J. Crew’s New AI-Driven Style Advisor Revolutionizes Shopping Experience

Over four decades, J. Crew has perfected a style that features cashmere cardigans, tweed jackets, and preppy staples. These have won the admiration of high-profile fans such as Michelle Obama, Demi Moore, and Meghan Markle. Traditionally, human stylists made these fashion choices. However, from today, artificial intelligence plays a part too.

On Wednesday, J. Crew introduced Style Advisor, an AI-enabled consumer tool running on Anthropic’s models. This tool is built from thousands of outfit pairings from the company’s shoots and J. Crew’s styling principles. Danielle Schmelkin, J. Crew’s Chief Information Officer, mentions that the focus is not just on individual pieces but on styling them together.

The omnichannel shopping landscape is shifting, with more than 50% of global consumers using AI to make purchases in recent months. Tools like Meta Platforms’ Muse, Alexa for Shopping by Amazon, and AI shopping assistants by Lowe’s, Ulta Beauty, and Macy’s are popping up. Yet, only 27% of consumers prefer retailer-made AI shopping assistants.

Schmelkin highlights the visual aspect of Style Advisor, which sets it apart. The tool can draw on a consumer’s past purchases for personalized recommendations, mimicking in-store experiences online. For instance, if a customer seeks an outfit for a wedding in Miami that isn’t too formal, the tool tailors its suggestions.

Expected to debut on J. Crew’s desktop site soon, Style Advisor will later integrate into their mobile app. It leverages several of Claude’s models. Fable 5.1 manages complex judgments, Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 4.5 boost response times, and Opus 5.5 helped develop the prototype. Schmelkin stresses the importance of allocating the right models for a seamless shopper experience, while monitoring costs for efficiency.

J. Crew also fosters AI adoption internally. Their AI fluency program equips employees with skills, from basic knowledge to advanced vibe coding. The AI lab, “Second Thread,” which started with the tech team, now welcomes all corporate employees to discuss AI applications and propose tech solutions.

For four years, J. Crew’s tech summit offered workshops, hackathons, and vendor showcases. Initially tech-exclusive, it’s now accessible to all employees, who are encouraged to use AI tools from Anthropic and OpenAI.

The Style Advisor, inspired by a J. Crew digital product designer, reached a prototype stage before engaging engineers. Schmelkin supports this grassroots innovation, encouraging employees to explore AI for enhancing personal and professional productivity.