How many times have you stood front of your closet, a mountain of clothing items strewn about chaotically while you lament that you have nothing to wear? Probably more than you can count. But! In an era where technology permeates every aspect of our lives, the concept of a virtual closet becomes a practical solution to this timeless question of "What to wear?" A digital representation of your wardrobe not only offers convenience but also streamlines your daily routine! In this guide, we will navigate through the steps of creating a virtual closet, providing you with the tools to efficiently organize, plan, and maximize the potential of your clothing collection.
The first (and easiest!) step is selecting a suitable platform or app to be the foundation and creative central of your virtual closet. Whether you opt for dedicated wardrobe management apps like Smart Closet, Stylebook, or Cladwell, pick social media in the form of Pinterest, or choose the simplicity of a spreadsheet, the goal is to find a system that aligns with your preferences. As a general rule, focus on quality photography and inputting brief yet descriptive details for each item, such as the cut, style, and occasion to lay the groundwork for a well-organized virtual space.
The aforementioned apps and platforms are the ones we find to be the most efficient for a virtual closet creation endeavor.
Smart Closet is free and available for both IOS and Android! It has a great interface where you can upload pictures of your own clothes or search the database for similar items. This app lets you create your own looks, share them with others, and even offers outfit suggestions.
Stylebook has more features than we can count for uploading items and outfits, entering detailed information about your clothes, as well as curating and categorizing looks. This app also features a super handy packing list function. While this app does have a small cost, the many functions for a well-organized virtual closet make the price worth it.
Cladwell is an app that’s all about creating a capsule wardrobe. It emphasizes efficiency in what you’re wearing and the amount of clothes in your closet. Along with outfit suggestions that even take the weather into account, Cladwell has an endless outfit database and also offers an AI stylist function. Cladwell has both free and paid features, but overall is a solid pick for virtual styling help.
Pinterest is perhaps the most powerful social media for organizing your ideas. While it would be tedius to upload your own clothing items as pins, there are more than enough created by others that you can use to curate outfits, organize your style, and make a virtual capsule wardrobe. You can create an entire board dedicated to fashion or multiple for each style or season or occasion. Pinterest search function and similar pin suggestions make it easy to find what you’re looking for.
The essence of a functional virtual closet lies in effective organization. Begin by categorizing your items based on type—tops, bottoms, shoes, etc. For clarity, introduce subcategories such as casual or formal wear. With Pinterest, you can create boards for different seasons, and within each board create folders for specific outfit occasions such as brunch, a lazy day, or a fancy dinner. If you choose to use an app, the incorporation of tags or labels will be essential for quick searches so you can locate specific items when curating outfits.
Get more out of your virtual closet by going beyond mere cataloging and leveraging your creativity! Experiment with combining different items virtually to visualize potential looks so daily outfit planning can be a breeze. Our preferred apps go further by providing tools for logging outfit ideas and even integrating a calendar for scheduling, offering a wardrobe management experience that does almost everything for you.
Once you’ve gone through the hard work of uploading or finding your clothing items, closet maintenance begins. To ensure the relevance of your virtual closet, establish a routine for updates. Regularly review the items you have included and remove pieces that no longer serve a purpose or align with your evolving style. Always add new purchases to maintain the accuracy of your virtual wardrobe, ensuring it reflects your current collection, so you can make easy decisions during your daily outfit selection.
The practical advantages of a virtual closet are endless! They’re all about accessibility and convenience, so you can manage your whole wardrobe digitally at your fingertips. By streamlining your daily outfit selection process, you reduce decision fatigue, making your mornings more efficient. Along with those benefits, you’ll gain a nuanced understanding of your wardrobe that enhances your shopping experiences. By seeing which items and styles you gravitate toward most, you learn to make intentional and well-informed fashion choices when shopping.
By embracing a virtual closet, you also embrace a modern solution to the constant challenge of managing your wardrobe. This digital tool provides the convenience of organization, outfit planning, and accessibility, turning your clothing collection into a manageable and enjoyable part of your daily routine. Overall, you’ll simplify your style decisions and make the most of your closet, virtually.
