Skip the obnoxious sales people. Avoid the risk of being caught "planning" by a friend or close family member at your local shopping mall.

Ocappi, a new online jewelry store, allows people to shop for and try on their dream engagement rings in the privacy of their own home, free of charge and hassle. Much like the Warby Parker business model, there is no obligation to purchase and free shipping both ways. 

Their "One&Only Try-On Service" allows the consumer to add up to six replica rings (set with cubic zirconium stones) to their order and check out at no charge. The six replica rings will then be shipped directly to the consumer, allowing five days to try on and play dress up with. There is a pre-paid return label included in the package to send them back, at no cost. Discrete, convenient and free.

It will be interesting to see if Ocappi can successfully shift the typical jewelry shopping experience using this e-commerce model of no-hassle trial and convenience.

What more could a possible-bride-to-be ask for when making what could be one of the most important jewelry purchases of her life?

---via PSFK.

Whether or not you watched the Grammy Awards last night, you probably heard some of the highlights today. Despite the CBS "wardrobe advisory", these awards proved to be not only the biggest night in music, but still one of the biggest nights in fashion.

Exposed legs and towering heels aside, one artist took her choice of wardrode to the next level. Carrie Underwood, not one known to be cutting edge, appeared on stage singing an acoustic version of her title track "Blown Away" in a boring silver oversized prom dress. Carrying viewer's attention with her strong vocal ability alone, Underwood continued into her latest single "Two Black Cadillacs" simultaneously as her dress began to mysteriously light up and illuminate colors.

Suddenly, it became apparent this was not only a dress, but a giant projection screen. This conservative, basic gown suddenly transformed into a technicolor light spectacle. Within seconds, a simple garment became a digitally connected and living part of her performance's overall creative direction. Towards the end of the performance it even shed a cocoon of butterflies onto the screen behind her, directly playing into the perfomance set. The dress even proved itself to be GIF'able, whether this was intended or not. (Welcome to Tumblr, Carrie!)

Black Eyed Peas aside, it's refreshing to see other artists take risks and advantage of cutting-edge technology in their performance's creative direction. The growing relationship between technology and fashion will surely be interesting to follow in the years to come. 

The beginning weeks of the autumn (or spring) season can seem like the Goldilocks of weather. It's too warm for sweaters! It's too chilly for cut-offs! Thus is the struggle of those who want to dress snappy, yet comfortably, during the first brisk moments of fall. If, like me, you are wont to overcompensate with cable knit in mid-September, you may benefit from using Wevther, a location-based clothing recommendation website built on the Svpply API.

The basics: given your location (manually entered or detected by the site), Wevther provides you with local weather conditions and several recommendations for appropriate clothing & accessories. Selections are plucked from Svpply users' collections and estimated by an algorithm that sorts by temperature and location. Look at Wevther like Pinterest for the weather: curated content laid out in a visually pleasing manner, with an e-commerce layer to boot.

I have to say that in my case, Wevther's suggestions have been on point for the past week. If I find myself sweating in my cable knit come next Friday, I have no one to blame but myself.

Ray Ban has created a mobile app called Bright Light that leads its users to sunny areas in urban environments. 

Users can see where the sun will be at any given time using the Google Maps based platform, find the sunniest walking routes to these bright areas, check-in and view nearby restaurants that are also in the sun.

Where Ray Ban shines (pun intended) is in its understanding of the young, urban audience it is targeting. Having a first-hand account of fans' lifestyles can allow brands to identify areas of improvement that consumers might not have thought of themselves. The focus on mobile and social sharing is also a must when talking to on-the-go fans. Finally, the inclusion of relevant businesses opens an opportunity for larger partnerships or campaigns.

This exectution would have benefited, however, if it were part of a larger brand strategy. While the app is helpful in a unique way and can lead to memorable, branded experiences, tieing the experience into a global brand message increases its relevance and makes more sense to consumers.

With the recent explosion of visual search and Pinterest-like user interfaces, there has been a shift in the way fashion is curated online. A new form of e-commerce has evolved that some refer to as "social shopping". A great example of a "social shopping" site that I have spent the past few weeks researching is SparkRebel. Similar to "pinning" on Pinterest, users are asked to "spark" the fashions that most inspire them. 

My personal favorite part of this site is the "Brands and Stores" page which allows users to shop and spark fashion pieces directly from their favorite companies, such as Calvin Klein, Gap, Urban Outfitters, and even Zac Posen. The price and a "Buy It" button are clearly displayed under each item, a more direct link to e-commerce than Pinterest currently has. 

Aside from just being able to shop and "spark" clothing directly from collecitons, users can also post their own products, photos, blogs, and anything else from the web to topic-specific channels. Exisiting channels cover a wide range of topics, from weddings to beauty to (my personal favorite) fashion disasters. There is even a "Sales & Promos" section for the deal seeking divas out there. Users are asked to contribute anything that inspires them and their style.

Sites like SparkRebel that have succesfully managed to tie "social shopping"  directly to the back end of many partnering stores will...