Pureple

Top 5 Phone Apps!

rrr“This is the era of technology! No one can deny it!

It’s the time for smartphones, iPhones, apps, phones that do everything and anything!

And you might as well take the best out of it!!
So today I decided to do a top 5 phone apps that I love, because …”
says Ella and Cate on their wonderful blog “Randomly Random – My Life”. Please click for the rest of the story:

Top 5 Phone Apps

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Frequently Asked Trivia Questions

Q: Did you misspell purple? Why did you name the app Pureple?

A: No. Well, yes and no. Although it’s not uncommon we misspell certain words, purple was not one of them. We had to misspell it to be able to register a domain name (www.pureple.com) as purple.com was taken long ago. Purple is the color our daughter, then 4 year old, was fascinated with. We wanted to include her to this new night and weekend project mom & dad is talking about passionately for hours. Now 6 years old, she draws some of the art we use in marketing. Soon you might see some on the blog.

Q: Is it the movie ‘Clueless’ what inspired you for writing Pureple?

A: No, we wish we did watch ‘Clueless’ before writing Pureple. We found out about it from dear Pureplers after Pureple was released. Then we watched the Cher’s closet scene over and over. It’s so much fun to be associated with.

Q: Now a serious question. What sets Pureple apart from other similar apps?

A: Two among others raises to the top:

  • Our Suggestion engine, which learns user’s style over time and suggests full outfits from your own closet.
  • You do not have to take pictures of what you own to build your wardrobe. Pureple finds the images for you from the web. This allows building your wardrobe anywhere, when you get a chance. Plus, you usually get professional pictures. It also remembers where you added an item from, in case you’d like to go back and find out more about it.

Q: Do you use Pureple yourself?

A: Yes! We all do. Last I checked, I had 481 items and hundreds of outfits in my Pureple closet. With kids and busy work, that’s the only way I am able to plan my outfits. It helped me realize that first, I have too much items, most of them unused, yet, if I could find/see the right item at right time, I’d love to use them. Next, even though I am an organization freak, I both lack the time and a big enough closet to perfectly organize. With the technology we have right now, it is not only super easy digitally, it is also possible to organize in incredible ways e.g. all the different ways I can wear an item. Now I can get out of the house feeling pretty good about how I look even if I had only 5 minutes.

3 simple questions to help decide – keep it or let go?

As spring approaches fast, most of us will find ourself editing our wardrobes. While the old good rules of let go of the items that no longer fit, that are stained or show other kind of wear or tear e.g, holes or piles, here are three additional questions to help take wardrobe editing further:

1- Do I love it?
2- Is it flattering?
3- Is it inline with the image I’d like to present, who I am, what I want to be?

Ultimate goal: a more organized wardrobe that better expresses ourselves, communicates a clearer message to the world and save precious minutes from our morning routine.
Happy spring :)

Wardrobe Help

I’ve installed Pureple. Now what?

Awesome!! Now you can start building your digital closet by adding your own clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup etc.

Do not forget to check the main menu on top left. In main menu, you will find options to create outfits, have Pureple suggest outfits for you, add outfits to Pureple calendar, check statistics on your wardrobe, make packing lists and check out Community to see inspiring looks.

How can I add my own clothes to Pureple?

You could add your own clothes & shoes & accessories & makeup & hairstyles etc. using the Add button on title bar. It gives four options to add an item: From our Wizard, web, by taking a photo or using existing ones from your photo library.

Although it takes a bit of getting used to, we recommend adding from wizard and web in the long run.

To add from Wizard:

  1. When you are on the ‘Wardrobe’ view, tap on ‘Add’ in the title bar
  2. Tap on ‘Wizard’. you will see a list of wardrobe staples.
  3. Tap on the ones that you have to select them.
  4. Tap ‘Done’ when you are done to easily add them to your wardobe.

To add from Web Page:

  1. When you are on the ‘Wardrobe’ view, tap on ‘Add’ in the title bar
  2. Tap on ‘Web Page’
  3. Type the description of the item you’d like to add e.g. “Gap skinny jeans”. (Tip: a description containing brand, color, style, item type usually return what you are looking for)
  4. This will search for the item you are looking for.
  5. If you see the item you are looking for, tap on “+” to add . Then tap on the item you’d like to add to your wardrobe. (PS: make sure to check the tip below)
  6. Next, you’ll be presented the ‘crop’ screen. Adjust the image frame to crop if you’d like to. You can skip this step is no cropping is needed.
  7. Next, you’ll be presented the ‘erase background’ screen. Adjust the sliding bar to erase the background. You can skip this step, too.
  8. The item is added to your wardrobe. Tap on another item and repeat from step 6 or go back to search for another item using the ‘<‘ back button.

Tip: How to pick the best quality photo of my item? How to add an item that appear way in the bottom of search results?

