- ChatGPT can act as a personal stylist and provide recommendations on outfits, hair, and makeup.
- I asked the AI to help me with my outfits and hair for certain events I had.
Remember the scene from the 1995 film "Clueless" when Cher uses a computer to select her outfit for the day, and, if it's wrong, the computer comes back with a big "MIS-MATCH!" pop-up. When the outfit is just right, the computer uses an image of her to dress her head-to-toe in the selected outfit.
When the movie debuted, this idea, a novelty, was just that — an idea. But now, with Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence research firm Open AI's chatbot that launched in November 2022, ChatGPT, this idea is closer to reality. Just two months after its launch, ChatGPT surpassed 100 million active users. The famed chatbot operates by analyzing heaps of text data to learn the patterns and structures of human language, which it then uses to generate new text based on prompts or questions. The bot gets smarter the more you talk to it.
Although the bot cannot supply photos of items in my wardrobe, nor can it show me a visual of what I would look like in the outfit, it can make recommendations based on my style, weekly schedule, and personal preferences for what outfit I should sport and how to style my hair and makeup for the day.
I asked ChatGPT to be my personal stylist
I told ChatGPT to "Act as a personal stylist." It subsequently asked me questions about the look I was going for, my personal style, and if I had any events or occasions coming up. I responded that my style was clean, professional, bright, and vibrant and that I love bright colors like cobalt blue and orange. Then I gave the bot the rundown of my events for the week — a family dinner, a comedy show with mom, a date night, a work-from-home day, and a trip into the office.
Based on the information it provided, it advised me to wear a colorful blouse and a pencil skirt with comfortable heels to my family dinner; a bright, printed dress for a comedy show with my mom; a bright dress for a date with my boyfriend (which I then regenerated for another option and received advice to wear a tailored pant and sweater); a sweater and leggings for a work-from-home day; and a skirt and patterned blouse and classic blazer for a day in the office.
Then I asked for help with my hair and makeup
I also asked ChatGPT to make recommendations for my hair and makeup styles for each outfit. I always tend to wear my hair the same — down and wavy — so this punched up my morning routine. For my family dinner, it advised me to wear a classic blowout and coral lipstick; for my comedy show with mom, it advised me to wear loose waves or a messy updo (which would have been difficult with short hair); for a date night, it advised me to wear a smoky eye and neutral lips; for working from home, it advised to keep things simple with a low ponytail and simple makeup; and for a day in the office, the chatbot suggested a sleek low ponytail and a confident red lip.
It didn't take into full account the length of my hair when it made its original suggestions, so I told it I had short hair and asked it to revise its recommendations. You can always ask the bot to refine its answers based on more information. For the comedy show, I wore my hair in a sleek, polished lob. For my date night, I used the revision and wore my hair half up and half down with a bedazzled hairpin in the back.
The results were surprising
For a nice family dinner, ChatGPT recommended a flowy blouse, pencil skirt, statement necklace, and heels. It elevated what I would have normally worn, but it didn't take into account the Chicago windchill. I was a little cold walking from the car to the restaurant that night. I switched up my hair routine and gave myself a blowout, which was a fun touch to the night.
For a night out with my mom at a comedy show, ChatGPT recommended a bright printed dress with wedges or strappy sandals. I responded that it would be too cold for that, and the bot recommended dark tights, a denim jacket, and ankle boots. I switched up my hair again — this time a straight lob, which was a fun twist. I also did a smoky eye per the bot's advice. My outfit without ChatGPT would have been a grandma-chic dress covered up by the same olive green overcoat that I always wear. I realized that when describing the events I was going to, it wouldn't hurt to also state the climate in the area for more accurate recommendations.
For a date night with my boyfriend, ChatGPT recommended a bold dress in blue or orange. Unfortunately, this wasn't the "Clueless" computer, and the bot didn't know that I didn't have those items in my closet. A handy trick — you can always click "Regenerate response," and it will spit out a completely different recommendation on par with your previously outlined style guidelines. I did that and wore a fun tailored pants with a sweater, leather jacket, statement necklace, and heels.
I am not on camera much, so my usual work-from-home style is "athleisure" wear, but ChatGPT recommended I look a little more polished in a sweater and leggings with my hair pulled back in a ponytail. It helped me feel more professional all day long and helped me feel at ease in case there were a surprise video chat call from my boss. (Yikes.)
Per Chat GPT's recommendation, I wore a skirt, printed blouse, blazer, and simple gold jewelry to the office. I also wore my hair in a sleek low ponytail rather than my usual look, which is down and wavy. I received many compliments on my appearance from friends at the office that day.
The future is here
Using Chat GPT as a personal stylist can be a fun and helpful way to elevate your style and create a more enjoyable morning routine. Although it takes some time and effort to input your personal preferences and schedule, the results provide immeasurable value. By providing tailored recommendations for outfits, hair, and makeup, Chat GPT can help you step out of your fashion comfort zone and try new things.
While we all still patiently wait for the artificial intelligence machine that will know exactly what is in your closet, what the weather is, and the length of your hair automatically to make the most accurate recommendations, ChatGPT's "act as a personal stylist" function seems to be the closest thing to Cher's outfit planning software in "Clueless."