Back in early December, I was invited to try out the much talked about Me-Ality Scan at Natick Mall. I have to admit that I was a little bit intimidated by the machine in the middle of the mall since it is a bit reminiscent to those airport body scanners.
But, since you get a detailed description of your best fit bets, its a lot more fun than going through security!
The experience itself is super easy (and if you're shy don't worry! The 3D image doesn't show up on a screen so no one sees your shape.) you remove any metal that you might be wearing and then step into the scanner fully clothed. You do need to stand super still for an accurate reading. (I needed to be scanned twice because it couldn't get a reading the first time.) The "wand" rotates around your body using radio signals that bounce off the water in your skin and in about 15 seconds has precise measurements.
I was really impressed with the results that I printed out at the station. I thought it would just tell me my size in brands or various stores in the mall but it actually makes specific suggestions and lets you know where the style is available. For example, Joe's Honey Jeans in size 29 is apparently my perfect jean.
Me-Ality is free for shoppers because brands and stores pay to be included in the results. This is both good and bad, in my opinion, because while it takes the guesswork and frustration out of trying on clothes at the mall, it also means that some of your favorite brands and stores may not be included. The scan also creates an online profile so you can access your results on the Me-Ality website. These are constantly updated with newly added merchandise and brands so you'll be able to get new recommendations for as long as your body shape stays the same.
Personally, I loved getting my results directly at the mall. I was able to email them to myself and print them out. This first set of recommendations had a lot of "ideal fit" options in nearly every category for me. I'm more disappointed with my online options today since most of the results seem to be in the middle of the "ideal" fit bar. I still have my email recommendations from the day I was scanned though and will be using them as a guide for future shopping especially for jeans!
In November, Me-Ality launched a partnership with Nordstrom called, "Sized Just For You". Every person scanned automatically receives an email with with their best fits from brands available at Nordstrom!
Me-Ality has four locations in the Boston area including Solomon Pond Mall, Northshore Mall, South Shore Plaza and Natick Collection. There is also one at the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis. If you've seen the stations while shopping I highly recommend that you take the time to try it out. It's free and takes only a few minutes- far superior to a frustrating hour in a dressing room!