Finding fashion inspiration beyond your TikTok FYP
By Florenne Earle Ledger published 15/06/2024
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard some kind of discourse about TikTok fashion trends sweeping nations everywhere. The way so many of us dress is informed by online trends and TikTok shop. Whering user Amaani agrees– telling me she can easily spot TikTok users on the street just by what they’re wearing, as fashiontok trends have become so definitive of Gen Z style.
At Whering, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all style advice. We hope to encourage Wherers to find their own sense of style, detached from trend culture. This helps people feel confident and buy clothes they genuinely love and will wear for years to come. So, whilst TikTok is a great platform for lots of reasons, I can’t help but feel there are more interesting places to find fashion inspiration to help our personal styles flourish.
Luckily for me, the Whering community had all the answers. I caught up with some of our users and heard about all the interesting places they get their style inspiration. Speaking to these Wherers about the unique places they find outfit ideas inspired me to think outside the box when looking for sources of inspo. Here’s what I found out…
Nature & comfort
Polina, a 26 year old artist living in Frankfurt, told me about how nature and the feeling of comfort she gets when she’s in a natural environment inspires her style:
Nature is a place where I find a lot of inspiration. I love the colours of nature and it's related to my hobbies. I have a bird, he's sleeping right there– and I do a lot of bird watching stuff. I usually spend my free time (when I should be writing articles or making art) in nature. So that's why I prefer natural colors in my everyday life and I'm totally comfortable with it. I usually wear natural material like cotton or cashmere. I'm looking for more long-lasting clothes (not fast fashion) and that's why I do my best to wear natural materials because they’re recyclable.
Could nature influence your style? Try making a moodboard on Whering to find out.
Reddit communities
Maisie, a 25-year-old from Texas told me about how niche fashion communities on Reddit have helped her make the most of her current clothes to achieve her desired aesthetic.
As weird as it might sound, as Reddit kind of (understandably) does have a bad rep, the individual communities on there when it comes to style and shared interests are some of the most helpful and supportive places I've ever found. I've definitely joined a couple of communities on there that center around a special Gothic fashion and Goth music, but also just general style subreddits that are full of people sharing their favorite outfits and their inspirations. Those online communities have been a very big inspiration to me when it comes to making what I can with what I have.
Arts & culture
26-year-old Celina lives in Melbourne and works in the creative industry. She finds there is an intersection between performing arts and fashion:
I work in the arts and culture sector, so I find that a lot of my inspiration in style also comes from things like the visual arts and performing arts, perhaps not to that level of extravagance but just things like colour theory. For example, how you match colours together in a way that's a little bit unexpected a little bit quirky.
Also, on Instagram there's a lot of people who are just so talented at styling and what they do. I’m inspired by all different elements of Pop Culture. I tend to avoid online trends when they're happening and then circle back on them and think about how I can integrate them into my own sense of style, rather than just seeing it as an item or way of dressing to sort of put on to myself. I think it's got to be really integrated with your personal style, and that's where the authenticity comes in as well.
Did Celina kickstart your creative juices? Add to your Whering moodboard now.
Princess Diana
At only 20 years old, Maja, a student based in the Netherlands, shared how she finds inspiration in older classical styles worn by members of the royal family.
A few years ago when I was in high school I just started getting recommended pictures of Princess Diana on Instagram. After that, I just had a barrage of all the different royal family members from all over Europe. So I started following some of them because it was interesting. I think my style might be influenced slightly from that, but of course, I don't have the money for all these high-end brands, just some of my looks and pieces are influenced by them. It’s funny, last winter the Princess of Wales showed up in a patterned skirt and a turtleneck. And I remember I wore the exact same thing the year before.
I loved chatting to Wherers all over the world about unique places they look for styling ideas. If you want to join in the conversation, let us what inspires you and get in touch on our social @Whering__.
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