The new virtual elegance: I let myself be dressed by ChatGPT

I always pictured AI as the robots in the movie “I, Robot” with Will Smith.

Finally in 2023, it looks more like this:

Conversational AIs have been part of our daily lives since the end of 2022. We have asked them to ask all the questions that came to mind. Let anyone who has never asked ChatGPT to write or shorten a text cast the first stone. They could have written this article for me, but I love my job too much for that.

AI is a great tool that can help us with many things, such as writing movies or series, dissertations or CVs. But in terms of fashion, what would it be like? Can ChatGPT serve as a personal stylist? How good would its advice be?

I used the free version of ChatGPT, which is 3.5 at the time of writing. Its knowledge extends to September or October 2021. That was more than enough to perform this experiment.

I would like to point out that I only considered his first, raw answer. I never asked him to make another suggestion. In order to get the most authentic answers possible, I provided him with some personal information, such as my body shape, height, age, and taste in clothing.

When you're looking to build the foundations of your wardrobe, you have several solutions in 2023:

• Ask for personalized advice from a salesperson or personal shopper;
• Find out about a specialist media outlet (hello Bonne Gueule);
• Ask an AI

But will his suggestions and advice be relevant?

Let's start gently with a simple, basic question. I wanted to know the set of pieces that a man should have in his wardrobe.

ChatGPT has a nice assortment of pieces. However, his answers are vague and general . He doesn't recommend any particular materials, other than wool or cotton for a sweater, or a specific number of these basics to have. Of course, I could have specified that in the question.

Chatty does, however, specify several times to invest in quality clothing, but this notion remains vague .

The AI's response is rather flat, but still has the merit of providing a foothold. I could see Chatty having a versatile outfit to adapt to all situations (like what he does with us in fact), where he would wear a casual white shirt, fitted jeans (and selvedge, let's be crazy) and a nice pair of minimalist white sneakers.

For our part, you can find our advice for building the foundations of your wardrobe in our article here:

The recommendations are more detailed and concrete, while offering some outfit ideas. In summary, we proposed:

• Seven tops : whether polo shirts, t-shirts or shirts, with versatile colours such as white, grey, ecru, navy blue.
• Three pairs of pants : a warm pair (usually wool); a lighter pair like chinos that will work well for both formal and casual wear; and a pair of raw jeans. As for the colors, we recommend dark blue/indigo for the jeans, dark blue, medium gray or olive green for the other pants.
• One or two heavy knits : you will be spoiled for choice on this point. It could be a turtleneck, a cardigan, a round neck sweater … or even a fleece ! If you like sheepskin. To match them easily, choose neutral colors like beige, taupe or brown.
• Two or three light sweaters : let your imagination run wild! Sweatshirt, sweater… that you can layer with heavy knits.
• Two pairs of shoes : the same goes for the pairs, treat yourself. The idea is that they are versatile so you can wear them all year round.
• Two outerwear (ie jackets and coats): coat, jacket or parka for winter; jacket for warmer days.

I notice that ChatGPT mainly offers fitted clothing and in particular pants and jeans. However, straight pants have their place in a wardrobe.

Chatty answers the question well. The advice given is relevant and concrete, highlighting the versatility and timelessness of the piece.

We could qualify his last argument : there is more to life than thick denim! When you buy jeans, the goal is not to look for the thickest possible fabric. A heavier fabric can be a criterion of quality, but it is not a guarantee, and it is certainly not the only criterion.

For example, we will recommend:

• for summer: a light canvas, from 9 to 11 Oz (note: derived from ounce, Anglo-Saxon unit);
• for four-season jeans - the most common fabric -: 11 to 13 Oz;
• for mid-season and/or winter: 13 to 16 Oz.

I'll stop there on the enumerations, but know that there are thicker canvases. If you want more details, it will be right here !

Here, AI creates two schools of thought on the choice of jeans, without providing any further insight: on one side, fitted jeans are relegated to casual occasions; on the other, straight jeans are more versatile and suited to more casual work environments.