To add from Camera:

  1. When you are in ‘Wardrobe’ view, tap on ‘Add’ in the title bar. Then tap on ‘Camera’
  2. Capture the photo of your item
  3. Next, you’ll be presented the ‘crop’ screen. Adjust the image frame to crop if you’d like to. You can skip this step is no cropping is needed.
  4. Next, you’ll be presented the ‘erase background’ screen. Adjust the sliding bar to erase the background. You can skip this step, too.
  5. The item is added to your wardrobe. Now you can set the category of the item and fill in other details you’d like to add.
  6. Go back to the ‘Wardrobe’ view via ‘<‘ back button

To add from Photo Library:

  1. When you are on the ‘Wardrobe’ view, tap on ‘Add’ in the title bar. Then tap on ‘Photo Library’.
  2. Select the photo(s) you’d like to add. Then tap ‘Done’.
  3. Next, you’ll be asked if you’d like to add them under a specific category or under ‘Not Categorized’.
  4. The items are now added to your wardrobe. Now you can set the properties e.g. season, occasion, color, brand, size and if added as ‘Not Categorized’, the category of the items.
  5. Go back to the ‘Wardrobe’ view via ‘<‘ back button

Tips on taking photos for closet

  1. Laying the garment on the ground works better for heavy fabrics. Hanging on a wall works better for light fabrics.
  2. If laying on the ground, a hard (smooth) surface reduces shadows and produces better results. Hardwood floors, light color carpet, thick paper, mats are few ideas to try.
  3. If hanging, we use a clear pin used on cork boards on a light colored wall. And pick the wall that gets the best light.
  4. Using a clear plastic hanger such as the ones used in stores or a wood hanger makes hanger less noticeable. Pick a hanger properly sized and stick to the same hanger for consistency.
  5. Using the same background on all photos will help when they are used in an outfit together.
  6. If the background color is fairly different than the item’s own colors, background eraser does a better job erasing it. Especially for dark colored items on light color background.
  7. Last but maybe most important, taking the photo in daylight, in a well lit room. It makes a huge difference.
  8. Nothing beats the quality of a professionally taken photo, under best lighting and potentially Photoshopped. So please consider adding from web.
How can I delete an item?

You can easily delete item(s) in your closet via these two ways:

  1. To delete one item at a time:
    • Tap and open an item you’d like to delete. This should take you to the item details page.
    • Scroll down under the image till you see ‘Delete’.
    • Tap on ‘Delete’.
  2. Deleting multiple items at once:
    • Go to wardrobe view
    • Tap on the checkbox on top left corner of an item to select it. You can select multiple items.
    • Along with a check mark on the selected item, you will also see a blueish ‘settings icon’ that appears towards the bottom of the screen. Tap on the setting icon and you’ll be presented with options e.g. ‘Delete’ or ‘Categorize’.
    • Tap on ‘Delete’ in order to delete the selected items.

How can I set or change the category of an item?

Categories are generally intended to describe the function of an item. It can be high level e.g. ‘Top’, ‘Bottom’, ‘Shoes’ or can be more specific e.g. ‘Sandals’, ‘Pumps’, Sneakers’. Pureple comes with the most common fundamental categories defined. You can add your own categories (as many as you need) to suit your needs. You can also delete any category that you do not need.

When you add an item to your wardrobe from web, it is listed as ‘Not Categorized’. To set or edit the category of the item, there are two ways:

  1. To categorize one item at a time:
    • Tap and open an item you’d like to categorize. This should take you to the item details page.
    • Scroll down under the image till you see ‘Categories’.
    • Tap on ‘Categories’ and select the applicable categories for the item.
  2. Categorizing multiple items at once:
    • Go to wardrobe view
    • Tap on the checkbox on top left corner of an item to select it. You can select multiple items.
    • Along with a check mark on the selected item, you will also see a blueish ‘settings icon’ that appears towards the bottom of the screen. Tap on the setting icon and you’ll be presented with options e.g. ‘Delete’ or  Set ‘Category’, ‘Brand’ etc.
    • Tap on ‘Category’ and select the applicable categories for the items you’ve picked.

If the category for the item is missing from the default list, you can add it by tapping on ‘Add’ at the bottom of the list. Please see ‘How to add a custom category’ below for details. You can also delete unwanted category names here by tapping ‘Delete’ and then selecting category name to be deleted.

While categories are intended mainly for ‘function’, there is no restriction if you’d like to use them for a custom reason e.g. wishlist, inspiration, …  to make it work for you.

How can I add a custom category e.g. for Sweaters?

You can create a custom category for ‘Hair Styles’ and another for ‘Sweaters’ (another for jewelry etc..). To create a custom category, please:

  1. Go to ‘Wardrobe’ view
  2. Select any item in your wardrobe (e.g. a dress)
  3. Scroll down and tap on ‘Categories’
  4. Tap on  ‘Add’
  5. Type the category name e.g. Sweaters and tap on Add. The category is added now and you return to the item details view.
  6. Tap on categories again
  7. You’ll now see the category you’ve just added in the list. You can start using the newly added category just like the other categories.You can add as many category as you like.

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