Last Wednesday I attended a fashion focus group about Netrobe, an iPhone app (and soon website) that helps you manage your wardrobe. This wasn’t the first time I’ve heard about Netrobe though! Last August or September (I can’t really remember) I read about it on Vogue Hellas which mentioned that it is envisioned and created by Christina Plakopita. In the article Christina said that she was inspired by Alicia Silverstone’s virtual wardrobe in the movie Clueless, a function that I admit I coveted. So I downloaded the app straightaway and decided to use it. Well…that hasn’t happened yet, because mainly what you need to do in order to use this app is to take pictures of all your clothes (or at least the ones you deem important and wear a lot) either using your iPhone camera or taking the pictures yourself uploading them on your iPhone and then on Netrobe.
But NOW, I decided to take baby steps and take pictures of my clothes, bags and shoes and create my virtual wardrobe. Below I’m writing down 5 reasons why I want to do so! Essentially this post is to persuade myself to “give a shot” at Netrobe (as Christina told me) and present it to you as well (something I wanted for some time to do)!
Oh look! my first Netrobe entry!
1) Netrobe helps you create an inventory on what’s in your wardrobe, and since you carry your iPhone with you all the time, you virtually carry this inventory with you and at any given moment you know what clothes and accessories you own. Believe me this can be very helpful when you’re out shopping. The other day I was looking at a pair of sandals in Zara and I mentally tried to remember what types and colors of sandals (and summer shoes in general) I own. At that point I wished I had used Netrobe (I bought them nevertheless!!).
2) You can create outfits (named style boards) using clothes and accessories. That helps you to: a) remember what combinations you’ve already made, b) create boards with everyday outfits or boards with outfits for special events and c) “play around” with your wardrobe and create new combinations (think about it as your private Polyvore). That can help me remember what combinations I’ve already made with my clothes, as I like to play around a lot and make new ones every time. Of course having some “standard” combinations helps too, when you’re in a hurry!
3) You can add outfits to your diary and remember what you wore when but also create outfits for upcoming events! That maybe doesn’t have many sense for what you wear every day, but for social events it can be useful. I remember in the past my mother used to talk on the phone with her friends talking about what they wore when, so as not to wear the same clothes in the same social cycle. Now you can do that with Netrobe. Now if only there was an app to help me remember the gifts I make to my friends so that I don’t buy the same thing twice!!!
4) You can organize your suitcase when travelling. Since you have all your clothes on Netrobe, what would be easier than drop the clothes you want to take with you in your virtual suitcase and then assemble the real one in no time! I’m usually a pen and paper person and like to jot down what I want to bring along, but when I create my virtual wardrobe I can make my packing list on Netrobe. That can save me time too, as I can create my wardrobe while I’m on the bus instead having to get home in order to check my wardrobe and choose clothes!
5) The 5th reason will be valid once the website goes live and will be very helpful especially to those of you who buy online (but also for people like me who prefer offline shopping). You will be able to pin (like in Pinterest) the clothes you buy to your wardrobe, so that saves you with the “taking pictures part” (which for me is the most tedious task). Still thanks to that function, whenever I buy something from Zara I can go to the website and import it in my wardrobe from there and make my life easier!!
Additional features include:
a) the creation of a lookbook with styles you find online and like, or styles you see on a shop window and snap a photo. To be honest having Pinterest, this function doesn’t seem so important to me, as I focus mainly on creating a virtual inventory of my wardrobe, rather than keeping inspiration (that I usually don’t use anyways)!! But in any case (now that I think about it) you can snap photos of yourself and keep your own lookbook!
Some inspiration on my Lookbook
b) sharing your styles and clothes on facebook or twitter. In that way you can have feedback on your choices by your friends. And this social sharing will be one of the core elements of the website!
Even if you don’t own an iPhone I really suggest following the Netrobe’s blog for stylish ideas as well as their Facebook page for style and wardrobe inspiration! The girls post photos of some amazing and truly covetable closets (not only about their sizes, but also because they are so tidy…*sigh*)
And now I’m off making my baby steps filling my net-robe…I’m starting off with shoes (see picture below) … 
It’s still the beginning…
For photos of the lovely event/get-together you can check Stephanie’s blog “Not For Sale”.
So, tell me, do you find the concept of Netrobe interesting? Would you try it? What features do you think that would also be helpful for such and app?
Einai para poli endiaferon! Einai mia idea pou oi perissoteres ginaikes pou latrepsame to Clueless thelame na ilopoiithei kapoia stigmi…
Pros to paron den exw iPhone, alla an apoktisw kapoia stigmi tha ‘nai sigoura sta ipopsin mou! Para poli wraio to post sou!
pisteuw oti otan lansaristei to site 8a mporeis na to xrhsimopoihseis kai xwris iPhone (auto einai ypo diereunhsh)…nai ki egw eixa latrepsei thn hlektroniki diaxeirish gkarntarobas sto Clueless kai poly xarhka otan prwtoeida to application!
It sounds cool but time consuming! Still, for someone like me with a tiny closet stuffed with too many clothes it might be perfect.
yeap it is time consuming, but it can be really helpful, especially when going shopping (at least for me)
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