Thread by @dieworkwear

I've been toying with different AI programs to see if they can suggest good outfits. They can't. They all fail because they don't understand the cultural language of clothing, so their suggestions are generic. Outfits are no better than clothing subscription boxes; maybe worse.

https://twitter.com/awilkinson/status/1786906253333287056

IMO, AI will replace fashion writers who generate generic advice like this. And just as there's a market for this now, there will be a market for this sort of AI-generated advice. I just don't think it leads to good outfits or improves people's relationships with clothes.

People suggesting that this can be improved miss an important point. For this to work, AI has to be able to read your heart (your personality, interests, cultural background, identity, emotions, etc). It has to figure out how you see yourself positioned in culture.

Here is a perfectly fine outfit that looks bad because it's on the wrong person. The outfit does not mesh with the person's "vibe" (or even the room).

By contrast, here are four different aesthetics that work for the person underneath the clothes. Each aesthetic is governed by different "rules." There are no real universal rules in fashion; everything is dependent on the aesthetic, which is, in turn, rooted in culture.

AI may give you something like this, which may be an improvement over how you dress now. But this is also pretty generic, and lots of people don't look as good as this model in the same clothes. Many also feel unsatisfied in these clothes, so they keep chasing trends.

For AI to work, it must understand the cultural language of clothing and read your heart. What do you want to express? What is your cultural identity? What is the culture you're in? Which clothes make you excited? These are not things AI can answer for you.

Example: you're wearing a navy sport coat with tan trousers. Should you wear

— suede tassel loafers to look bookish?
— gator penny loafers to look louche?

This is just within a single niche aesthetic; there are hundreds of other aesthetics. AI can't answer for you: "Who am I?"