The reality of my wardrobe - for Roxanna - YouLookFab Forum

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The reality of my wardrobe - for Roxanna

Katerina

Veteran

Dear Fabbers,

I would like to thank Roxanna, who posted about Stylebook recently and got me interested (again, but this time for real).
I started this evening and got totally stuck to it for three hours! It is quite fascinating. I have started the process of putting in items into the virtual closet. Haven’t got very far yet, but I already realized that I have SOOO MANY CLOTHES.
I know I have a large wardrobe, but I think this is going to be much more than I thought. What a reality check this will be. I have actually never really counted everything before.

How about you? Do you use Stylebook or similar and what was your experience when you started? I will keep you posted how it goes for me :-j

General

48 replies

Latest reply was from Gretchen

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I used a closet app (Closetspace) for a long time, until it stopped being updated for new versions of iOS, and I switched to my own spreadsheet. I loved it, and it was my gateway into my interest in sustainability in fashion and wardrobe management as a hobby.

You would think it would be easy to "see" all your clothes organized in your dresser/closet, but something about having everything in front of me in an app helped me to see the items in a different and more complete way. I know not everyone enjoys tracking in the same way I do, but just having a list felt really valuable when I first started, and it definitely helped me understand my buying/collecting patterns.

Katerina

Veteran

Jenn, thanks for your input, I know you are really interested in these questions. You are right about the difference between the physical wardrobe and having everything down on “paper”. I have my physical closet well organized and I can see everything (as far as possible) so no items would be “forgotten”. And yet, it becomes much clearer when items are listed in categories with pictures and all.

Actually, now I am afraid I will never buy a single item again

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I don't use Style Book Katerina, since I personally have little interest in the data that it tracks and generates. I'm just not that type of egg! But do understand the compelling appeal to others

That said, I've had my ENTIRE wardrobe in YLF Finds for years (excluding wadrobe basics). And it's an indispensable resource. I can't imagine not having my wardrobe represented visually digitally and beautifully. It's absolutely AMAZING. I can see what I have ALL the time, share that with clients and YLF, and you can see it too. It's authentic and honest.

I organize my potential purchases, online orders, capsules, travel capsules and edits in FINDS first too. I even identify wardrobe holes. I am very disciplined about keeping it 100% up to date - because otherwise, what is the point.

It took a while to upload though, because I had to take pics of old items in good light and create Custom Finds. I did a little a day for a while, and then it was done. SO WORTH IT!

Katerina

Veteran

Angie, thank you for sharing your finds and your beautiful wardrobe - it is indeed very generous of you and so helpful and inspiration to others.
I am a beginner re the digital wardrobe and since I have very many items that are older or from outlets and vintage etc., it will be a huge job to get everything photographed. I hope I will manage to do it in reasonable time. When I have all the photos, I imagine I could use them in Finds as well, it should go rather quickly, right?

Anonymous

I’m interested in using Stylebook for the outfit planning aspect , and I hope it will help introduce some structure into my wardrobe planning . I have downloaded the app , and started taking photos today in fact . Denim = done . I will also continue to work with the YLF finds feature , entering custom finds as I photograph for Stylebook.

Katerina

Veteran

You too Lisa P.? I started today as well! I put in about 45 items across categories, used pictures I already had or from online sites. Also tried to take some photos, but it didn’t work well in the evening light.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Katerina, YES. Most of your items are Custom Finds, so you have to take pics from scratch. It's a mare, because the pics need to look good! You need:

good light
pressed pieces
neutral background
hanger appeal

Then you have to crop the photos, and make the colours accurate representations. That part took the longest time. Once you have the photos - the uploading and data entry goes quite easily. The results are worth it. Brilliant structure and organization!

TIP: Do a search for the item online first. Sometimes you can find excellent stock photos of your old items, and use those.

Like you Lisa P, I photographed one wardrobe category a day. You get there eventually if you keep on going. I think it's an EXCELLENT idea for you to represent your wardrobe visually digitally! It's going to add a lot of structure and organization to the way you plan, shop and edit.

SarahD8

Veteran

Ooh, now I’m a little tempted to start using Stylebook again.

It is a lot of work up front but I think it could be worth it.

But, when I was using it before it had one big disadvantage. I could create seasonal (or other) capsules by using the “packing lists” feature. But there is no way to create outfits from within a packing list. You have to remember what’s in your packing list and then go create outfits by scrolling through your entire collection of shirts or whatever. Does anyone know if that’s still the case?

Anonymous

My photos will be dodgy . Not great light , just my phone camera , and jeans laying on my bed for a background . Oh well .

Katerina

Veteran

Angie, thank you for the tips. I noticed that your custom finds hang on transparent hangers, so you took the pictures on hangers? Clever. It is probably easier than laying them flat?

The Stylebook’s tips are to lay the clothes on a contrasting background, but hangers would go easier.

