Fashion Apps to check out!

Sometimes my brain doesn't always think in sets of 5.  So instead of forcing a Friday 5 on you that does not feel natural, I wanted to share with you a little bit about some cool Fashion apps I've been using even though there was only three!

 As a fashion columnist, I was naturally curious about this app called Stylebook when it started showing up in social media. I couldn’t even browse through Pinterest without seeing several advertisements for it. So, I finally caved and decided to download the app. 

When I went to the app store, I saw several similar apps that were free of charge. After digging a little deeper to see what they were about, I decided to download three freebies.  I figured I would see what I was able to do with the free apps before purchasing one. 

The three apps I downloaded were GlamOutfit, Closet Love, and Pureple. 

 I get the impression that GlamOutfit is more about the sharing aspect. You can put outfits together by uploading photos of items you already own or choosing from a preselected list of items. When you curate your own outfit, you then publish it to the site. When looking for outfit inspiration, you can browse through the site. There is also a shopping aspect to this app. While browsing, if you see an item you like, you can purchase it right from the site. What I found interesting with this app is that it also gave you links to see how the item was worn in real life, and how others styled it. So for instance, if you see a shirt you like and you choose to see how others styled it, it will show you all the outfits that other people put together using that shirt. This app has some cool features but I didn’t really care for how it was set up (not very user friendly) and it wasn’t really what I was looking for.  Also, I noticed that you can open other features by either earning or purchasing credits. You can buy 100 styling credits for $1.99.

Another app I downloaded was called Closet Love. I had high hopes for this app because the layout made it look very user friendly. I was able to easily upload a few pictures of my own items, but quickly learned that if I wanted to add a new category such as “dresses”, I had to pay to upgrade to the Pro version of the app. There were actually several features that required the upgrade. I found this app hard to use because it would frequently freeze up or shut down.

The final app I downloaded was Pureple. This app is the closest to Stylebook that I have found and I’ve had a lot of fun playing with it so far.  You start off by creating your closet. You can use the preselected clothing to represent pieces you already own or you can photograph and upload your own.  I didn’t feel that there were a lot of options in the preselected category so I chose to photograph my own pieces. This is probably the most time consuming (and maybe not so fun) part.  Having previously held a job as a stylist where I had to photograph clothing for catalogs and websites, I actually enjoyed this part.  I realized that if a piece wasn’t worth my time and effort to photograph and upload, then it was probably a piece I wouldn’t want to wear. This was a great way for me to eliminate items from my wardrobe.   As you are uploading each item, it will ask you to categorize it (shirts, sweaters, pants, jeans, dresses, shoes, accessories, etc.). Now comes the fun part, putting the outfits together. After selecting the pieces you want to wear together (don’t forget to add the shoes), you then label it by occasion such as work, active, night, weekend, or special occasion. You can then go a step further and label it by season or type of weather.  If you want a second opinion on your outfit, there is an option to share it with friends or the Pureple community. 

Playing with this app and putting outfits together has made me more aware of my shopping habits (AKA I do not need any more black shirts).However, I also noticed  that I have several shirts that need matching pants and several outfits that need the right shoes. Having your wardrobe at your fingertips makes it easy to determine what you already have at home and if what you have will match the item you want to buy.  Even though I am happy with what this app has to offer for free, there is an option to upgrade to Pro. When you upgrade, you get access to Style Stats. Style Stats will allow you to show outfits on your calendar (in case you want to know what outfit you wore on what day), and show you your most worn items and least worn items. It will also show you your Value Per Wear. This could be a great thing if you got an awesome deal on pair of jeans you wear often. However, it could be upsetting if you spent a small fortune on a sweater and only wore it once in the last year.  These upgraded features come standard with the Stylebook app.

There are of course other features for each of these apps, and many of them I haven’t used yet.  So far, I have been happiest with the free version of Pureple.   -M

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