Cladwell vs. Whering
Ever since the moment we all saw Cher Horowitz (of the iconic 90s film, Clueless) effortlessly scroll through her very own closet on her dinosaur of a dial-up desktop computer, the concept of a digital wardrobe has been permanently stuck in our collective consciousness.
While the technology may have seemed a distant dream back then, almost 30 years later we now have several wardrobe apps to choose from that accomplish everything that Cher’s version did - and even more!
If you feel you have nothing to wear, or that nothing you own goes together…or, if you just tend to hit that snooze button five too many times, then you need a wardrobe app. But, which one to choose?
In this article we will be comparing two wardrobe apps: Cladwell and Whering. They have very different features so we recommend prioritizing what matters most to you. But if compromising isn’t really your thing, we might have something in the back for you.
What Is a Wardrobe App?
A wardrobe app is a platform that allows you to digitally organize your clothes. All wardrobe apps allow you to upload images of your clothes, usually through a DIY method but some apps also offer services to make this process easier. You can use your digital wardrobe to combine items into new outfit combinations to see how they look without having to make a mess of your closet, or pre-plan outfits ahead of time for no-stress mornings.
But, it doesn’t stop there! Most apps offer additional features beyond cataloging and outfit styling, but these features will vary from app to app. For example, Whering has a clearly Clueless-inspired feature to shuffle your clothes into new outfits while Cladwell gives you a ready made capsule wardrobe blueprint. Many apps also offer simple analytics on your wardrobe data, and organizational features like packing lists to help you prepare for any upcoming trips.
Read more about how wardrobe apps make life easier and all the top options, reviewed and ranked
Why a Wardrobe App Makes Life Easier
Most of us are all too familiar with “the clothes chair”, or “the clothes corner”, or wherever it is that you leave the clothes that accumulate throughout the week as you try on an endless amount of outfits for every occasion. For any woman with a wardrobe app, this is but a distant memory. With a wardrobe app, you can effortlessly scroll through your closet and plan your outfits while laying in bed or drinking your morning coffee.
With all these ready-made outfits, it feels easy to find an outfit you like each morning. Say goodbye to not knowing what to wear because you have “nothing to wear” and say hello to not knowing what to wear because you have too many amazing options!
And if you ever run out of your own outfit ideas, many apps can offer you new styling suggestions. This can either be done by a computer generated algorithm or better yet, by a real stylist that can give you a fresh perspective on your clothes.
Beyond simple outfit planning, the increased visibility of a wardrobe app is also key to actually using your entire wardrobe - either by reminding you of all the great pieces you already have, or by nudging you to realize what items you aren’t wearing (but that someone else might!).
Cladwell vs. Whering: Compared
| Whering | Cladwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Free to download |  |
|
| Available on iOS | |
|
| Available on Android | |
|
| Automatic background removal | |
|
| Outfit planner | |
Yes, one free outfit per day |
| Cost-per-wear tracker | |
Yes, with $7.99 monthly subscription |
| Outfit recommendations | Created with random "shuffle" or AI | Created with ChatGPT |
| Human personal styling services |  |
$49 per month (via email and text) |
Summary:
Get started quickly by using a pre-loaded ‘capsule wardrobe’ as a stand-in, and replace with photos of your actual wardrobe over time
For free, you can: build, schedule and track one outfit a day. You’ll also get one free algorithmically-generated outfit recommendation per day and 5 messages per month to “Ask Cladwell” (powered by ChatGPT)
Upgrade to $7.99 a month to get unlimited access to outfits, view wardrobe analytics, organize clothes into ‘mini-capsules’, and 50 messages per month to “Ask Cladwell” (powered by ChatGPT)
Upgrade to $49 a month to add access to a human stylist via text or email
Spotty background removal, and no connection to resale
Free to download, available on both iOS & Android
The Cladwell app has gone all-in on AI, using a ChatGPT plug-in to attempt to emulate otherwise expensive human styling services. It is also quite centered around the idea of having a “capsule wardrobe” (likely, as a way to help focus the algorithm…) so if that is an appealing concept for you, this may be a good choice.
Unlike every other wardrobe app, Cladwell doesn’t have you start with cataloging your own wardrobe. The Cladwell app heavily encourages you to select from one of over thirty pre-built “capsule wardrobes”, and your Cladwell wardrobe is automatically populated with these generic items. You can then replace similar items with those from your actual wardrobe by uploading your own photos.
But, even when uploading your own photos, the app continues to encourage you to select from a pre-existing library of “similar” item images instead! Cladwell *claims* that they have automatic background removal, but we struggled to get it to work properly.
