An e-commerce method involves on-line viewing of a first article through a linking
node for virtual merging on another structure. A particular application of the
invention is directed to a method of on-line apparel shopping. The method includes
providing a host-site accessible to an on-line viewer (customer) and web-linkable
to a retailer having an apparel site. The retailer's apparel site has images of
articles stored in a virtual closet. These articles can be apparel from retail
stores for viewing over the web, and the on-line viewer is linked to the host-site.
The consumer selects a structure, such as a photograph of a person captured in
system memory, in response to a command received by the on-line viewer. Using the
host-site, the viewer or customer is linked to the retailer's apparel site and
images are passed from that site for view by the customer. Apparel is selected
and virtually merged with the structure by forming an image including representations
of both the structure and the selected apparel.
