Social media is a double-edged sword. For every post that lifts me up or inspires, there seems to be one (or 12) right behind it, ready to set my eyes rolling or bum me out. Luckily, there’s a few Instagram babes out there that never seem to let me down, acting as my muses in fashion and beauty and regularly stoking the fires of my creativity. Check out the style crush roster I’ll be creeping on the reg in 2023 below!
1. Anya Firestone
Real Girlfriends in Paris‘s Anya Firestone is, without a doubt, my biggest style crush on the planet. An art theorist and curator, she lives and breathes her craft, and that includes her fashion. Every outfit she puts on is a masterpiece, wonderfully weird, unique and thought-provoking, from her architectural gowns (yes, actual gowns—she’s fabulous enough to get all dolled up for martinis at the Ritz on a whim) to her cheeky tops, novelty heels and quirky earrings. The brains behind Maison Firestone, a curated experience that brings collectors together with curated pieces, food and surroundings, she’s also incredibly creative, Elle est parfaite!
2. Jen Worman
One of my biggest regrets about leaving Chicago is that I never got to meet Jen Worman—the powerhouse blogger behind Red Soles & Red Wine. Worman has a keen eye for style—take, for example, the chic men’s Amazon ski sweater she cleverly turned into the perfect cardi—and a genius mix of high and low items on her page. Yes, you’ll find some aspirational things here (it will probably be a minute before I can cop her Dolce and Fendi bags), but you’ll also find her partnering with stores like Walmart or showing off $60 dresses that the rest of us can actually afford. We like a lot of the same brands, and I love that she talks about her age, too: Not only do I have no time for Gen Z fashion with its unending supply of crop tops and mom jeans, it’s so very, very refreshing to see a non 20-something straight up killing the game.
3. Kali Passiglia
Kali Passiglia is more than just the creator of fashion blog In Spades (and my good friend Lauren’s big sis). While I’ve found plenty of shopping fodder on her account (I wholeheartedly trust her opinion on all things fashion and beauty, so when she says Victoria Beckham’s lipsticks are the only ones she’ll wear now, you best believe I’m ordering them, stat), she’s also a fashion educator. She regularly takes deep dives into the world of style with her “Fashion Friday” series, examining everything from new collaboration drops (she’s always first to know) to fashion house personnel shakeups and the tales behind their historical backgrounds. It’s incredibly interesting info for a style lover, and an absolute treat each time it hits my Stories.
4. Lydia Tomlinson
Lydia Tomlinson is another creator who offers something a little more unique than just a wall of LTK picks. She actually teaches you how to dress—and how not to. With her simple fashion tutorial videos, she shows you the mistakes you may be making with your wardrobe, which range from unbalanced outfit proportions to color faux pas, and the simple sandwiching an balancing rules that can fix them. It’s like having a fashion professor on tap, right inside your phone. I also just find her accent oddly comforting?
5. Sammi Jefcoate
Jefcoate’s account is more or less pure aspiration—girl definitely loves her designer labels—but isn’t that half the fun of fashion? Aspiring to recreate a certain look or wear a certain brand or find a certain item? Beyond the inspiration she provides, I love the way she unapologetically takes high-end couture (Gucci, Prada, Celine, the gang’s all here) and makes it her own. She’s got tattoos from head-to-toe, she lives and dies by her punk AF leather harness and her reel music is set to the soundtrack Echo & the Bunnymen over Beyoncé (hallelujah!)—and yet, she’s rocking upper class labels with the best of them (and doing it better, if I do say so myself).
6. Madison Messer
On the opposite end of the style spectrum is Madison Messer, whose looks are incredibly accessible—just like the woman who puts them together. Messer is an open book, ready to tell you at a moment’s notice where her necklace stack is from (Electric Picks, FYI—she has her own collection with the brand that’s pretty dang cute), how much her filler dissolution hurt and what her family’s holiday celebration looked like in detail—and I couldn’t love her more for it. As for her fashion, you can expect everything from sleek and sophisticated to casual and sporty—and she’ll tell you where to get it all, on sale.
7. Sarah Hoover
Hoover is so absolutely fucking fierce that she has her nightgowns hemmed, per her recent profile in Harper’s Bazaar. She’s witty (she recently sold a book about her quarantine musings to Simon & Schuster per the same profile), she’s popping up everywhere and her Instagram is full of insane-yet-chic ensembles, be they made of cotton candy or Chanel tweed. In short? I adore her and just about everything she puts on, too.
8. Beth Redmond
Redmond’s Instagram is highly curated, but I can’t help but swoon over what is there: Her looks are otherwordly. She’s also an art director who sees “fashion and art as interchangeable” (Same, Beth. Same.) and it shows. Her ensembles are a cacophony of color, textures and shapes, the likes of which I can only hope to emulate. Sigh.
9. Stylin by Aylin
If you know me and my penchant for bold, eccentric looks, you may be scratching your head at this one—Aylin’s aesthetic is full of neutrals and basics that are a far cry from my usual roster. But there’s something I truly admire about her ability to make everything look so…pulled together, from her outfits to her coffee bar to her suitcase accessories, all of which she manages to accomplish with simple finds from Amazon and the like that make you go, “Wait…why didn’t I use my toothbrush holder as a vase before?” The woman’s Target finds look like a Banana Republic catalog, for God’s sakes. HOW DOES SHE DO IT?
10. Alison Toby
I admittedly don’t know much about Alison Toby, other than the fact that she’s French and fabulous, but I have great fun trying to track down where she got the gorgeous pieces she swans about in (this one‘s a Mango cardigan and pants set, believe it or not). And honestly, that’s enough for me. *Shrugs*
What are some of your fave accounts to follow? Comment below!
Xo, Nicole
Oh my gosh, you are too kind. Super flattered to have made the cut and loved learning about these other accounts. I was nodding along and smiling at your witty descriptions. 💗🙌🏻