AI can’t style you or talk to your soul
- The International
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
With endless inspiration flattening instinct and aesthetics replacing alignment, Ophelia Wu reflects on why style begins where the algorithm fails.
Photographs: Various
Text: Ophelia Wu
It’s impossible to ignore the waves of images and articles. Since the Netflix buzz, we’ve seen a colossal spike in searches for vintage Calvin Klein, Kate Moss, and the 'Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy' aesthetic. 90s minimalism is back with a vengeance, effectively shoving 'Quiet Luxury' out of the spotlight.
But here is where the algorithm trips up: when social media search terms for 'CBK style' skyrocket, the AI responds by flooding your feed with black-and-white pieces and oval sunglasses. It treats style like a shopping list. Suddenly, the whole of New York City looks the same, killing individuality and the once-celebrated style diversity. What the machine fails to grasp is that the 'CBK effect' isn't actually about the clothes; it’s about a specific, unique energy.
We’ve seen in the news and media that major retailers like LVMH, Zalando, and even high-street giants are throwing millions at 'Agentic AI' as if it’s the holy grail of personal style. These tools are designed to help you shop or try on pieces at home, and they want us to believe a chatbot can solve the age-old 'nothing to wear' and 'what works for me' crisis. But let’s be real: anyone who has actually sat down and tinkered with these tools knows they appear technically clever but aesthetically boring. We see it on e-commerce sites using AI to suggest your size. It may seem handy, but most of the time you’re being categorised into a set of statistics. Your size M can look totally different from Mary’s size M, even in the same outfit, and that’s what AI cannot tell you - it doesn't know where and why the fit is off.
For fun and experimentation, I’ve tried using AI tools to identify items and search for brand and item suggestions. As they always do, they offer unsolicited and irrelevant suggestions, and honestly, it’s useless and completely off. My human research is way better and more precise than any AI tools could have given me. It’s actually irritating when a machine talks to me like it knows me and what works for me, without me uploading any images of how I even look or what my body shape is; honestly, it’s laughable. An algorithm can spot a silk blouse in a fraction of a second, but it hasn’t got a clue whether that blouse makes you look like a powerhouse CEO or a poorly dressed caricature of a 1950s secretary. It can see the pixels, but it completely misses the point. It lacks - and will never have - the 'warm data' - the human judgement and emotional intelligence people need and seek.
A major part of my work lies in that messy, chaotic space that a line of code simply cannot reach: the gap between what you’re wearing, how you actually feel, and how your energy and aura are speaking for you or against you. Style isn't a search query or a mathematical formula; it’s a gut feeling, an energy. It can't be taught or trained before you know your true self, and the same applies to taste. No matter how many ‘data points’ a machine collects, it will never understand the sheer, quiet confidence of an outfit that actually resonates with, and attunes to, who you are.
The danger of Algorithm-based shopping
The real danger of the algorithmic shopping cycle isn't just that it suggests the wrong blouse in the wrong shade; it’s that it encourages a relentless accumulation of 'stuff' based on a search term rather than a soul-level resonance. This brings us to the necessity of the spring clean - not as a mundane household chore, but as a vital, energetic reset.
In the industry, we often talk about the 'edit' as a skill, but in my studio, it is both a skill and an energetic refresh. When your wardrobe is packed with the ghosts of past trends or 'perfectly fine' items that the algorithm told you to buy, your personal energy and the energy at home become stagnant and misaligned. You can’t manifest a 90s minimalist poise if the physical noise of a cluttered and unorganised closet literally weighs you down.
In fact, the more you depend on using AI as a shopping agent, or social media and mood boards as inspiration, the more numb and lost you become. Overconsuming images and information will not sharpen your skills or your eye. Instead, you lose touch with your judgment because nothing in your life will look the same as it does on a Pinterest board, and you don’t understand why. I cannot stress enough the dangers of relying on social media and AI when making wardrobe and style decisions.
Cutting through the noise
This is the 'Warm Data' that the machines can't process. An AI can scan your wardrobe and tell you that you have twelve white shirts. It is a scanner; it is not a pair of trained eyes with a real sense of style and taste, and it certainly cannot read your energy. It cannot tell you that ten of them no longer fit your current body, or that one has a colour that subtly undermines your confidence every time you wear it.
One of my clients recently used Gemini to generate ideas and solutions for her closet problem. It generated a graphic that looked advanced, when in fact it was disproportionate and unrealistic. Although she received some guidelines for inspiration, she remained overwhelmed, lost, and unable to integrate anything until we worked through it together. In 90 minutes, she had a clear picture and a direction of how to move forward.
To move toward a truly intuitive style, one has to understand oneself - the true self, unattached to a singular identity. You have to stop the noise before you can hear the signal. A spring clean is not just for spring; it should be done regularly. In Feng Shui, it’s a quick fix to allow more energy to flow. Psychologically, it is therapeutic and mentally healing, providing a clearer picture and the mental space to breathe and feel.
If there’s one thing you want as a quick fix, dig into your wardrobe and declutter.