Overall, it feels like a bit of a battle just to build a digital wardrobe of your own actual items! If this is important to you, then Cladwell may not be the best choice.
Once you have created “your wardrobe” you can build, schedule and track one outfit a day for free, and receive one algorithmically suggested outfit from Cladwell based on the weather.
If you’re a big fan of Siri, you’ll also like Cladwell’s most recent feature: Ask Cladwell. Like a built-in Siri for your wardrobe, you can ask the ChatGPT plug-in questions like: “where can I buy the best linen clothes?” or “what should I wear to a date?”. A cool idea in theory, but there’s a bit of an execution issue (more on that later). You can send 5 messages a month with Cladwell’s free plan.
For access to all app features, such as unlimited outfit planning, mini-capsules and more AI generated outfits, you can upgrade to a $7.99 monthly subscription. If you would like a more human touch, you can pay $49 per month to reach a stylist by email or text.
Our opinion on Cladwell:
Cladwell is placing its bet on the benefits of AI-generated outfit styling, which…we’re just not sure is much of a benefit. At least, not yet.
The problem as we see it is that style is more art than science - it’s very subjective, and very personal. And so, if we are often struggling to speak intelligently with Siri about the weather, is it realistic to believe that a machine can generate truly good outfits?
While ChatGPT has shocked the world with its early capabilities, it is also often wildly inaccurate - in all areas! ChatGPT was not trained visually on well-styled outfits, but rather on the collective group-think of generalized style advice from the internet. And, there is a lot of truly useless advice out there! Add to this the fact that it is trying to translate that advice onto your items given only a few basic tags (think: category and color) and…the outfit suggestions can leave a lot to be desired.
So while this technology can “style” many people for free, in the end it doesn’t really style anyone. There is no one-size-fits-all capsule wardrobe, nor is there any one-size-fits-all style recommendation.
Several users corroborate these shortcomings in their App Store reviews, complaining that most outfits don’t quite go together. Additionally, users have noted that the app seems to completely ignore some of the clothes in their wardrobe which - in our opinion - defeats the purpose of having a digital wardrobe to maximize what you own.
Who Cladwell is for:
The Cladwell app could be for you if you greatly prioritize ease in getting a digital wardrobe up-and-running and are willing to take the good with the bad when it comes to AI-generated outfits. With its reliance on generic stock imagery and instant ChatGPT recommendations, it’s perfect for anyone looking for a wardrobe app that requires a minimum effort…as long as you’re okay receiving just about the same back.
Whering
Summary:
Catalog your wardrobe with automatic background removal and assisted tagging or add items from Whering’s item database
Build unlimited outfits from your own wardrobe for free, use the “Dress Me” feature for randomized suggestions, or try Whering’s AI-generated outfits
Schedule outfits, curate lookbooks of items, and build packing lists
No option for professional styling
Free to download, available on both iOS & Android
Whering is a UK-based wardrobe app that delivers a good user experience for anyone looking for the basics of a digital wardrobe: visualizing your clothes and building outfits.
You build your digital wardrobe by uploading photos with automatic background removal, and the app scans your photo to automatically tag it with attributes like category and color. This can make the whole process feel a little magical, but can also be quite frustrating when Whering gets it wrong.
Once your wardrobe is digitized, there’s plenty you can do to organize it: create unlimited free outfits, schedule them in a calendar planner, or build packing lists and curated lookbooks. Whering also offers two ways to generate outfits automatically. The “Dress Me” feature produces randomized looks—fun in a shuffle-the-deck kind of way—while their newer AI-generated outfits attempt to suggest more intentional styling. The AI feature is a clever idea, but the results often feel a bit random and disconnected from your personal style, which can make it less useful for day-to-day getting dressed.
Whering is free to download on both iOS and Android.
Our opinion on Whering
Whering’s app feels slick at first glance, and they’ve built a solid digital wardrobe that’s great if your main goal is to upload your clothes and build outfits on your own. Beyond that, though, the vision feels a little unfocused.
There are plenty of features, but not all of them feel especially purposeful. The randomized “Dress Me” shuffle is fun in theory, but not much better than grabbing clothes at random from your closet. Their newer AI outfit generator is clever, but the suggestions often feel disjointed from your personal style, which can make it more novelty than an everyday tool.
To their credit, Whering offers all of these features for free. But that raises a bigger question: how is the business sustaining itself? If the product is free, chances are the user is the product. At some point, something’s got to give—and without clarity on what that is, it may come as a nasty surprise to users down the road.
