TheHuntMergedThere is a certain singular frustration that arises from seeing a killer outfit and not knowing how to get it. Real life doesn’t come with the same notes that accompany photographs in Vogue, which means that it can be hard to track down that sweet top or nifty pair of shoes you happened to bump into.

geekwireapp2The Hunt is a crowdsourcing app for iPhone and Android dedicated to solving that problem by helping people find their fashion missed connections. Users can post photos of items that they want, but don’t know how to get, and let other users help them figure out where to get it.

Once someone has found and posted the right item, the asker can mark it as a “perfect” answer to credit the finder and help point other people in the right direction if they’re interested. A product’s finder has to post a link to the store where people can purchase it, so users can click a big blue “buy” button to pick up the item in question.

IMG_0133Askers can let other users know if they’re looking for an exact match for the product in the photo that they’ve submitted, or if they’re just looking for something similar to it. There’s also a “Style Me” setting that lets people offer up some information about themselves (usually with a selfie included) and get free fashion advice from the crowd in return. That can be hit or miss, since you’re essentially asking strangers to intuit your sense of style, but it’s a fun exercise and can provide some interesting ideas.

The key new feature with the app’s recently-released update is the ability to vote up good answers from other people, and save products for later inside the app. That way, people don’t need to buy right away, or find some way of saving the item outside the app to pick it up later.

Especially with spring upon us and summer right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take a fresh look at new pieces for your wardrobe, and The Hunt’s community has plenty of ideas. Men might have a harder time finding help, since The Hunt’s community is predominantly made up of women, but there’s still an active core group of people able to help out with spotting menswear.

Of course, the app’s crowdsourcing model is also its greatest weakness. It’s entirely possible that nobody will respond to your post, and you’ll be left out in the cold. But at the same time, The Hunt is one of the best ways to figure out a fashion conundrum.

The Hunt is available for free from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

 

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