Katerina

Veteran

Lisa, you should see my pictures when I tried to photograph some handbags, the background got totally messed up so I tried to use the erase function all around the bag. It looks like the handles are as thin as shoe laces. I have to find some other “technique”, lol....

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Tempting, very tempting. Angie how can we see your wardrobe in finds (assuming it is open for us to see!)?

Anonymous

Jumping in to respond to SarahD8's question above:

I create a Look category for each trip, fill it with looks/outfits for that trip, then can add all those looks to the packing list. Even if items are repeated in looks, they only get added once to the packing list. Might not be the order in which you want to go about it, but I thought I'd offer that as a possible solution.

Katerina -- I'm an avid Stylebook user; I've finally been into the daily habit of recording what I wear. It's helping me to see what I do wear the most often (sometimes I'm surprised!) as well as what I wore last season, where I might have some wardrobe holes, etc. I also import new items I'm considering purchasing and create outfits with them in an Outfit Lab look category to see whether the item deserves a place in my wardrobe. For a few items, I've been able to see that they wouldn't work as well as I thought, and it saves me from purchasing and returning. I hope you have fun with it!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Katerina, yes. I prefer to hang - better hanger appeal. Glass hangers look pretty. Accessories and footwear are top view. I wanted all my backgrounds white to keep things as uniform as possible. The white jewellery I had to put on a contrasting background. Here are some of my Custom Finds, of which I took the photos.

I used my iphone camera too, Lisa P.

Jaime, go to my Profile Page. Click on Finds under my avatar. Then click on Wardrobe. There you go! Anyone can see my wardrobe in Finds unless you've blocked me or are not an active member.

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gryffin

Veteran

Katerina - Roxanna’s posts also started me down this rabbit hole. I’ve been using Stylebook for the past 2 mo and love it. I keep a list of all my purchases many times w exact names so I was able to google many stock photos. Also in the upper right hand corner is the help button. Top area is read our help and how-to guides. There are excellent suggestions for taking your own photos. I found the greatest benefit if helping me focus on enjoying what I have. I’m also fascinated in that I repeat outfits but I almost always swap up an element. Also seeing what I have not worn has made me accountable for either wearing it or deciding it I should pass it on. I’ve fallen back in love w a number of older pieces. I do find the numbers cool - like the fact that I’ve worn 55% of my wardrobe in 9 weeks and a great proportion of the unworn are winter, bags, formal/dressy and scarves. It is quite a bit of work to get things in but it’s super enjoyable and I find planning outs reall fun!! (BTW I realize I change clothes a lot! Work, after work outfit/lounge sleep) I tend to have 5-7 items/look and I now know exactly what the outfit costs. All these facts actually make me took at my wardrobe in a new way and it’s truly fascinating !! I hope you enjoy it!!!

Anonymous

Haven't tried Stylebook or any other closet app yet. I had intended to toss my wardrobe into Finds on here, but my pics don't come out nice I should try to find proper pics online-eventually...

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Well I have been extremely old-school. I wrote down my whole wardrobe of clothing and shoes excluding underwear, sleepwear and old/“painting” clothes on actual paper with an actual pen. I don’t track jewellery or bags- only really have one handbag in use except for special occasions. I divided it by season and type of item and make tally marks for tracking. Have made tally marks every day since May 2016. Also record what I buy ( since 2011) and what I edit out
(only since 2018). The whole system may be partly responsible for my current non-desire to buy clothes.
I think if I digitise it I might just prefer a spreadsheet rather than Stylebook or Finds, because I will just walk into my wardrobe to decide what to wear?

SarahD8

Veteran

Thanks silver for that explanation. The problem is that I want to do the exact opposite of what you describe. I want to define a subset of my wardrobe and then play around to see what outfits I can make from that capsule. Sounds like Stylebook still doesn’t support that. Good to know.

Sal

Veteran

I use finds and a spreadsheet. Mine are all Custom Finds (or almost all). I took some pics and use some stock photos- this is good when you first buy something. My photos are not as nice as Angie's. If I edit them out I will eventually delete them once a year.

I use a spreadsheet to track spending and ins and outs. This year they are almost even which is what I want.

In my spreadsheet I also have gear.

I find both really useful and find it fun. It gives me a broad overview of pattern and colour, and also where my gaps might be. For example my entire woven blouse/shirt/shell top collection is below.

I think you will enjoy it Katerina!!

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Anonymous

SarahD8 - I like that idea, and wish the app worked that way, too. Their updates are few and far between, but are usually pretty feature-rich, so here’s hoping for an upgrade at some point!

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Ha!Welcome to my world Katerina.l got Stylebook on a whim last Christmas as it was exactly the amount that I had left over on a digital gift card and what a revelation it has been to me.Like you I have been somewhat surprised to see how many clothes that I have in certain categories but I can truly say that it has been a fantastic purchase for me.Being able to see what I have got,to record what I wear and to build virtual outfits using pieces that I rarely wear really has helped me understand and maximise my wardrobe use.Yes there are categories that I would alter but I can work around that and I love the style stats section!
I would not have advocated recording ones clothes online before this,now I am a true convert and would encourage everyone to do this whether they use Stylebook or some other on line tool.

