1995 was a pivotal year in American fashion: Jennifer Aniston debuted “The Rachel” haircut on “Friends”; Johnnie Coch ran taught us the importance of a well-fitting pair of gloves; and — most notably — a movie called “Clueless” hit the big screen.
In the opening scene of the cult classic, Cher Horowitz — a well-meaning yet oblivious clotheshorse played by Alicia Silverstone — gets dressed with the help of a computer program that digitizes her wardrobe. Sitting at her clunky PC, Cher flips through articles of clothing until she lands on a match.
Cluise, a free iOS and Android app that catalogues your clothing and makes five outfit recommendations based on real-time weather data, is a sleeker, modern adaptation of Cher’s sartorial system.
Before the app can work its magic, users must photograph and categorize every article of clothing. To speed things up, Cluise uses recognition software that automatically inputs the item’s hue (a real asset if you’re colorblind) and predicts the category based on its shape.
The true magic of Cluise, though, is its ability to put together a strong outfit within seconds, often with “Huh, why didn’t I think of that” combinations.
“We wanted to create a product not just for people who are crazy for fashion,” said founder Liuda Nebozhak, 26, a former marketer from Ukraine who says she’s no fashion plate. “We help our users to combine their clothes the way that they like.”
Since Cluise’s 2013 launch, it has gained more than 227,000 members choosing from 1.5 million articles of clothing, Nebozhak said.
Outfit recommendations can be bookmarked, and users are encouraged to post photos of themselves wearing their new looks on the app’s Instagram-like feed where the Cluise community draws inspiration and offers feedback.
New features due out February will include personalized shopping recommendations for items your wardrobe is missing, Nebozhak said. Until then, Cluise continues to get you out the door with minimal hang-ups.
