December 29, 2025

From Closet App to Trusted AI Stylist: Lila’s Year in Review

A year ago, Lila looked very different.

She started as a closet app — a place to organize what you already owned, make sense of your wardrobe, and reduce decision fatigue.

It was a good idea. But it wasn’t the right one.

What we learned quickly was that people didn’t just want to catalog their clothes. They wanted guidance. They wanted help deciding what to wear, how to style it, and how to feel confident walking into moments that mattered.

That insight changed everything.

The Shift: From Storage to Styling

Over the past year, Lila evolved from a closet-based product into something much closer to what users were actually asking for: a trusted AI stylist.

That meant making some big changes:

• Moving from static closet management → dynamic styling support

• Letting go of rigid quizzes → embracing conversational AI

• Prioritizing context, vibes, and real-world events over filters and forms

Instead of asking users to “fill things out,” Lila started listening.

And with that shift, the product became more human.

Building an AI Stylist (Not Just an AI Tool)

We didn’t want Lila to feel like another AI-powered feature layered onto an existing workflow.

We wanted her to feel like:

• someone who understands why you’re dressing up

• someone who can ask the right follow-up questions

• someone who helps you decide — not overwhelms you with options

That meant rethinking the experience from the ground up.

What does it mean to trust an AI stylist? What makes recommendations feel thoughtful instead of generic? How do you reduce friction while still honoring personal taste?

Those questions shaped every iteration.

Showing Up Before We Felt “Ready”

This year was also the first time we started sharing Lila publicly.

We went from:

• zero pitches → pitching at live events

• building quietly → putting the product in front of real people

• early ideas → placing 3rd at a pitch event (while our founder was very determined not to get bronchitis again)

What mattered most wasn’t the placement — it was the validation that the idea resonated.

People understood the problem immediately. They saw themselves in it. They wanted this to exist.

That gave us the confidence to keep going.

Where We Are Now: Alpha, at Last

After a lot of iteration, hard decisions, and rebuilding, we’re excited to say:

Lila now has a strong Alpha.

It’s not perfect — and it’s not meant to be. But it is intentional.

The Alpha reflects what we’ve learned so far:

• start with conversation, not configuration

• guide before recommending

• reduce time-to-confidence, not just time-to-click

As we head into the new year, we’re opening this Alpha to a small group of friends and early users.

An Invitation

If you’ve ever:

• stood in front of your closet feeling overwhelmed

• wanted guidance instead of endless scrolling

• wished style discovery felt more personal and less transactional

We’d love your feedback.

Lila is still becoming who she’s meant to be — and the next version will be shaped by the people who use her.

We’re excited to finally let you in.

More coming soon ✨

—

Maria is the founder of Lila the Stylist — building AI that actually gets your vibe. She writes about product building, AI, and the chaos of turning inspiration into something real.

Follow her on LinkedIn for product building, emotional design, and occasional sass.💁🏻‍♀️