Create Your Own Virtual Wardrobe

I am sure everyone has had to deal at least once with the now old paradox: a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear. Come to think of it, some of us go through this each morning. You will probably say that this is mostly a matter of mood, because it's practically impossible for it to happen, but I believe it is actually an organization-related issue. That is why I consider Dress Assistant one of the most interesting pieces of software to approach and offer a solution to this "problem."

The Looks

The interface of Dress Assistant is very beautiful, considering that the drawings are based on the book "Tragica" by Griselda Alvarez, a Spanish graphical artist. The main window provides easy access to all the features, and is most intuitive. When you first enter the application, you can choose which wardrobe you would like to open: men or women. Each category provides three different wardrobes. Once you have picked one of them, you get to enter your own virtual closet. In case you change your mind, all you have to do is to press the Wardrobe button.

The Works

The Dress Assistant window is basically separated in two main areas: on the left, you can see the closet browser that displays thumbnails for each piece of clothing, organized by category, while on the right you can create combinations for different events. A very important element of the closet browser is the closet bar. Thanks to this feature, you can easily browse through your wardrobe, always knowing the place of each item. By accessing the Wardrobe Editor from the main menu, you will also have control over the categories.

Still, before that, you must create your own database. In order to do this, you can use the Viewer panel or the iSight camera. For the former situation, every time you add a new item, you can use an image stored on your computer. With the iSight camera, you get to take an instant photo of a certain item, and it will be automatically added to the selected category.

Of course, we all know that an image is worth a thousand words, or so they say, but this is not all the information that you can store with Dress Assistant. For each item, you can set a name, add personal notes, specify the suitable season, the color and how much you like it. Moreover, if you are not yet satisfied with your picture, you can also rotate it and adjust the color intensity and the light, all within the application. In order to transfer clothes from one category to the other, all you have to do is drag and drop. If you want to remove an item, drag and drop above the basket icon.

However, the real fun begins once your closet is complete: start browsing and create different combinations for each event. The great thing about this app is that you can always remember what you have already worn, where and when, so you will never be caught off guard by donning the same outfit twice, or at least, not when you’re among the same people. You can store your creations using the form situated above the combination browser, while the events form is found under the same area.

Information can be the most powerful tool sometimes, and this is why you get to see the weather status on top of the Closet Browser. Press the weather button to set your location, and Dress Assistant will automatically give you the weather report.

If all you want to do is just browse through your closet, you can use the View All panel that offers a full-screen display of your pictures, having all the basic features of a picture viewer. This action is even more fun if you activate the speech control. To see which commands you can use, right click on the floating speech control window, and choose to open the Speech Commands window.

There are two other features that caught my attention. The first one can be accessed by pressing the Forum button on the bottom of the closet browser. By entering the Forum window, you can easily send messages to other users without any hustle whatsoever. No registration is required, nor other conditions are imposed: just express your opinion and press Send. The second one can be accessed from the same area, and offers the possibility to browse through Amazon.com products. Although it does not take any responsibility for the website content, it provides a direct link for the product page of each item.

The Good

The Bad

The Truth