Runs With Scissors

Veteran

SarahD8 -- you can also create (and remove, and re-order) categories in your closet in Stylebook. So, you could create a category (or categories) for your capsule, and move the items you want to include there. Later, you could categorize them in some other way, but an item can only be in one category at a time. It would be nice if you could create a "virtual" category for this -- I guess this is sort of how tags work, but you can only use tags in Search so far as I know.

I "flattened" some of my categories -- for example, I have categories for sleeveless tops vs short sleeve knit tops vs blouses, etc. I find that makes it easier to build looks -- typically I know exactly which item I am looking for, so less scrolling.

Liesbeth

Veteran

Another spreadsheet and 'Finds' user.
The spreadsheet came first and satisfies my need to play around with numbers. It reigns me in (I've clearly seen my personal wardrobe number that I always hover back too after shopping sprees or clear-outs), and shows me wardrobe holes. I also use it to prioritize new purchases: almost every planned purchase is a replacement in some sense, of an item that's falling out of favor, even if I'm tossing navy skinny jeans in favor of gingham trousers ;),
About Finds: I try to be diligent with new purchases, as there's usually stock pics online, but can't get motivated to take pics of ALL my older clothes. Too bad, because I do find the visual representation of my seasonal capsules quite handy, especially when shopping to decide if something will fit in.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

“When I have all the photos, I imagine I could use them in Finds as well, it should go rather quickly, right?”

No. It won’t go quickly. The one big step I’ve taken towards getting past purchases into any kind of software is entering an entire suitcase full of mostly tops into finds last fall. https://youlookfab.com/finds/c.....ction=6235 There is no way to upload a batch; you have to start each find individually, upload photos for that one article of clothing, post it, move on to the next—really a clunky way to do it, technologically speaking. Batching would work much better, so you'd upload a batch and they'd each become a find for you fill in the other info, or drag & drop them to finds you've already made. Could be done in a way that they wouldn't post until certain info has been entered.

I do plan to continue entering purchases as finds, so I can chat about them with people here. I also use finds to talk about things I’m interested in.

I’m not interested in other software because I’m afraid it would become, like Jenn said, a hobby. That’s not for me.

Anonymous

I use Style Book. I LOVE it. At a glance, I can see how many items I have in a category. I use very specific categories (e.g., "dress black slacks," "athletic black slacks," "work black slacks").

But Style Book goes so much further than just providing me with a visual of the quantity of items. It helps me identify what is missing from my wardrobe in a visual context. This is invaluable to me.

I can't at this moment (no coffee) explain how wonderful Style Book is for me. It took some time to get everything added. It was well worth it to me. I added every single category in my wardrobe (except socks and underpinnings). It helps me with outfit creation. It does not help me with packing (or I haven't invested sufficient time in learning how best to apply it for my needs).

Anonymous

SarahD8 -- You can create a subset of your wardrobe and play around to see what outfits can be created in Style Book. I've done it.

Eva

I decided to try Stylebook a while ago and realised it only runs on iOS, there's no Android version available.
I started a spreadsheet instead, but couldn't find a good way to add photos to my spreadsheet. (There was a way to add a comment with a photo, but it was not a very convenient solution for me.)
Those of you who use spreadsheets, how do you add photos? Or do you just rely on descriptions?

cindysmith

Veteran

I don't use anything to inventory/catalog my wardrobe. I am very afraid of what the numbers would reveal. I'm also very afraid of the amount of work that would be involved with doing so, because there is quite a lot of churn in my closet thanks to changing weight and the inevitable destruction of my clothes thanks to my lifestyle.

You are very brave indeed

anchie

Veteran

I have been almost exclusive online shopper since 2006 and I immediately started collecting stock photos of purchased items. I just organized them in the different folders on my computer. In rare occasion when I bought something in store and couldn’t find a stock photo, I photographed the item. Having digital representation of my wardrobe appealed to me long before YLF and world of apps. Then in 2013 I discovered ClosetSpace ( Jenn they eventually updated it for the latest iOS, it is working again and they promised big release with new features for later this year). Because I already had photos of my wardrobe available, it was was for me to upload it to the app, but I haven’t done it all at once. I just did one outfit at a time as I wore it. It took me months, but I wanted to add only items I was actually wearing. At the end I was left with bunch of items that I could not force my self to wear - and I purged it all. It somehow happened at the time we moved to our current place, which helped a lot with the move and organization of my new closet. I have been religiously tracking since then, all it takes is 30 seconds on my morning commute. I also have Stylebook but prefer ClosetSpace because I can use it on multiple devices and on the web too. I recently discovered Cladwell which is good for travel and capsule organization. I also use Finds and have my whole wardrobe there too.

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