I Tested the Limits of ChatGPT’s New Try-It-on Shopping Function

ChatGPT wants to be your new virtual fitting room.

OpenAI on Thursday rolled out two shopping features globally, allowing users to virtually try on clothing and accessories and save their favorite finds for later.

The new Try On button lets shoppers upload a selfie or full-body photo to see how products might look on them. Users can also upload screenshots of items or celebrity outfits and ask ChatGPT to find similar pieces available for purchase.

Both features are powered by OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Images 2.5 model, which the company said delivers more realistic lighting and textures.

I tested the function, from a simple necklace try-on to a complicated full-body costume, and included a cat in the mix to see if the AI could also dress our four-legged friends.

Here’s what it excelled at — and where things began to get weird.

Starting with accessories

I started simple with a selfie and a request to find me products that could recreate a silver necklace stack I found on Pinterest, and a little moon pendant in particular, as a centerpiece.

The AI quickly found options for the moon pendant at various price points and gave me two options: I could try on the pendant, or I could try on the entire layered necklace look.

I tested out both looks. The proportions seemed correct and extremely realistic, and could convince me to make a purchase, even though I prefer to shop for jewelry in person.

Testing a full-body outfit

I pulled out another Pinterest save for a concert outfit inspiration, and chose a dressing room selfie with a simple background to try it on.

The AI categorized the style I’m seeking as “whimsigoth” and recommended products consistent with the branding, including garments from Disturbia and Free People.

I tried on both a single mesh top and a complete outfit. The result was nearly perfect. Even the wide lace sleeve that fell down my arm was perfectly placed.

The wedding dress

The AI did really well so far, so I decided to ask for more complicated outfits, and here is when we started to enter dicey territory.

Though I won’t be getting married anytime soon, I love vintage wedding dresses from the 1970s, and was curious what one would look like on me.

The AI seemed to prefer brand-new products and surfaced real vintage items last, and I was surprised to find only one Etsy listing among a mix of brands I had never heard of.

I eventually asked to try on a 1970s ivory lace wedding dress, but the virtual rendering did not accurately represent it. The real dress was mostly made of satin and had solid sleeves, but the virtual try-on turned the dress into a full-length lace gown with cake-like layers and sheer sleeves. The original dress was also not meant to trail on the floor as the AI depicted.

I would not call this a successful virtual try-on.

A potential Halloween costume

To push the AI even more, I decided to ask for my dream Halloween outfit, complete with fairy wings.

ChatGPT recommended a combination of a Victorian-style white maxi dress and a pair of moth wings, so I asked to try them on together, but it did not turn out ideal.

Not only do the chunky wings look significantly different from the airy, semi-transparent, blush-colored moth wings I asked to try on, but the AI also began to “upgrade” my body so the dress would look more flattering, giving me exceedingly long legs.

I am fairly short and often can’t manage to fit into a maxi dress like the AI wishes I could, so I would recommend always trusting the product measurements over the virtual try-on, which may not reflect actual proportions.

It works on cats

I was wondering if the AI was pet-friendly, so I ran a separate try-on test for my fluffy orange cat with an adorable Halloween collar, and now it’s sitting in my shopping cart.

At the end of the day, ChatGPT may have given me longer legs and a wedding dress I didn’t order, but it has at least one clear advantage over a real fitting room: I can bring my cat.