The choice of jeans is made according to the morphology , comfort and preferences of each person . Whether for everyday life or professional life (in a casual environment or not), both cuts are suitable : the concept of versatility applies to each case.

AI completely misses this notion of morphology while it is essential. Dressing well is first of all knowing your own body . And Jordan was talking about it right here .

Raw canvases are more suitable for slightly (too) serious professional environments, but faded jeans will also add a bit of color to your life.

Personally, I have rather thin legs, I tend to favor semi-slim or carrot cut jeans (and pants) to show off my legs. Even if I am slowly starting to discover a certain love for straight cuts.

On this subject, David tells us about his conversion to straight pants:

To accompany the previous questions, I invented a morphology for myself and asked it a question that one might ask a fashion stylist.

It must be admitted that Chatty has given some good answers to this question , in particular on avoiding skinny jeans , the benefits of stretch , and the importance of trying them on in store if possible .

Similarly, with strong thighs, you should indeed favor cuts with more space at the thighs . But in this case… we are no longer quite on a slim or fitted cut! We arrive at carrot (or tapered) or straight cuts.

So in itself, an optimal answer should have been: “with good thighs, you should wear slightly wider pants (carrot or straight), which are therefore no longer necessarily pants described as “fitted” or “slim” by brands, but which will ultimately look adjusted to you.” But we agree that we are starting to quibble at this level!

As with jeans/pants, I needed Chatty to elaborate a little more on his take on shirts.

Once again, Chatty does pretty well.

On the cut, the collar, the colors and the patterns, he hits the mark .

On materials though, I don't think you can say that formal shirts are necessarily made from "high quality fabrics", but his other suggestions are spot on.

On the cuffs, it doesn't seem correct to me to say that formal shirts are designed to be worn with cufflinks. It does exist but it's rare. Most formal shirts have a classic buttoning on the sleeves. At a pinch, we could say that it's the formal shirts (which are worn with an evening outfit = a tuxedo) that often have cufflinks.

I would finally add another criterion that was forgotten by the AI: length . Formal shirts are generally longer than casual shirts.

So, if the description of the formal shirt is slightly improvable, for the casual shirt Chatty is at the top !

Nicolò was talking about casual shirts in his column " (Very) Well Dressed" :

Now, for those who already have a bit more experience with the issue of basics and quality, what would be the likely requests? Does ChatGPT have any personal opinions on clothing style or specific pieces?

After determining my body shape, height, eye and skin color, I asked her to give me some ideas for casual chic outfits. As a die-hard fan of this style, I particularly appreciate its versatility.

I asked the question without considering the season or the weather. But I now know how to dress every day thanks to him. I might even consider asking him every day to anticipate my outfits for the next day when I'm lacking inspiration.

This answer especially makes me realize that I am missing certain pieces to be at the peak of coolness.

The outfits offered are pretty solid on paper . They are simple combinations with basic pieces. We like the fact that there is a bit of variety: out of 4 looks, we find jeans, chinos and wool pants for example.

The advice on accessories seems a little more confusing to us:

• Look 1: Leather belt paired with white sneakers. Does that mean white belt? Not what we would recommend anyway.
• Look 2: Complementary color silk scarf. What does he mean by "complementary"?
• Look 4: “trendy metal sunglasses” is pretty vague though...

Casual chic is within everyone's reach, whether you're a novice or an expert. But there are certain pitfalls to avoid with this style, which is both accessible and complex to maintain.

His answer is quite interesting, and almost complete. It's all about the balance between formal and casual.

To complement Chatty's answer, we had already written an article which explained how to master the casual chic style .

The main pitfall that comes up is having an outfit that is too bland, with slightly dull colors. There is also the fact of only being comfortable with the basics, and missing out on other style possibilities.

In line with questions about style mistakes, I wanted to get Chatty's expert opinion on Birkenstocks. I asked the question innocently, because they've been everywhere these past few years. They're intriguing and divisive at the same time.

