Fashion trends come and go on social media these days faster than you can restock your wardrobe. Last summer, it was all about Barbiecore. There was also mermaidcore, and who can forget coastal cowgirl?
This summer a new TikTok fashion trend has entered the picture — and it's one we can’t help but weigh in on, because it's called "chic desert aunt."
It was coined by stylist Allison Bornstein, and it’s inspired by your slightly kooky aunt who wears suede, earth tones, natural fabrics and statement accessories.
“The thing about the chic desert aunt is that she has very elevated and timeless pieces, but she’s also super fun, and she wants to add a little spice to things. She’s going to put on a very chic kind of linen blouse, but she’s going to add an amazing necklace that her friend in Arizona made her," according to a description of the aesthetic on TikTok.
Laurel Kinney is a personal stylist who splits her time between Austin and Taos, New Mexico. And, she told The Show's Lauren Gilger, this particular trend struck a chord with her.
Conversation highlights
Why does this particular trend strike a chord with you?
LAUREL KINNEY: So to me, I felt deeply connected to this trend, and I don't usually ever. But I was like, wait, that actually describes me. So she's someone that is more into living her life on her terms and being independent and kind of responsible for a lot. But she's also like living kind of outside of sort of conventionality. And she loves to feel a part of her environment. Like, nature is very important to her. So a lot of the aesthetic is kind of this natural vibe of earth tones and like natural fabrics. And maybe it's more about the color and the texture more than the print or like the pieces themselves being really eye-catching. It's more of just this overall aesthetic of comfort, functionality and connection to nature. And then it's kind of punctuated with accessories. And I think the accessories are the thing that kind of sets it apart from just like Eileen Fisher kind of vibe.
So the accessories are it seems like a mark of her travels. In the original TikTok describing this, she talks about a necklace made by your friend in Arizona, like that kind of thing, right?
KINNEY: It's more like a personal connection to the way you're presenting yourself. It's like you're telling a story with your accessories, and it's sort of like this is also a souvenir and it also serves as like a shovel something — it could be multi-purpose.
You split your time between Austin, Texas, and Taos, New Mexico. Classic stomping grounds of the chic desert aunt, it sounds like. It's definitely something you relate to. Do you see this around? Do you see a lot of people adopting this vibe, this style, this particular look? And have they been doing it for a long time?
KINNEY: Yeah, I don't see it as a new adoption. It's more like this is a description of something that has been existing. And it's just like putting language to it, which I find very satisfying. And I do think, that in my mind I'm like, oh, well that's like every girl in Santa Fe. She's an artist, but she also can like build her own patio, right?
This does seem to be hitting on a nerve not just in the Southwest, but something that's been going on around the country and maybe internationally even right now. The desert's having a bit of a moment. What do you think is so attractive about the desert right now?
KINNEY: I think it's this romantic feeling that you get from expansiveness. To me, the desert is so inspiring because it is like the one place where you can go that you are the only one there. And it feels very like open ... I love that feeling of just being on top of a mesa and like seeing nothing around you but like this flat, beautiful space and maybe a mountain or two and like the sky. You can just feel this open possibility feeling. And I just also think the colors are so calming and soothing. And it's sort of this like opposite feeling that you get from the modern way of living, where everything is so like congested and closed in and you're looking at a tiny screen all the time. Instead, you're thinking about the sky and the desert and the clouds.
