Celebrity Stylist Karla Welch Basically Created the Real-Life Version of Cher’s Closet From Clueless
If we had a dollar for every time we struggled to find something to wear, well, let's just say we'd really be rolling in dough. That panicked feeling we get when nothing in our closet is working out is all too familiar — and celebrity stylist Karla Welch, who dresses the likes of Tracee Ellis Ross, Busy Philipps, and Kaitlyn Dever, is on a mission to fix all that.
Welch recently launched Wishi, an app that, essentially, gives everyone the celebrity styling treatment, pairing users with their own personal expert who not only creates a moodboard and suggests items to purchase, but also helps them put together what they already have.
"I've always, always been hit up for like, 'Should I buy this? What's the best jean for me? What do I wear to this meeting? I'm stuck — what the hell do I wear on vacation?'" she explained to InStyle when speaking about her new endeavor. "And I was just like, 'There has to be a way to bring this kind of thing to a mass level.'"
The dream became a reality once a friend introduced Welch to her business partner and co-founder, Clea Harroch O’hana, who had the technology to create what the stylist wanted.
“It follows this system where we kind of onboard and ask questions exactly like I ask the celebrities and clients that I work with," she explained about the process. "Then we'll pair you with a stylist. You get three choices, and all the stylists are personal stylists, so they really understand what's available in the world. They can pull from any online store and also your closet. After you're paired up, you literally start texting them within the app, and they send you a mood board, or you can upload what's in your closet, which is easy to do."
If it sounds like a dream come true, that's because it is. Even the app's name itself comes from the phrase "wish i," as in, "Wish this sort of thing existed." (Like, doesn't it kind of remind you of the closet from Clueless?) Now, thankfully, it does.
Of course, all good things come with a price, and Wishi will set you back $40 per month — $90 if you decide to go for the more intense Wishi service, which is basically for those who want a full overhaul of their closet. Those price tags, however, will also give users access to tips from Welch herself, who plans to include editorial-like content and recruit the help of other pros in the biz (and, possibly, even her clients).
“We have all sorts of things coming," she revealed. "People want all this information, so we'll share what's in our kits and things that we love. It's not just going to be my point of view. It's going to be lots of people you trust and love, and them telling their stories, and what they've learned as well."
Sounds like a good deal to us.
