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Sun, Jan 25, 2026 | Shaban 6, 1447 | Fajr 05:44 | DXB 
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2026 fashion trends: The battle between AI perfection and human mess
As Google and Zara launch hyper-realistic virtual try-on tools, a new movement is emerging that rejects frictionless tech in favour of chaotic, real-world style
One of the big trends of 2026 (credit cards down, it’s not that kind of trend) is mess. In a world where the AI and tech giants are focused on making our lives frictionless, futurists are predicting a desire to return to the chaotic, resilience-building, human messiness of a world where not everything is granted with the click of a button. That’s the prediction. The reality is that Alphabet, Apple, OpenAI et al are increasingly pushing solutions for a frictionless existence.
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For me, ‘messy’ conjures core memories of clothes strewn around my teenage bedroom, while I try on different combinations of ill-advised ’90s trends. All those years of dressing in the dark, with nothing but the occasional disposable camera to document the disasters, gave me the space to grow into my own style. (Thankfully, not the goth girl wardrobe I leaned into hard in 1996.) For today’s teenagers, there is no such space to dress like an extra in Bram Stoker’s Dracula even though you live in a provincial British seaside town and not 19th century Romania, without it leaving a Doc Martens-sized digital footprint. Entering 2026, the margin for stylistic error gets slimmed down yet further as AI-powered dressing enters the mainstream, seeing off fashion catastrophes before they can be made. Last month, Google Shopping unveiled its virtual try on tool in the US (not yet available here), harnessing the search engine’s image editor ‘Nano Banana’ to generate a full body digital version of you, ready to try on clothes across Google Shopping’s billions of product listings. Meanwhile, Zara unveiled its own AI try-on tool in select international versions of its app. I flicked over to the UK store to try it as it’s not yet live in the UAE version. Zara asks for a selfie and a full body shot to generate an AI likeness, which will try on the latest collection without you having to navigate zips, buttons, weird sizing and other ‘messy’ elements that go with physically trying clothes on. I set it to work trying a different colour of a dress I already own from Zara, and was presented with a glossier, less lumpy version of reality posing really, really well. Flattering, but not entirely honest. My AI skin is smooth, my knees are Photoshop-perfect. And while the face is kind of me, without my idiosyncrasies and asymmetrical expressions, it’s hard to reconcile AI Louise with real, messier, Louise. I showed my daughter who said, “She’s had way more plastic surgery than you.” I am unclear whether this is a compliment or not.
Dubai-based shopping and style influencer Irene Feeney demoed the Zara AI try-on via her Instagram page, labelling it “life changing”. Feeney tells me, “This will help a lot of people who hate actually physically shopping. It will change the way we shop online.” Feeney is already WhatsApping videos of her Zara AI alter-ego in various outfits to friends; the 2026 version of the Topshop changing rooms on a Saturday afternoon in the ’00s. But does the AI always get it right? “One of the collarless coats I tried on looked like a bathrobe on AI me,” Feeney laughs, “If I saw that coat in the shop I would like it. AI would suggest I am not suited to collarless coats, but I know I am.” However, the tool was useful in illustrating that a dress Feeney would normally have ordered came up far shorter than she would expect. Another dress that she loved on the model, “looked like a sack” when worn by AI Irene. Which suggests the tool is helpful in eliminating styles that won’t suit. Questions remain as to how accurate it is in predicting what does suit. My AI ‘tried on’ a bodysuit with sheer panels, and I was gifted with a set of abs that have yet to present themselves in real life. The major pain points of trying on clothes—jeans, swimwear—likely still need to happen physically. Ultimately, AI can’t convey feel, and feel is what injects the magic into fashion. That catch-your-breath moment when you slip into a dress that looks like it was made for every curve. AI can’t judge the weight of a sweater. AI will confirm that 10cm-high shoes make you look better than flats, but it won’t endure the real-life pain of walking in them. AI might look great in a sheer panelled bodysuit, but it’s not the one that has to breathe-in all night to carry it off. My conclusion: Zara’s AI avatar is a helpful tool, but use it with caution. It’s useful to see what kind of footwear works with different silhouettes. If the outfit you are eyeing only looks good with heels, and you hate wearing heels, don’t add-to-cart, no matter how hot AI you looks. Finding pieces to work with existing styles in your wardrobe is also a fruitful exercise for your AI doppelgänger to take on. It’s worth noting, though, that each virtual look takes a couple of minutes to generate, so it’s not that much faster than a real life try on. Far less messy though.
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