Can we chat about fashion Instagrammers/influencers..

[Cherrypie32]

..because I don’t have anyone in real life to carp about it to. So, I follow a few, am addicted to the stories/feeds of some but don’t always know why. The ‘high end’ ones, The Frugality, Dress Like A Mum, Emma Hill etc pop up but quite designer and high end for me. I like the ramblings of Does My Bum but I’m nothing like her body shape so don’t wear her clothes. There are a few more ‘high street’ ones I follow, Steal My Style, What Kathy Did, Forty not Frumpy and more but they tend to be repetitive. Is this because they are so heavily sponsored to flog something? At the moment they are all banging on bout All Saints leather bikers and maxi skirts. And they all copy each other so there’s not much new to look at. There are a few I follow with nowhere near the amount of followers that seem more creative and have different body shapes so I presume that they have more liberty to do this as aren’t under afflilate deals.
I don’t need advice to ‘unfollow’, I enjoy looking at it all, just interested in how it all works really.

@ThanksItHasPockets but i just go to the website direct and don't even bother to click on their links.

Sorry meant to say thank you to you though for pointing it out.

Steal my style 40 set off for the school run in almost £600 of 'casual' jeans t shirt and trainers!!

Omg I cackled. That is hilarious. Even Kate Middleton would be like WTF Mate??!

I think the repetition of clothing discussed here, and what bores me, is the day after day ‘buy my Office boots’ ‘buy my biker jacket’ with links rather than people wearing the same items from their wardrobes. It’s a difficult one though as if an IG’er is wearing something I like I’d quite like to be able to buy it. I’ve just joined an Facebook group called the Style Guide (thestyleguideuk on IG). There’s a great video about 15 basics for your wardrobe which last all year and that you add to if you see something you really like. This is perhaps where influencers can play a part.

I loved midlife chic until her most recent post. Who the hell takes pics on a hospital ward when someone is sick. She clearly dislikes her MIL which is fine but I thought her last post was really below the belt and then when she launched in to her new diet plan which smacked of an ad I really got annoyed. It was all utterly tasteless just to create one poxy blog post.

Styled by Susie is talking about this thread in her stories....

I've often wondered how many of them are in Mhmsnet and come on threads like these to recommend themselves!

*on mumsnet

Some I like:

sunshine sam blog - is a mum and has a job but i wouldn't describe her as an instamum, she's really lovely

simonescribes - probably more makeup and skincare but i really like her style. Again she's a mum but doesn't bang on about it all the time and def not an instamum

lovelauren - much more 'polished' grid and sponsored stuff but nice style

I loooove Simone, she's so funny and normal. Seems to live in baggy jumpers which is fine by me, tbh. Serious makeup addiction but she tends to keep it to Instastories.

Same here :) I have the primark version of the 'and other stories' jumper she wears and I like to wear it with a long necklace and pretend I am her (not in a creepy way)

A Life to Style has written an interesting/eye-opening post on Instagram, blogging and working with brands

@SplatPancake it's a great article from her.

It should be noted too that there are no global guidelines for #ad and #gift - I've never seen a US blogger use them.

I'm much happier listening to clothes chat on IG than first world problems and out of touch chat about private school selection exams

splatpancake which post is that? I can't find it...

@TheJunctionBaby www.alifetostyle.com/2019/01/the-trouble-with-blogging.html?m=1

more I agree , I liked midlife chic but felt that last post was very revealing Her mum in law was ill yet she and her sons stayed behind to have a meal while her husband rushed to see his mum Then the rest of the post seemed like she was inconvienanced by the poor lady being ill I thought the selfie in poor taste too.

Yes, huge MidlifeChic fan but was a little surprised by the last post. I know that she does talk about the highs and lows and ins and outs of her family life so it is not entirely inconsistent but, even so, I thought it was a, very unusual, misstep.

Steal my style 40 is the worst for smugness. When followers questioned her 'throw it together mum uniform' of expensive clothes she said she was wearing what every mum wears on the school run and the reason she looked good was cos of lippy and accessories. Just the fact that she thinks all other mums have time to slap on a full face of makeup and accessories with expensive (gifted) jewellery to lift hundreds of pounds worth of outfit is ridiculous! I'd rather see working women wearing practicable, affordable fashionable clothes rather than see someone but 4 all saints bikers and 2 versions of the same 90 quid office boots.

I think there's a real gap in the market for normal everyday mums. Work wear is a big thing for me, as is smart casual wear. The problem is once any account grows it gets listed with ads/aff/gift....

I really love Simone too but she very very rarely declares a gift and it puts me off her I'm afraid to say. I almost want to ask her why she doesn't but I don't dare!

Yes, another working mum who would like some smart/casual work wear. There used to be a lady called Belinda(?) who was good at work clothes inspiration but she was much thinner, younger and prettier than me damn her!

there's definitely some instagrammers and bloggers on this thread.

Isn't it funny how whatever item of clothing or product they are promoting is never actually in stock?

I follow some slimming world fashion accounts and the smugness and #ad is there too. Fopperholic for example and danielles journey.

Do you think there are Instagrammers on this thread?

I've unfollowed them all. Same old items, same olds gifts, none of them work, they all have hubbies earning lots. And they feed into the awful awful stereotype of the sahm who does nothing but shop, change handbag everyday, wait for 'gin o clock' (massive cringe!), meet friends for cawfee and mooching, stand around 'freezing' watching offspring play various sports and have a life goal of finding the perfect shade of red lippy!

Another vote here for a normal size working mum who wears great work clothes.

Isn’t the problem though that they start normal and the freebies push them in a certain direction? So anyone normal would only be normal till they were popular.
Also in reality a normal person wears the same stuff over and over again, I’m jeans and a jumper, same coat, same boots 99% of the time.

That is the problem Karcheer - nobody is going to be remotely interested in my middle aged, size 14, teacher's wear on a two week repeat. But they could try and be a bit more relatable both in terms of budget and styling to put their own stamp on things instead of blindly wearing the latest Insta freebie and trotting out the same old crap about genuinely loving whatever this bollocks is that I am being paid to promote. Really agree with the post a few pages back by someone who said they preferred to look at models wearing these clothes - they are a blank canvas to allow us to focus on the clothes not the Insta life of someone who wants to bore us with her 3rd/4th....... freebie holiday/kitchen/whatever because they're worth it. One day "influencer" will be one of the most laughed at expressions imaginable and become a byword for greed and smugness.

I think that day is already here, AtHome