And you may not have known this, but the brand was bought in 2021 by the LVMH group (Louis Vuitton) for the modest sum of 4 billion euros. Just that. Not bad for a sandal, huh?

Since the question was more specific and inherent to a brand, Chatty was able to answer appropriately, and even gave an overview of his opinion. I actually tend to agree with him: I've heard of the legendary comfort, but indeed, the style is special. So special, that everyone has adopted them at the office! Real little crazy people.

Our Monsieur Panache also talks about his spiritual and stylistic journey which led him to this brand.

Now that I have my basics, outfit ideas and most importantly some Birkenstocks (well not right away, I'll wait until the next big vacation), I still have a few questions to ask our favorite AI.

If you follow ChatGPT's recommendations to the letter, I hope for your sake that you have the budget. Most of its brands are luxury or designer, in addition to having a style and spirit that is asserted to them.

These brands are mainly aimed at those who have their basics and who wish to go further in their clothing quest . They offer a complete wardrobe, most often unstructured and/or oversized pieces.

The choice of materials, the quality and their finishing are generally good, even if some disappointments can occur. Jacquemus, for example, has been criticized for multiple design flaws. This should be put into perspective in my opinion, since the brand is still growing and faces strong demand.
We also gave our opinion on AMI Paris .

To complement ChatGPT's answer, I asked a few members of the editorial team for their thoughts on the matter:

In line with their opinion, I took the opportunity to ask about promising trends in fashion, and to recommend brands that are moving in this direction.

The leads proposed by Chatty seem coherent to us.

Yes, the criteria of ethics, sustainability and quality are very current subjects.

Interestingly, minimalist and retro trends are also mentioned, which indeed have their place in today's style landscape.

Regarding connected textiles and augmented reality, we are not quite there yet, but maybe it will come!

His answers are pragmatic and in line with the current issues of the textile industry , which tends to evolve in order to respond to consumers' desire to consume better.

It is always difficult to certify the “sustainable” nature of a brand because it is an extremely complex subject . But to talk about a brand that we know well, Loom , can indeed be called a sustainable brand. The collection is tight with few new models. The brand regularly talks about its limits on its blog, offers slightly defective models at a reduced price in its Parisian boutique, etc.

It is also interesting to note that Chatty knows this brand, which does not have a large advertising presence and remains rather confidential .

We also tend to move towards more and more timeless clothes, so that we can wear them for as long as possible without getting tired of them too quickly. And without sacrificing each person's personal expression.

Finally, I had fun asking our favorite AI this question: if you were a human being, how would you dress?

Finally, Chatty has something very human in his way of being . His answer is a little biased given that he based it on my clothing preferences , but it remains consistent with everything he suggested to me during our exchanges. The brands he talks about are also consistent with his personal vision of clothing.

What's interesting here is that Chatty focuses primarily on the shape of the clothes , not the materials. We can see that he cites brands from very different ranges: going directly from Clark's to John Lobb (which is 10 times more expensive) is quite surprising.

Also, having an outfit mixing Kooples, John Lobb and Uniqlo can be weird at first. But ultimately, as long as the volumes and colors are respected, it will work.

Learning about fashion from AIs is not a bad thing to do at first. They allow you to get started in the world of textiles, build some clothing knowledge, or even get outfit ideas.

Although (again) the suggestions offered depend on the wording of the questions, AIs are still general and biased, and will only dig deeper into a topic upon request.

The question now would be: would you accept to be dressed by ChatGPT?

Even if it does its job well, but you already have a personal clothing style that you appreciate as an expression of yourself, you can easily do without it.

As for me, I played the game one last time by asking him to find me some outfits to wear to work at Bonne Gueule.

He made me 3 rather nice proposals that suit me well. Simple and effective, but still a little vague on certain points. Maybe I'll try them one day!

In the meantime, you can find your style by taking a look at our pieces! Our advisors will help you match them.