“I don’t consider myself a very good shopper because I’m seduced by imagery and what looks great on somebody else. But there’s a truth about my size and what colors look good on me,” Parker exclusively tells Refinery29. And thanks to Google’s “Try On” feature, Parker can actually envision herself in pieces before hastily carting them up. “I think this is one use of [AI] that feels not only benign, but potentially quite helpful. It creates clarity about how things may or may not look on you.”
While I’m personally quite weary of AI in general, as I was speaking to SJP, I knew I had to try this feature for myself. Because although I wax poetic about all the best fashion to shop online, I find myself gravitating more towards in-person shopping because I’m unsure how many pieces will fit my petite-yet-curvy body. With that, I used some of SJP’s best holiday season dressing advice to see how her favorite styles actually look on myself through Google Try On.
The technology came out earlier this year, but it’s just gotten a refresh with SJP’s new holiday campaign. According to Google’s blog, the virtual try-on technology allows “shoppers to try on billions of items of clothing from our Shopping Graph. It’s powered by a new custom image generation model for fashion, which understands the human body and nuances of clothing — like how different materials fold, stretch and drape on different bodies.”
Again, I was skeptical but excited at the same time.
Self-declared “lousy shopper” Parker explains: “I just think it’s really helpful and really user-friendly, and I’m hoping it kind of cuts out some of the chaos and hysteria around shopping,” adding: “I think this idea of Google Shopping with the ability to actually see it on your person takes some of that intimidation away, but also you feel more assured that you’re purchasing something that will likely really suit the occasion and your person.”