Who Whering is for:
If you always find something to wear and have no problem styling your wardrobe, then this is the app for you. The design of their digital wardrobe and outfit builder is one of the best out there. But if you often find yourself stressed figuring out what to wear, keep scrolling.
If neither of these options are sounding just-right for you, let us introduce you to a secret third option: Indyx (oh hey, that’s us!). We’re here to revolutionize how you get dressed by creating a holistic wardrobe ecosystem designed to help you maximize the pieces you already own through bespoke personal styling services combined with a built-in digital resale platform.
Introducing: Indyx
We built Indyx to solve your real, everyday wardrobe problems with one integrated solution. We’re not just a place to play around with outfit moodboards (although, we can definitely do that, too!) - we’re a platform where you can actually use your digital wardrobe to get 1:1 human support with curation and styling and directly resell whatever is no longer serving you.
Like every wardrobe app, the journey starts with digitally cataloging your wardrobe. You just can’t get around that. Our best-in-class background removal makes that relatively easy (dare I say, oddly satisfying?)…but let’s be honest that it can still be a big PITA. That’s why we offer a service to completely take care of this step for you.
While being able to build outfits from your couch is great, you know what’s better? An expert personal stylist building those outfits for you, and helping you thoughtfully build your wardrobe with new pieces selected just-for-you.
My personal favorite feature? Peeking into other people’s wardrobes. That’s right, you can scroll through friends’ or strangers' wardrobes and even put in offers for any pieces you really like. It satisfies all of our inner voyeuristic tendencies while also being an ideal system to borrow clothes from friends instead of buying a new dress for every work event or third cousin’s wedding.
Now, let’s get a little more objective on everything Indyx has to offer (or not).
Summary:
Digitize unlimited items on your own with AI-powered background removal or hire an Indyx Archivist to catalog your wardrobe for you
Build unlimited outfits and plan packing lists or other collections
Add your outfits to a calendar to automatically track cost-per-wear
Upgrade to the Indyx Insider membership to unlock premium features, including an in-depth analytics dashboard, a customizable wardrobe display, and the ability for friends and other Indyx users to send you outfits right in the app
Get Lookbooks styled by a real stylist of your choice (using your real wardrobe!) starting at $150
Free to download, available on both iOS & Android
Indyx’s mission is to unlock the potential of what you already own, and that’s made possible with the app’s impressive set of integrated features. It’s the only platform that combines digital cataloging and human personal styling in one place.
Indyx is a free wardrobe app that makes it simple to digitize your closet with an intuitive interface and AI-powered background removal that keeps your digital wardrobe looking clean and organized. And if cataloging sounds like a chore, their unique service The Catalog can send a professional Archivist to your home to do the work for you (check the app for pricing and locations).
On the free plan, you get everything you need to manage your wardrobe digitally: unlimited items, unlimited outfits, and all the basics to stay organized. Plan outfits, track cost-per-wear, and create packing lists right away. For many, that’s more than enough.
For those who want to take things further, the Insider membership unlocks a whole new dimension of Indyx. Among other things, you’ll get a detailed analytics dashboard and a customizable wardrobe display, plus two of the most-loved features: the ability to log outfit selfies and get styled by others. Sharing your closet is free, but with Insider, you can receive full outfits built from your wardrobe, either from your friends or from Indyx’s community of creative, friendly users who love sending outfit ideas. It’s a fresh way to see your wardrobe through new eyes and spark ideas you’d never think of on your own…all without buying a single new thing.
If you’re feeling unsure about your style, Indyx also offers tools and services to help. Take the free in-app Style Quiz to articulate your aesthetic, dive into the free Style Workshop content series, or work 1:1 with a real stylist for personalized outfit ideas and shopping recommendations. The Lookbook service delivers 10 outfits styled entirely from your closet (with a few suggestions for additions, if requested!) and is Indyx’s most popular offering.
Looking ahead, Indyx has a larger vision to incorporate resale directly into the platform. Listing items on Poshmark or Depop can be a pain—but because your wardrobe is already digitized in Indyx, you’ll eventually be able to list items on their marketplace with just a few clicks. Genius.
Altogether, Indyx goes beyond other options to become one of the best wardrobe apps for outfit planning and personal style development. It’s the only app that’s solved the hurdle of closet digitization with professional cataloging, while also offering expert guidance (from stylists and friends!) on how to get the most out of what you already own.
Indyx is free and available on both the App Store and Google Play.
