Writing a brief — String Hopper

How a lens works

When you run a lens, the model gets three things: your brief, today's season, and your closet as a plain list — one line per piece. The model answers with pieces from that list, and the app shows them. The model cannot use a piece that is not on the list.

Results depend on how much each line contains. A piece with colours, a fabric, seasons and tags gives the model more to use than a piece with only a name.

Three result shapes

Every lens you write returns one of three shapes. The app picks the shape when it analyzes your brief and shows it on the review screen as Result shape — so state the one you want.

Shape	You get	Words that select it
A look	One outfit of two to five pieces, a note on why it works, and one or two alternates.	build a look, an outfit for, dress me for
A capsule	A set of six to ten pieces and up to three ways to combine them.	capsule, mix and match, interchangeable, a small set, travel
An edit	Two to four pieces to reconsider, each with a short reason and a flag.	declutter, edit down, let go, trim, pare back

If the review screen shows the wrong shape, click Revise and use one of those words.

What a lens can read about each piece

Name“Olive crewneck”

Colour & familysage, denim, peach, honey, cream, ink

Categorytops, bottoms, outer, dresses

Fabriccotton, linen, wool, silk, denim…

Seasonsspring, summer, fall, winter

Brandthe label it's from

Your tagseveryday, statement, cozy…

Colour families. Every piece is sorted into one of six families by its main colour: sage & olive, denim, peach & clay, honey & mustard, cream & ivory, ink & charcoal. Use those family names in a brief when you refer to colour.

Fabrics. Cotton, linen, wool, silk, denim, fleece, leather, synthetic, corduroy, knit.

What it can't read — and what to say instead

If your brief asks for one of these, the review screen lists it under I can't do this — yet. You can still save the lens, but it won't have that information.

How often you wear thingsString Hopper doesn't track wear frequency.Tag the pieces you wear often — “everyday”, “workhorse” — and refer to that tag in the brief.

When you last wore a pieceThere's no record of when you last wore something.Tag unworn pieces yourself, then refer to that tag in the brief.

Your outfit historyThere's no outfit log to read.Describe the outfits you like in the brief.

Fit, size or how it flatters youThe app does not record size or fit for a piece, and it does not know your measurements.Use words for shape, such as “structured” or “breezy”, as tags.

Your calendar or the weatherThe app can't see your calendar or a forecast.Describe the occasion in words — “a dinner out, cool evening” — or use the Planner, which asks.

Phrasing a brief

Say the shape. “Build a look…”, “A capsule of…”, “Help me declutter…”. The shape is the most important part of the brief.
Name the fields. Write “linen and cotton only”, not “something light”. Write “pieces tagged cozy”, not “comfy stuff”.
Add one limit. “One accent colour at most.” “Two bottoms at most.” “Nothing that only works in one outfit.”
Say what to leave out. “No denim blues and no ink” is easier to follow than a long list of what's allowed.
Ask for the reasoning. “Tell me which family you chose and why” gets you an explanation in the note.
One purpose per lens. Make two lenses rather than one lens with two purposes.
Skip tone instructions. The app already sets the model's tone. Use the brief for the rule.

A worked example

A vague brief:

Cottage-core weekends

This runs, but the model has to guess what it means for your pieces. Add fields, a limit and the shape:

Build a cottage-core weekend look: earthy and soft, in sage, honey and cream. Linen, cotton and knit only. Layer one piece over another, and keep anything tagged structured out of it.

On the review screen you'd expect to see something like:

I can do this

Pair pieces in sage, honey and cream
Favour linen, cotton and knit
Leave out pieces tagged structured

Result shape A look

If that matches what you meant, click Looks good. If not, Revise and reword it.

Changing a lens later

You cannot edit a saved lens. To change it, open the lens, choose Delete lens, and create it again with the new wording. Deleting a lens also deletes its saved result. It does not change your pieces.