After spending exactly two minutes exploring Google's new project 'Boutiques.com' I was set to jump off at the next url, and in this ADD world, that's not a good thing for a new and "exciting" site.

In fact, all I really wanted to know was, what exactly is it's purpose?, what does it 'do'?, how can it help me? And honestly the only answers I could find to those questions were found leaving the site, and GOOGLING it…! And even then the answers were questionable.

All of that said, journalistic integrity and such prevailed and I gave it another chance. For starters I don't trust Google to analyze my style (which is eclectic at best) and pigeon hole me into any category especially using such an arbitrary method. For those who haven't had the patience to work through the process, you begin by choosing between two images and selecting which is more "my style"

Simple enough? Not really. Not when you're faced with the choice of the two boots above. Why isn't there an option for them to be both be my style? I could wear both with the same outfit in one fricking day! They are both my style. Geeze.

And then this doozy above…talk about seasonal differences! Which is more your style Summer or Winter?! Again both are my style. Fashion isn't entirely objective you know…some of us like a little practicality in our choices.

Well. They did get it somewhat right, apparently my style is Romantic, I'm not going to argue with that, so score one Google. That said the categories are so generic my Grandpa would have able to select that one for me from a choice of Classic, Boho, Casual (what does that even mean?!), Street and Edgy.

The next step was for me to decide which silhouettes, colours and prints I love and which I hate…again, no middle ground, no room for ambivalence. LOVE. HATE. I might love a maxi dress in green tie dye, but hate a maxi dress in green polkadot…but because I've selected that I like maxi dresses, green, tie dye AND polkadots (you know because I also selected black and mini, which would be a sensational polkadot) I could end up with either being a love. And excuse me Google? What happened to FABRIC?!!

The choices finally selected for me as "My Boutique" (top picture) told me nothing and inspired nothing. So it was pretty much a waste of time – time I don't particularly have buckets of lying around.

I can honestly say I'm not sure what this site has to offer that Polyvore doesn't already (and in a MUCH prettier and practical package) and with the popularization of technologies such as augmented reality and the amazing Cloud Cliques, shouldn't we be making technological advances not dull and stagnant wastes of the world wide web? It feels as if Google just went hurry! quick! tech/fashion/bandwagon – jump on!

Boutiques.com is not pretty, it's not nearly interactive enough, and honestly does any web based, fashion type really need to spend half an hour to let Google define their style? Nope.

P.S What the hell happened to men's fashion in all of this?!!

Kelsi Smith.