Instagram - who to follow for every day fashion inspiration?

[whataterriblefuss]

Anyone got any recommendations?

Nothing outlandish; just someone who looks well dressed, stylish and well put together.

Not a 20 year old supermodel wearing edgy stuff....just...nicely dressed grown ups!

Like your post MM18.

I also like wearsmymoney.
And the above usuals. They’re all fine.

While I like words, I’m not overly keen on these long essays that some have started to write on Instagram. Especially with those small words and my ageing eyes

I’ve stopped following plenty. Instagram is such a time-sucker. As for that like-to-know-it crap. Irritates me +++

Any worth following for the less svelte over 40? Seems to be a choice of either v slim women or "plus size" and at a 14-16 I am neither.

You and me both @Pigeonpost

@Pigeonpost Erica D is a 14/16.

I love Stacey Dooley's style. Simple neutral scandi chic, nothing clingy or too revealing. a lot of Cos in there.

I think ED is probably a 12/14, not 14/16 and her account is way too commercial for me. When they become so monetised they lose their relevance for mere mortals like me. She is undoubtedly very gorgeous though.

I like MM18'S post too. It cuts through the bullshit.

I don't use Insta but am going to look up who she recommended.

Love WearsMyMoney - very engaging & down to earth.
The SilverKat showcases a lot of new things by going to stores & trying on but in her day to day style you'll see lots of items on repeat.
Not a fashion blogger, obvs, but I follow Jo Whiley & find her style inspirational for casual but cool clothes. Particularly how to wear dresses without feeling too dressed up.

I really like ED. She is definitely more on the commercial side but I like that she responds to comments left on her feed and actively engages with brands to address concerns that followers express. She's also great at showing multiple ways of styling an item which I think is super helpful. And she is brilliant at challenging the body-shaming crap that abounds on social media & in the printed press. As much as I like DMBL40 (have followed since her early blog days) I don't see her doing those things and yet she is someone who I believe could make a big difference.

I used to like The Fashion Lift but over the last year something indefinable has irked me about her account. I also find the daily "jeans and blouse/jumper" outfits rather dull. And as I'm on a whinge now... I cannot stand the constant "just hopping on to ask for recommendations for ...". There's something really disingenuous about it. But that's a whole other blogger thread

Yy, the ‘just looking for recommendations’ nonsense makes me cringe. Whether it is or it isn’t it comes across as ‘gimme free stuff’.
I’ve also gone off thefashionlift. I like her look and fashion choices but I feel it’s not clear enough when something is an affiliated link, or an ad or gifted. So I don’t look anymore, there’s plenty (too much) else to browse.

Yes I find the fashion lift a bit receptive and uniformy. She need to rethink her fringe as well.

The real problem with the big players of Insta is that they are shamelessly exploiting the mediocre to line their own pockets. So safe, so predictable, so homogeneous with all those inspirational boak hashtags ...... I personally can't wait for Insta to evolve beyond the business playground of the Instamums to something approaching individuality, creativity and positivity but until then I guess we are stuck with the z list slebs moaning about their perfect lives and shamelessly shilling their kids for a new kitchen, I think my dc would be pretty wretched if I had sold their childhoods so cheap......

Catwalkschoolgates has an interesting take on things. No advertising/affiliate links etc, and she searches out pre loved/vintage stuff. Still seems to spend a lot though.
DMBL40 is always entertainig.
Then there are loads of women who seemed to have jumped on the bandwagon. Many are wealthy and have little to say really. Luludumas for example irritates the life out of me. Just so false.

The Times this morning have picked up on the backlash against the Instagrammer flogging Listerine. The original tweet that seems to have launched this all is "Instagram is a ridiculous lie factory made to make us all feel inadequate." and that, for me, just about sums it up.
When I look at my account I see it falls pretty much into 3 categories; the PR pages of existing "names" - Nat Geographic, Steve Backshall, #placesnames etc..... , the private accounts of my family and friends etc and then the third group, the monetisers. Of course this is inevitable, it may not even be wrong, but when it is built on idealising life, pushing insecurity and promoting inadequacy then it really does deserve to be called out for what it is!

Catwalkschoolgates is obviously loaded so doesn't need to promote crap. See also Deborah Brett.

But not WIT who peddles a load of stuff in Icons!

I really like Teeclutter, she always responds to queries about where she got outfits from etc.

lotsofsausage do you really mean Stacey Dooley or a different Stacey? I’m not seeing any cos in her feed, more tracksuits!

It’s intersting, isn’t it. This whole new advertising medium. I agree with you AtHomeInFrance - I can’t wait for this era to evolve beyond the shilling stuff that it is.

In fairness to Catwalkschoolgates, she doesn’t do affiliate link afaik, and is always calling out all the insta-flogging that goes on. I don’t think she attends press events either. I love the way she is not bothered about being polite or staying in with the crowd, and will call stuff out e.g. calling most of the floral current fashion dresses ‘monstrosities’.

Insta is probably 99% nonsense but I find the app very insidiously addictive. I can’t quite delete yet but I’m working towards it!

I like manrepeller, mainly because the clothes are mental. I like mental.
I also like Hotpatooties because I think she's awesome and she wears a lot of vintage.
The above also applies to Amber Butchart.

Apart from underwear I'm not buying new clothes any more. So I like the vintage wearers who wear their things without trying to look pin up or a throwback.

Thank you all so much; new to 'following' people, it is an eyeopener!

Does anyone do JUST very affordable high street stuff? Tries to style out Primark/H&M/supermarket fashion?

I think it could be done (just with someone with a LOT more style sense than moi....), and would be great to see; whole outfits that are affordable and easily available....

Take a look at A Life To Style (Avril Keys). I follow her blog and she gives good advice built on a fairly High St budget. I think she is on Instagram but she is actually someone who challenges the greed exhibited there and she refuses to use her children in any of her paid collaborations. She is well worth a look. (disclaimer; I realise that I am a bit strange because I seem to follow the blogs of people who write well, rather than have a fashion sense I necessarily share. Possibly I am a more word person than a visual one, I don't know, but I do like people who write well. Some of these grammers can barely string a sentence together and just use hashtags and inspirational messages to add credibility to their sales pitch!)

athomeinfrance I’d put Nikki Garnett (midlifechic) is also in that category: fabulous writing on a range of issues. Her audience engagement sometimes runs to hundreds of comments which illustrates she speaks to followers in a more substantial way than most others

@VanCleefArpels - totally agree! The four I follow, because they have such good engagement levels, are; MidLifeChic, A Life To Style, DMBL40 and Poppys Style. I just enjoy their writing, the integrity of their work and the feeling that there is some kind of passion/interest in what they are doing........

Does anyone do JUST very affordable high street stuff? Tries to style out Primark/H&M/supermarket fashion?

No-one with a sizeable following I don't think, no. Some may have started like this but with large followers comes freebies, gifts and sponsors, and well, income, which makes more expensive brands affordable. Circle of life innit.

I'd recommend clicking on people who leave comments on accounts you like. The ones who have some kind of style/fashion type username. There are literally thousands of wannabe fashion loving hobbyists. Some clearly want to make it as a 'grammer themselves but others look like they are just capturing their daily outfits. Like the good old days of blogging before the notion of "influencing" was even a thing.

It's so interesting.

I like thingsineedinmywardrobe. I think she wears pretty much all high street clothes, nothing outlandish.

I used to like DMBL40 but she no longer wears clothes you could actually wear without feeling a bit ridiculous.