New virtual fitting room helps make online shopping easier

CHICAGO - If years of online shopping have taught us anything, it's this: Just because an outfit looks amazing on the model, it doesn't mean it will look anywhere near as good when we get it home and try it on in front of a mirror.

And we've learned to live with that problem. We return the items that just don't fit quite right, or, for those hard-to-buy articles, we suck it up and venture into a physical mall - braving crowds of shoppers, long lines and unforgiving fluorescent lights in search of the perfect fit.

But Berkeley-based startup Twindom is working on a solution, which it calls Drapr. The company is using its 3-D imaging technology to create a virtual fitting-room experience capable of showing you how your own body would look in any article of clothing - all from the comfort of your home.