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This incredibly useful new ASOS app feature uses a photo to save you money - and help you look your most stylish

This incredibly useful new ASOS app feature uses a photo to save you money - and help you look your most stylish

The Style Match tool is built right into the search bar in the ASOS app.

It got really close to the real thing.

The first thing I noticed with my first few submissions was something I actually expected: Even though ASOS didn’t have any identical items to the reference photo, it spat out options that were similar, whether in texture, style or color.

Check it out. On the left is the fashion I wanted, and on the right are the just-close-enough pieces the ASOS app picked out for me.

I liked it.

When I spot something I want to wear, it’s because I’m drawn to a certain element — like these stripes, for instance. ASOS didn’t have a perfect match for the coat, but it did have similar alternatives. I ended up purchasing the item in the bottom left of the search to squelch my yearning for the coat I originally wanted; in this way, I see that function of the app as less of a limitation and more of a very welcome style guru.

Other times, the app was spot-on.

That might have less to do with app functionality, and more to do with popularity. The more popular a certain piece is, the more likely a retailer like ASOS will have something just like it for less.

For instance:

Another pro tip: the top results aren’t always the most accurate ones.

I had to scroll down to the fourth row to find these ASOS white kitten heel boots that match the ones in the reference photo.

In general, the tool zeroes in on either the item most clearly in view, or whichever item is toward the top of the wearer. Just so you know.

You can even have it zoom in to a certain part of a larger image.

I was curious if the app would accept a zoomed-in part of a full-length outfit image, and it does. So if you’re wanting the shoes in a photo but they’re not even close to being the focal point, not to worry.

Just for good measure, I inspected the men’s collection, too.

As is evident in the screenshot above, a good portion of the Style Match results I found produced clothing from both the men and women’s collections.

An 85,000-product database is impressive, but it’s not going to produce an exact replica - and that’s okay. Use this tool with the more realistic intent of finding something along the lines of what you’re going for, not the exact same piece haute couture you originally desired.

Overall, I’m a fan. I’ll be moving the app in with the others in my iPhone's “Shopping” folder — a very limited club.