Fashion YouTube Rant! 😱

I really have to get this off my chest

So, I was watching YouTube this morning. There was a video called ‘12 items EVERY woman needs in her summer wardrobe! (and what to get rid of)’, it’s currently only one day old and already has over 4k views. The creator has over 150k subscribers, so she’s fairly influential in the YouTube fashion space.

I like to watch a vast array of fashion content on YouTube. From luxury creators like Cassie Thorpe, Karen Brit Chic and Super Dacob, to more everyday fashion creators like Lydia Tomlinson, to the more in-depth fashion critics like Fashion Roadman, Bliss Foster and Tuba Avalon. All of whom I’ve watched for many, many years. I believe it helps me get a well-rounded view on things and keeps me up to date with everything fashion, something I could talk about until the cows come home.

Anyway, this was the first time I’d watched this particular creator. As you can see, I’m generally more drawn to the in-depth fashion space, but she popped up on my feed so I thought I’d give it a watch.

OMG. I was so annoyed. Physically shaking in fact. I even went to the comments to express my opinion which, if you know me, says a lot. I was brought up to believe that if you have nothing nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all. But as a personal stylist, having seen both in my own life and with clients exactly what happens when women follow advice like this, I couldn’t stay quiet. It was so obvious to me why, when women hear this kind of thing, they end up with wardrobes that simply don’t work, nothing to wear, a load of money wasted on pieces that don’t suit them, and no idea why. These are the exact things I help my clients to unlearn. It was maddening.

So, the video was essentially a list of normal, everyday pieces: graphic tees, Birkenstocks, ripped denim shorts, charm necklaces, oversized bags, Chanel-style flap bags. Her advice was entirely centred around one aesthetic which was the old money / quiet luxury look.

She basically told viewers to ‘get rid’ of these things and replace them with pieces that fit that aesthetic. The graphic tees became plain tanks. The Birkenstocks became kitten heels. The ripped denim shorts became tailored cotton or linen shorts. The fun chunky charm necklaces became fine, single-pendant ones. The oversized bags and Chanel-style flaps became raffia bags.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

There was absolutely no consideration for personal style, identity, or lifestyle. And to make it worse, the overarching message was: if it doesn’t fit the old money / quiet luxury aesthetic, it’s dated and needs to go. However she wasn’t mentioning the aesthic at all, just showing pictures of people in this style, further misleading people unknowingly into a style type, which may not even be them.

My issue with this is threefold. First, it actively encourages a buy-now, throw-it-away culture and let’s be honest, very little in fashion is actually timeless. I suspect in two years’ time she’ll be telling people to get rid of all of this stuff too. Second, and more importantly, it takes zero consideration for a person’s lifestyle or personal taste. It’s a blunt instruction: follow this advice, or you’re dated. Anxiety-inducing, if ever I heard it. Third and I may come back to this in more depth another time the video was full of affiliate links, which raises a whole separate conversation about influencing from a place of bias.

And furthermore, the quiet luxury and old money aesthetic promoted for the duration of the video started out as the aesthetic of people who value craftsmanship, intrinsic value and the promotion of mindful and intentional consumption of items valued for durability and timeless design. Funny that, given this video was promoting getting ‘rid’ of perfectly good things in favour of items which could be purchased very very cheaply from the Amazon as per the link in the description.

If I were to follow her advice, I’d be left with nothing to wear, which felt like me. Linen shorts and kitten heel sandals on the school run? That’s not my life. And beyond practicality how would I express myself? Where is the creativity I love in an outfit and the fun? Jewellery like charm necklaces, pieces with personal meaning, things that tell your story these are some of the most powerful ways you can inject your personality into what you wear, feel like yourself, and actually be happy in your clothes.

Quiet luxury and old money dressing is a beautiful aesthetic for the people it suits. But telling everyone to abandon everything that doesn’t fit into this one-dimensional look is, in my view, doing real harm. People turn to YouTube for advice and guidance, and this kind of content leaves them more confused, more out of pocket, and no closer to understanding their own style and having a wardrobe which works for them.

On the bright side, at least it keeps me in a job 🤦