I’m a Taurus born to two Taurus parents.
For those who don’t follow astrology, that means I’m stubborn — and I always have been. My headstrong nature combined with my lifelong love for fashion means that I’ve always worn what I wanted to wear when I wanted to wear it.
I was never really interested in following the advice of fashion influencers because I really didn’t want my fashion influenced. That is until I stumbled onto the account of Clara Perlmutter, a New York-based fashion influencer who goes by @tinyjewishgirl online.
As a fellow tiny Jewish girl, I was hooked. I had never seen someone else who dressed like her and I became absolutely fascinated.
As I fell down an online wormhole to try and understand her style, I was introduced to other creators like @annagolkayepez, @polychrom3 and @myramagdalen. I learned that these influencers were considered “maximalists” in the fashion industry, meaning that they constantly push the boundaries of what constitutes casual wear, and they craft technicolor outfits that break from all conventions.
Instead of styling outfits around one statement piece, maximalists find creative ways to mesh multiple statement pieces into one cohesive look. They throw popular fashion rules to the wind, like mixing patterns and combining black and navy. Silhouettes are often big and bold.
In a word, maximalist fashion is eye-catching and leans into high camp.
In one recent video, Tiktok creator Myra Magdalen took her almost 860,000 followers through her process of styling an outfit. Because her bodycon dress featured a whimsical castle print, she decided to accessorize it with a plastic toy castle. She then outfitted the castle with faux vines, roses, an image of a dragon eye, a toy unicorn and a small cutout of the comedian Tim Robinson.
The creator did not stop there. She continued to accessorize with a large plastic toy dragon with glowing red eyes before completing the look by slinging plastic dragon wings and silver knight-inspired armor over her shoulders.
If that isn’t camp, I don’t know what is!
These maximalist influencers don’t take themselves too seriously, and they remind the rest of us to do the same with ourselves. This self-compassion is refreshing, especially in a world where we are constantly bombarded with messaging that tells us to be the most serious, picture-perfect versions of ourselves.
Not only are these influencers a breath of fresh air in a sea of conformity, but they are also pioneers of sustainable practices in fashion.
Sure, this may sound contradictory. I mean, if we’re always told to use less to be sustainable, how can people who purposely do more have a positive environmental impact? That’s because they are doing more by buying less.
These creators ignore current fads and microtrends in favor of their own personal style, rooted in authentic self-expression. Instead of buying whatever new top is trending on Pinterest and disposing of it once the internet has moved on to the next new thing, these creators purchase pieces that speak to their individual creative vision and retain them for years.
Scrolling through each of their accounts, you can see tons of repeated pieces, but rarely a repeated outfit.
The creativity of these influencers allows them to constantly repurpose pieces, with creators like Anna Golka often breathing new life into previously worn pieces through strategic pinning and draping.
These creators have a knack for styling even the boldest pieces in various ways. In one video, @polychrom3 styles five outfits with one pair of pants, and no, these aren’t a plain pair of blue jeans. These are high-rise cyan and neon green zebra print. This ingenuity ensures that every piece of clothing gets adequate use.
When we focus on minimalist aesthetics, statement pieces live the majority of their lives gathering dust in the back of our closets. If we all took some inspiration from these maximalist creatives, we could give our clothes a way more active life. Not only does re-wearing prevent waste, but it also helps you get more bang for your buck.
Who doesn’t want to save the planet while saving money?
While the audience of many of these creators remains large, it doesn’t seem like the whole internet is ready to embrace maximalists.
The TikTok comment section of these creators’ videos is often riddled with naysayers questioning if their outlandish looks are satire. Still, they are all steadily gaining a dedicated audience — including myself — and inspiring many to push the boundaries of their personal fashion comfort zone.
Although I am a big fan of these creators, I don’t dress like a maximalist. I don’t wear three different patterns or 11 different accessories and I definitely bought into the coquette trend. However, when I dress myself each morning, I try to think like a maximalist.
Am I wearing this because I want to or because others will compliment it? Are there any pieces I haven’t worn in a while? What accessories are speaking to me today? Does this make me feel good, or does it just make me look conventionally attractive?
By rejecting traditional fashion rules, these creators equally reject beauty standards. Their outfit decisions are driven by internal factors, not external influences like what compliments their body shape or what they think will gain the most approval from others. They don’t dress for the male gaze, or even the female gaze. They dress according to their own likes and interests, and that’s what I think we should all try to do every day.