Can you tell someone’s screen time by how they dress? Unpacking the 'death of personal style'
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There’s a debate raging online right now that is making everyone feel very insecure. According to fashion commentators and TikTok orators, personal style is dead and everyone dresses the same. So much so, that theorists believe you can tell exactly how “online” a person is by simply looking at what they’re wearing. “You can tell someone’s screen time from their outfit,” fashion commentator Alexandra Hildreth told Vogue Business last year.
Hilldreth, who lives in New York, continued: “If you walk through Dimes Square, you can tell which TikTokers people follow. You can tell if they’re on the Ssense sale or the Farfetch sale.”. Vogue Business writer Madeline Schulz pinpointed certain items, such as ballet flats, yellow Onitsuka Tiger trainers, Sandy Liang bows and “(often knock-off) Loewe puffer jackets” as some of New York’s most “identifiably online fashion.”.
Apparently for London, it’s not that different. “It’s a lot of leopard print, [especially] the Damson Madder gilet with the bows on it,” says Evie Stothert, a senior stylist at Harrods. “[it’s] Adidas and still Onitsuka Tiger trainers. I'm also seeing a lot of this kind of Sporty and Rich girl aesthetic, with the sweatshirts, leggings, chunky socks and New Balance sneakers.”.
She also names Maison Margeila tabi ballet flats as the ultimate online fashion item, explaining: “They used to be a shoe that was only worn by a small amount of fashion people who were really in the know, it was a nod to your understanding of fashion history, it was a really bold shoe to wear.
