of technology.

然而对于像我这样不追随时尚并且有更实际的穿着感的人来说，我不需要帮助 - 它只是牛仔裤或......牛仔裤！但是对于在意自己外表的人来说，现在可以借助科技获得一些值得信赖的建议。

Of course, using social media is a good way to discuss fashion dilemmas with your friends, but this sometimes brings in too much conflicting advice - and opinions that are sometimes brutal! That's why one woman has developed an app to help women crowdsource advice from stylists and sister fashionistas in a safe, troll-free environment.

当然，使用社交媒体是与朋友讨论时尚困境的好方法，但这有时会带来太多相互矛盾的建议——有时甚至是残酷的意见！这就是为什么一位女性开发了一款应用程序来帮助女性在一个安全、无网络攻击的环境中从造型师和姐妹时尚达人那里获得建议。

Sophia Matveeva's Style Counsel app allows users wanting advice on an outfit to post a photo and receive "yes" or "no" answers from other users, or more detailed advice from vetted fashion stylists and bloggers very quickly. According to Matthew Wall, BBC Technology of Business editor, this is a growing business, with several new apps such as AskAnna, Mallzee and StyleDotMe all offering young women tips on suitable and fashionable clothes to wear.

Sophia Matveeva 的 Style Counsel 应用程序允许想要获得服装建议的用户发布照片并从其他用户那里收到“是”或“否”的答案，或者非常快速地从经过审查的时尚造型师和博主那里获得更详细的建议。根据 BBC Technology of Business 编辑 Matthew Wall 的说法，这是一项不断发展的业务，AskAnna、Mallzee 和 StyleDotMe 等几款新应用程序都为年轻女性提供了关于合适和时尚服装的建议。

There's also a website called EyeFitU which finds clothes to fit your figure. Its chief executive, Isabelle Ohnemus, says there are no international standards in clothes sizes but she explains "We can set up your size profile in a few seconds with 80% accuracy just knowing your gender, height, weight and age". This information is used to search different retailers and find clothes that suit your actual shape. And the internet giant, Amazon, has also developed a camera that links to a 'style check' function that compares photos and gives its algorithmically-derived opinion of which outfit is better, based on fit, colour, style and current fashion trends.

还有一个叫做 EyeFitU 的网站可以找到适合你身材的衣服。其首席执行官 Isabelle Ohnemus 表示，衣服尺码没有国际标准，但她解释说：“我们可以在几秒钟内设置您的尺码配置文件，准确率达到 80%，只需知道您的性别、身高、体重和年龄”。此信息用于搜索不同的零售商并找到适合您实际体型的衣服。互联网巨头亚马逊也开发了一款相机，该相机可以链接到“风格检查”功能，该功能可以比较照片，并根据合身、颜色、风格和当前流行趋势，通过算法得出哪种服装更好的意见。

But does technology make fashion advice a bit impersonal? Sophia Matveeva admits that women in particular are social creatures and that "AI will never stop us talking to each other… girls will always want the approval of the cool girl at school." But as for me: an app with someone I don't know could be the place to start with some discreet fashion tips!

但是技术是否让时尚建议变得有点客观？Sophia Matveeva 承认，女性尤其是社交动物，“人工智能永远不会阻止我们彼此交谈……女孩总是希望得到学校酷女孩的认可。”但对我来说：一个我不认识的人的应用程序可能是从一些谨慎的时尚技巧开始的地方！

词汇表

makeover（个人形象的）大改造
tip 窍门，小建议
clash（颜色、风格）不协调
look a million dollars（因穿着光鲜）看起来非常漂亮
dress sense 着装、搭配的品位
appearance 外表，外貌
dilemma 困境，窘境
brutal（表达方式、观点）直率的，直言不讳的
stylist 造型师
fashionista 时尚达人
troll-free 没有网络暴力或恶毒言论的
vetted（资质等）经过审查的
figure 体形、身材
retailer 零售商
style check 时尚风格定位（功能）
algorithmically-derived 利用算法推导出来的
trend 潮流，趋势
cool girl “酷女孩”，原指学校里受人欢迎的时髦女孩，此处泛指风格出众，引领时尚的女性