Title: Cloth by Clothes Minded
Cost: Free ($.99 for the Cloth Weather upgrade)
Platform: iPhone, iPod touch (4th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iPad (3rd generation) and iPad Wi-Fi + 4G. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
The new school year is quickly approaching, and the first day of school is an excellent opportunity to make a fresh fashion statement. This week’s app, Cloth by Clothes Minded, will help teens archive images of their favorite outfits for later reference. Feeling uninspired on a rainy morning? Simply click on Cloth to remember some of your closet’s best combinations.
After downloading the app, Cloth walks you through all the features with a simple tutorial. However, this app was easy to use even if you decide to skip the intro and go straight to the wardrobe. Click “Snap” to take a photo or load one from your phone’s library. After taking an acceptable shot, Cloth presents you with several editing options. Add a flattering effect, cover up blemishes, whiten your teeth, or add a fun mustache sticker. Once your picture is ready, write a brief description, create tags, and add it to a category.
Later, when you have trouble remembering the best pants to wear with your striped shirt, search your tags for striped shirt or visit the casual wear part of your wardrobe.
There was much to love about this app:
1. Organization: If only your real closet was so organized! Categories and searchable tags make finding the right outfit for the right occasion an easy process. My overall favorite organization tool was the weather addition. The app uses wunderground.com and your location to match your outfit to real weather conditions. If you wake up to an unexpected snow storm, simply refer to your “Snow” or “Freezing” categories for quick inspiration.
2. Social Networking: This app is also integrated with several social networking sites. Link your Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr accounts to share outfits, or if you are particularly proud of your apparel, send a photo off to clothapp.com for a chance to be featured on the site’s homepage.
3. Badges: One more reason to try Cloth – you unlock badges and points as you add and share outfits. They are fun, collectible, and competitive.
If I could change one thing about this app, I would add a category for “wish list.” It would be useful to save snapshots from dressing rooms into a separate folder that you can share with family and friends. Even without this feature, teens will love the app. Recommend it to the young people you know that like fashion or even just taking photos. They will enjoy sharing and getting feedback on their favorite wardrobe pictures.
For more YALSA App of the Week posts, visit the App of the Week Archive.
